Jennifer Morrison

Contributing Faculty
College of Health Sciences and Public Policy
Ph.D. Public Policy and Administration

Dr. Jennifer Morrison earned her bachelor's degree in Russian Area Studies from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She returned to higher education 13 years later, earning her MPA at Troy State University, Montgomery Campus in Montgomery, Alabama as a single parent with a 1st and 4th grader. She earned her doctorate in Political Science, with concentrations in Public Administration, American Government, and Criminal Justice, from the University of Alabama. Upon graduation, she began teaching as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Brescia University, Owensboro Kentucky, then moving to Murray State University in Murray Kentucky as an Assistant Professor of Public Administration. Dr. Morrison was one of three faculty members in the MPA program at Murray State, teaching and mentoring non-traditional students in online and face-to-face courses, including Foundations of Public Administration, Public Sector Human Resources, and Public Organizations. While her dissertation focused on turnover in the federal government, her most recent research has been on online teaching, particularly engaging students and faculty, and the changes in online teaching due to the pandemic. She has presented her work at the Southern Political Science Association conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2018 and 2020, the American Political Science Association conference in Boston, Massachusetts in 2018 as well as the 2019 Focus on Teaching and Technology (FTTC) conference at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, the CARE Conference, and HEAd’21 in 2021, and work with colleagues was presented at Pedigogicon in 2020.

Education

PhD, University of Alabama

MPA, Troy State University

BA, George Mason University

Public Service

Section for Women in Public Administration, Member -

Publications

Morrison, J., Clinger, J. (2020). Agency design and state administrators: Political insulation and managers’ views of their workplace. International Journal of Public Administration

Morrison, J., Shemberger, M. (2022). Fighting the Resistance: Helping Faculty to Embrace Online Teaching During a Pandemic. Journal of Faculty Development

Morrison, J. (2021). Getting to Know You: Student-Faculty Interaction and Student Engagement in Online Courses. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice

Presentations

Morrison, J., Clinger, J. (2017). • Agency Design and the Volume of Red Tape: Political Insulation and State Managers’ Perceptions. .

Joyce, A., Morrison, J., Romero-Gonzalez, T., Kane, M. (2020). • Best Practices for Encouraging Instructor/Student Communication and Partnerships in Online Learning. .

Morrison, J. (2021). Getting to Know You: Student-Faculty Interaction and Student Engagement in Online Courses.

Morrison, J., Shemberger, M. (2019). Helping Faculty to Embrace the Online Teaching and Learning Environment. University of Missouri, St. Louis

Morrison, J. (2018). Incorporation of Service Learning and Experiential Learning in Nontraditional MPA Programs.

Morrison, J. (2020). Organizational Commitment under @readldonaldtrump: A Story of Two FBI Directors.

Morrison, J. (2016). What Causes Single Mothers in the Military to Turnover?.

Morrison, J. (2021). Will pre-Covid Retention Strategies work in a Post-Covid World? Living in a Post-Covid World.