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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.