UPB Instructor Earns Doctoral Degree

Mark Kelley, instructor of sports medicine at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, has earned his Doctor of Philosophy in education, specializing in leadership in higher education, from Capella University.

For his thesis, “Differences in Job Satisfaction Between Exercise Science and Non-exercise Science Faculty,” he surveyed 28 faculty members at public and private colleges and universities in Pennsylvania.

Kelley said that such a survey of job satisfaction for exercise science faculty had not been done before. The survey asked 33 questions regarding salary, working conditions, an instructor’s ability to advance, etc.

Kelley said that he found both groups were overall satisfied with their jobs, but that there was not a statistically significant difference between the two groups.

Kelley did find two trends. He found that men had a positive correlation between job salary and job satisfaction, but that for women, that link was much weaker.

“That backs up previous research,” Kelley said.

He also found that tenured faculty members showed a significant correlation between their overall ability to grow in their job and job satisfaction.

In addition to his work leading the sports medicine program at Pitt-Bradford, Kelley is also the director of the Freshman Seminar program, which helps first-year students adjust to college academics.

Kelley earned his Master of Science degree in exercise and wellness promotion from Slippery Rock University and his Bachelor of Science in sports medicine from Pitt-Bradford.

A Bradford native, Kelley is active in the community, serving as the head girls’ cross-country coach for Bradford Area High School, where he is also the assistant head boys’ track coach, and working as a physical activity instructor with KidShape obesity prevention and wellness program for children.

A runner in his own right, Kelley has five marathons under his belt and is training for the Stone Mill 50 Mile run in November in Maryland.