U n i v e r s i t y o f I d a ho C e l e b r a t i n g O u r F i r s t D oc t o r a l D e g r e e s Pioneers in two of the higher realms of education at the University of Idaho — Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy — are being honored today. Idaho granted its first doctor of education, or Ed.D., in 1962, with the first doctor of philosophy degrees, or Ph.D.s, awarded the year after. In the United States, the Ed.D. degree tends to be granted by the school of education of universities and is a terminal degree in education. The Ed.D. is recognized for appointment as a lecturer or professor in a university. It also may be recognized as preparation for administrative positions in education, such as superintendent of schools, human resource director, or school principal. The Ph.D. degree is the highest academic degree awarded by U.S. universities in most fields of study. The term “philosophy” does not refer solely to the field of philosophy. Rather, it is used in accordance with its original Greek meaning, “love of wisdom. The requirements for obtaining Ph.D.s and other research doctorates in the U.S. typically entail successful completion of pertinent classes, passing of a comprehensive examination, and defense of a dissertation. Idaho’s first Doctor of Education degrees were earned by:
Florence Aller In 1962, Florence Aller obtained the University’s first doctoral degree in education, specializing in guidance and counseling, with her thesis, “The role of the self concept in student marital adjustment.” She had previously graduated as valedictorian of her Hayes Teachers College class. She earned a master’s degree in home economics at Oregon State University in 1946. She and her husband, Alvin, moved to Nampa, Idaho, in 1949. The couple went on to join the faculty at Northwest Nazarene College. A decade later, the couple moved to Moscow where she became an assistant professor of home economics at the University of Idaho and focused her research on student marital adjustment and teenage marriage. Her dissertation was later published as an article, “Some Factors in Marital Adjustment and Academic Achievement of Married Students” in the March 1963 issue of what was then the Personnel and Guidance Journal and currently the Journal of Counseling & Development. She also had published “Historical Reflections: Idaho Home Economics Association” and “75 Years to Remember: Home Economics at the University of Idaho, 1902-1977.” Florence passed away in 1993. She and her late husband, who was a professor of botany at Idaho, both have memorial scholarships in their names at Northwest Nazarene University.
John Morford In 1963, John Morford earned the University’s second doctorate in education. He joined the education faculty at Seattle University in 1973 and has since retired. At Seattle University he was dean of the School of Education from 1973 to 1978. Under his leadership the Doctorate in Educational Leadership program, Seattle U’s only doctorate program, was launched in 1975 and continues to be one of the university’s most distinguished academic programs. Earlier, as chair of the Department of Education at John Carroll University in Ohio, he founded one of the first programs to prepare teachers to work in urban poverty areas. He and his wife, Jerene, are active in humanitarian efforts in the Seattle area.
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