News from The Mahurin Honors College

Christopher Wallace’s journey to WKU is anything but conventional. Hailing from Aurora, Missouri, and with military service behind him, Christopher arrived at WKU in the fall of 2022 as a non-traditional student at age 26, along with his spouse, Audrey. Now pursuing a Bachelor’s in Political Science with a minor in Anthropology, as well as a Master of Public Administration through the JUMP program, Christopher is on track to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in December 2024 and his master’s in December 2025. His path, shaped by both life experience and academic curiosity, exemplifies the power of reinvention and self-discovery.

“I was exhilarated when I first got to WKU,” he says. “The college atmosphere allowed me to dictate my interests and really explore ideas of interest to me. The wisdom of age is knowing what we wanted. It was less of ‘what am I gonna do with my life’ and more of ‘I need to do this so I can do this with my life.’ It’s been a fantastic experience and a new foundational stone to the rest of our life.”

Originally, Christopher double-majored in Political Science and Professional Legal Studies but realized that a career in law wasn’t what he wanted. “I quickly realized I did not want to be a lawyer, so I changed my professional legal studies major to an anthropology minor – fantastic – I absolutely love all of the professors,” he says. This shift allowed him to explore political science more deeply, sparking an interest in education policy that would shape his academic focus.

Christopher’s thesis topic arose from personal observations he made after leaving his hometown. “My school was not given the same opportunities as the school up the street [that I] perceived as receiving more dollars,” he reflects. “Eventually, I started to get more into politics, I started reading the news, and when I got out of the army and decided to do a political science major, it was basically focusing on the connections between where the money was coming from and student outcomes.”

This interest in the relationship between education funding and outcomes led Christopher to do research into the SEEK (Support Education Excellence in Kentucky) funding formula, which allocates state dollars to public schools. “The initial idea came from a PS 501 class in JUMP, research methods [course], and the idea was to write all but the end part of the paper,” he explains. “So, [I] got the ideas down, and when the chance for the thesis came up, it had developed into what do teachers believe their greatest detriments to teaching are.”

He hypothesizes that the SEEK formula is not keeping up with modern education and monetary standards. “Once the foundation was laid, it was my assumption that the SEEK funding formula [was inadequate], so I dove heavily into that,” Christopher says. He painstakingly developed a survey instrument, emailing “over 13,000 educators, twice, to make sure they would get it,” he says with a grin. “I received 600 responses, with roughly 450 being usable for data analysis.”

Though the thesis itself may not include all of the SEEK data he has collected, Christopher is determined to focus on the insights provided by the teacher respondents. His work has revealed surprising findings. “We know that poverty means lower outcomes, and my first thought coming into this was that [teacher] salary would be a huge issue for a lot of teachers,” he says. “It turns out, as the literature says, Kentucky teachers don’t mind [salary] as a significant detriment. But transportation is an issue, the time between school and home, and home learning environments.”

He credits his success to the support of his professors, especially his thesis advisor, adjunct faculty Dr. Kevin Modlin of the Political Science department in the Potter College of Arts & Letters (PCAL). “Dr. Modlin was the first professor that I personally interacted with regarding my thoughts on pursuing education beyond undergrad, so he developed an interest, and we began to talk,” Christopher says. The two meet regularly, sometimes weekly, to review progress on his thesis and discuss his professional growth.

Christopher also works with Dr. Wes Cottongim of the College of Education & Behavioral Sciences (CEBS), whose dissertation focused on teacher burnout and dissatisfaction. “I’ve been meeting with [Dr. Cottongim] to discuss potential options, and less about the project, but more about professional development in conjunction with Dr. Modlin’s support,” he shares. “He’s suggested publishing a version of the thesis in a scholarly journal… that would be so cool.”

As a non-traditional student, Christopher balances his studies with work as a policy analyst for a local manufacturing company. While his campus involvement is somewhat limited due to outside obligations, he has been an active member of the pre-law student association since spring 2023 and is currently an advising officer for the organization where he “assist[s] in as many fundraising and outreach activities as I can and offer advice to the current officer team if needed. The current officers are outstanding, so I act as a fly on the wall most of the time.”

Additionally, he also noted that the flexibility of the MHC experience has offered him valuable opportunities. “Where honors has done well for me is giving me the opportunity to research what I want to research,” he says. “Not to mention that the classes they offer as credits are phenomenal—I took a chess class [with Dr. Modlin], I augmented a few times, and in fact, they provide funding to go to conferences to pursue my academic goals.”

In Spring 2024, Christopher presented his findings at the WKU Scholar Showcase and is now exploring higher-profile conferences to continue sharing his research. He also finds time to engage with his local community in Bowling Green, which he and his wife, Audrey, now consider one of the best cities they’ve lived in. “We pay attention more to local politics, I’ve actually spoken to some of the local city council members, and we’re active [in the community]. Because of professors like Dr. Julie Shadoan and Dr. Scott Lasley (both of whom are faculty in the Political Science department in PCAL) they’ve introduced us to so many people to help us grow our community.”

Looking ahead, Christopher plans to pursue a PhD after working for several years and sees his current work as the foundation for a career in public policy. “I don’t exactly yet know if I will continue studying the education sphere… I want to help make policy better. There are things that I read that I think are legitimately ungrounded, and I think I have some good ideas,” Christopher says. “I can present them well enough to legislators to help them write some things a little bit differently.”

To those considering the Honors College, Christopher has a simple message: “To anybody who is thinking about MHC, about thesis or non-thesis track, it’s the way to go. It’s a great opportunity to dive into the interests you have; I have learned so much.”

Christopher Wallace’s journey at WKU is a testament to the power of following one’s passions, no matter where life’s path begins. From military service to academic research, Christopher has embraced the opportunities and challenges of being a non-traditional student, carving out a future in public policy and education. His story reflects the impact of dedication, mentorship, and the pursuit of knowledge—values that will continue to guide him as he moves forward in his academic and professional endeavors.