Shudak, Dr. Nicholas
Title: Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Professor of Teacher Education
Department: Academic Affairs
Office: Bede 229
Phone: 605-668-1511
EDUCATION
B.S., Elementary Education, Northern Illinois University
M.S., Foundations of Education (Philosophy of Education), Northern Illinois University
M.A., Theology (Morgal Theology, in progress), Holy Apostles College and Seminary
Ph.D., Culture, Curriculum, and Change, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
COURSES TAUGHT
EDN 150 Orientation to Teaching
EDN 341 Elementary Science and Social Studies Methods
EDN 360 SD Indian Studies
EDN 377 Human Relations Skills
EDN 490 Seminar: The Teaching Profession
EDN 500 Foundations of Educational Research
Other courses: Philosophy and History of Education, Foundations of Education, Contexts of Education, Introduction to Student Services, Advanced Student Services, RCIA.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Nicholas J. Shudak is Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Full Professor of Teacher Education at Mount Marty University. Prior to serving at MMU, Dr. Shudak served Wayne State College (Nebraska) as the Dean of Education and Behavioral Science. Other posts include Associate Professor and Chair of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of South Dakota. He started his career at Mount Marty University and is extremely pleased to be back in a Catholic and Benedictine environment. Dr. Shudak earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is completing his Master of Theology through Holy Apostles College and Seminary. Expect great things from Mount Marty University! Joshua 24:15.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dr. Shudak's scholarly interests are in the foundations of education, educational policy, schools and schooling, teacher effectiveness, action research in teacher education, and the philosophy for children (p4c) movement. Shudak is also keenly interested in the intersection of Catholic Social Teaching with education and political policy. He has successfully written over $2.5 million in public (NSF, HRSA) and private grants and has served as the project lead on a $4.5 million Bush Foundation grant investigating teacher education redesign efforts. Shudak also led partnership efforts with UNMC to improve access to education and behavioral health in rural Nebraska, bringing in $100,000 per year to Wayne State.
PUBLICATIONS
Barnes, J., & Shudak, N.J., (2022). "Teacher leadership through action research in the classroom." In N. Bond (Ed.), The Power of Teacher Leaders: Their Roles, Influence, and Impact (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
Shudak, N.J., & Taoka, Y. (2020). "The institution as learner: Challenging the metaphor of debt in higher education." In E. Sengupta, P. Blessinger, and C. Mahoney (Eds.), Leadership Strategies for Promoting Social Responsibility in Higher Education: Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, 24, 161-174. Bingly, UK: Emerald Publishing Group.
Mourlam, D., DeJong, D., Shudak, N.J., & Baron, M. (2019). "A phenomenological investigation into teacher candidate experiences during a year-long residency experience." The Teacher Educator, 54(4), 397-419.
Shudak, N.J. (2018). "Phenomenology." In B. Frey (Ed.). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.