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Dr. Michael Garr, associate professor of sociology, teaches a variety of courses including
Introduction to Sociology, Drugs and Alcohol in American Society and Sociological
Theory. Since coming to Wilkes in 1984, Dr. Garr has three times been designated a
Top 20 Member of the faculty.
From 1992-2002, Dr. Garr and a colleague engaged students in collecting and tabulating
data in the University’s Survey Center on ten public opinion polls for a local daily
newspaper as well as other projects for local community organizations, including the
United Way. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) used information from his
“Flood of ‘94” survey, a project on which students helped collect information from
500 Wilkes-Barre respondents in a two-hour period regarding the evacuation of Wilkes-Barre
in 1994.
Dr. Garr has been appointed a project director for the Governor’s Drug Council, Governor’s
Task Force on Drug Abuse and U.S. Department of Education Drug-Free Schools and Communities,
work that prompted nearly 20 years of research on issues relating to driving under
the influence (DUI), social drinking, deterring DUI crime and the effectiveness of
DUI checkpoints.
Dr. Garr has served as a consultant to Wyoming Valley Health Care System, the Alzheimer’s
Association, and to area high schools. He has also directed research projects for
the United Ways of Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
and Northeast Regional Highway Safety Program.
Articles by Dr. Garr have appeared in many publications including The Journal of Neuroscience
in Nursing and the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. He also co-authored and
presented a paper that tested the crime theory of Hirschi and Gottfredson, internationally
known criminologists. He is also a member of both the American Sociological Association
and the Population Reference Bureau.
Dr. Garr is co-director of the Wilkes University Survey Research Center. In this capacity,
he recently completed a community needs assessment for the United Way. Along with
Professor Dr. Thomas Baldino, Dr. Garr is conducting a telephone poll regarding the
effectiveness of county government in Luzerne County. Dr. Garr teaches courses in
deviance and social control, medical sociology, and introduction to sociology.
Dr. Michael Garr, professor of sociology, received his Ph. D. from Indiana University
and an M.A. and B.A. from Ohio Univeristy. He teaches Introduction to Sociology, Quantitative
Reasoning in the Social Sciences, and Social Theory. In addition, Dr. Garr oversees
all senior projects done for the majors in criminology and sociology. As a result,
Dr. Garr works closely mentoring student research.
Dr. Garr’s most recent research combines his personal interest in pipe smoking with
a scholarly interest in harm reduction, more specifically, pipe and cigar smoking
as tobacco harm reduction. He has also completed a recent internet survey in conjunction
with PipesMagazine.com.
Professional Associations
American Sociological Association
Population Reference Bureau
2009 “Self-Employment, Work-Family Fit and Mental Health Among Female Workers.” Jountal of Family and Economic Issues 30: 282 – 292 (co-authored with Robert Tuttle).
1999 “The Relation of Premorbid Factors to Aggressive Physical Behavior in Dementia.” The Journal of Neuroscience Nursing 31: 278 – 284 (co-authored with Ann M. Kolanowski)
1998 “Behavioral Syndromes in Institutionalized Elders.” American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 13: 245 - 256 (co-authored with Ann M. Kolanowski, Lois Evans, and Neville Strumpf)
1997 “Longitudinal Study of Disturbing Behaviors in Institutionalized Elders.” Eastern Nursing Research Society. (co-authored with Ann M. Kolanowski)
1994 "Driving Under the Influence." Pp. 131 - 148 in The Generality of Deviance edited by Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction (co-authored with George C. Strand).
2008 Paper, “Varieties of Smoking and Health: Pipe and Cigar Smoking as Tobacco
Harm Reduction,” presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Sociological
Association, August 3, Boston.
2008 Paper, “Shift Work, Work-Family Fit, and Children’s Outcomes,” presented
at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 3, Boston
(co-authored with Bob Tuttle).
2007 Paper, “Shift Work, Work-Family Fit and Workers’ Mental Health,” presented
at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 12, NY
(co-authored with Bob Tuttle).
2006 Paper, “Self-Employment, Work-Family Fit and Mental Health Among Female
Workers,” presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association,
August 11, Montreal, Canada (co-authored with Bob Tuttle).
2005 Paper, “Tobacco Use and Health: Pipe and Cigar Smoking as Harm Reduction,”
presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 16,
Philadelphia, PA.
2002- Project Director, Wilkes University Survey Center
1992 Along with Dr. Tom Baldino, the Survey Center conducted The Times-Leader/Wilkes
University Poll. Helped administer CATI system, supervised students, and tabulated
results on ten public opinion polls for local newspaper.
2002- Project Director, United Way of Wilkes-Barre
2001 Second wave of needs assessment conducted for the United Way.
1999- Project Director, United Ways of Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton
1998 Directed needs assessment for the United Way consisting of collecting
data through telephone interviews and questionnaires distributed through employee
payroll at various companies. Ran statistical analysis of data and produced report
of results.
1997 Consultant, Wyoming Valley Health Care System - Advised representatives
from the health care system regarding questionnaire development for a core values
study. Analyzed data and produced report.
1996 Project Director, Wyoming Valley Health Care System - Directed a project
for the Wyoming Valley Health Care System that designed a needs assessment questionnaire
and ran focus groups regarding the creation of a women’s health center.
1996 Project Director, “Flood of ‘96 Survey” - Along with George Strand, poll
concerning community response to flood emergency in Luzerne County. FEMA requested
further analysis of poll data.
1996 Statistical Consultant, Alzheimers Association - Analyzed data concerning
disturbing behaviors among Alzheimer’s patients in a nursing home. Project Director:
Ann Marie Kolanowski
1996 Consultant, CSIU
Along with George Strand (SIA), analyzed data on ELECT program and other
funding programs and prepared reports for PA Department of Education.
1996 Consultant, Hanover Area High School
Along with George Strand (SIA), constructed survey instrument, analyzed
data from strategic planning survey and prepared report of results.
1996 Consultant, Pittston Area High School - Along with George Strand (SIA),
constructed survey instrument, analyzed data from strategic planning survey and prepared
report of results.
1996 Consultant, West-Side Area Vocational-Technical School - Along with George
Strand (SIA), analyzed data from strategic planning survey and prepared report of
results.
1995 Paper, “The Effectiveness of Sobriety Checkpoints: Effective for Whom?”Society
for Applied Sociology, Oct. 21,San Diego, CA.
1994 Paper, "DUI and General Deterrence Theory," presented at the annual meeting
of the Eastern Sociological Society, March 19, Baltimore, MD.
1994 Consultant, Wyoming Valley Health Care System - Constructed a needs assessment
questionnaire for health providers and services for northern Luzerne County and Wyoming
County. Administered CATI, supervised students, tabulated, analyzed survey data and
provide final report.
1994 Consultant, Northeast Pennsylvania Technology Council - Along with Dr.
Tom Baldino constructed a member awareness and satisfaction mailed survey. Tabulated
and anaylzed results.
1994 Consultant, Temple Israel - Along with Dr. Tom Baldino constructed a congregation
satisfaction mailed survey. Tabulated and analyzed results.
1993 Consultant, Geisinger Health Care System - Assessed reliability and construct
validity of a revised HMO customer satisfaction instrument. Advised on data collection
procedures.
1993 Paper, "Drinking Rituals and Social Locations," presented at the annual
meeting of the American Sociological Association, August, Miami, FL.
1993 Project Director, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Northeast
Regional Highway Safety Program.
Directed a computer assisted telephone interview (CATI) project concerning
the public's perception of the effectiveness of sobriety checkpoints within a one
county region.
1992 Paper, co-authored with George Strand and Greg Stinson, "Can a General
Theory of Crime Explain Macrosocial Phenomena?" presented at the annual meeting of
the American Society of Criminology, November, New Orleans, LA.
1992 Paper, "Science: Empowering or Disempowering the Public," presented at
the conference of the Ethics Institute of Northeast Pennsylvania, March 25, Wilkes-Barre,
PA.
1992 Consultant, Luzerne-Wyoming County MH/MR/D&A Program. Evaluation of
the effectiveness of CRRs in establishing independent lifestyles for mental health
clients.
1991 Paper, co-authored with George R. Strand, Jr., "A Logistic Model of a
General Theory of Crime: Exploring the Policy and Theoretical Implications for DUI
Research," presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of
Criminology, November , San Francisco, CA.
1991 Paper, co-authored with George R. Strand, Jr., "Driving Under the Influence
and Low Self-Control: A Test of a General Theory of Crime," presented at the 86th
annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 27, Cincinnati,OH.
1991 Paper, "Information Gathering in Modern Democratic Societies: The Public
Opinion Poll as Cross-Disciplinary Technique," presented at Project LEARN, February
15, Wilkes-Barre, PA.
1991 Consultant, Geisinger Health Care System
Assessed reliability and construct validity of an HMO customer satisfaction
instrument. Advised on data collection procedures.
1991 Consultant, Northeast Regional Highway Safety Program.
Constructed an evaluation instrument for the use by state police to assess
the effectiveness of a sobriety checkpoint program. Maintained data base and analyzed
resultant data.
1991- Project Director, Luzerne County DUI Task Force Survey.
1989 Constructed and administered a DUI survey to 800 high school students
in Luzerne County. In addition, 500 college students from three different colleges
also received a similar, self-administered survey. Finally, a DUI survey for worksites,
using a PPS sample of 100 county businesses, was constructed.
1990 Paper, co-authored with George R. Strand, Jr., "DUI and Low Self-Control:
A Test of Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory of Crime," presented at the American
Society of Criminology, November 8, Baltimore, MD.
1989 Consultant's Report, "Estimating the Uninsured Population of Luzerne County,"
presented to the Mayor's Subcommittee for the Uninsured or Underinsured, July, Wilkes-Barre,
PA
1989 Paper, "An Approach to Alcohol Prevention Programs: Wilkes INC," presented
at the 84th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 10, San
Francisco, CA.
1988 Paper, "The Rhetoric of Professionalism: The Professional Identity of
Pharmacists," Wilkes College Faculty Seminar Series, public lecture, December, Wilkes-Barre,
PA.
1987 Consultant's report, "Evaluation of the Day Partial Hospitalization Program,"
submitted to the Executive Committee of the Luzerne-Wyoming County MH/MR/D&A Program,
November, Wilkes-Barre, PA.
1985 Paper, "Drugstore as Text: How to Read a Drugstore," presented at the
annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society, October, Pittsburgh, PA.
1995 Outstanding Designee for 1994. Top 20 Member of the Faculty, Wilkes University
1990 Outstanding Designee for 1989: Top 20 Member of the Faculty, Wilkes University
1988 Outstanding Designee for 1987: Top 20 Member of the Faculty, Wilkes College.
1983 Sutherland Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Department of Sociology, Indiana University.