The Debra D. Bragg Dissertation Award recognizes doctoral students or graduates whose dissertations examine topics pertaining to community college student baccalaureate attainment, including community college baccalaureate (CCB) degrees.
Candidates for the Award should have completed or successfully defended their dissertations between 2021 and 2026 to qualify for consideration* and demonstrate excellence in the design and execution of a doctoral dissertation that includes a salient problem statement; comprehensive literature review; appropriate research design, methods and analysis; and informative results, conclusions, and recommendations for policy and/or practice. Dissertations that shed new light on broadening access and advancing equitable outcomes for community college students in baccalaureate degree attainment receive the strongest consideration for this award.
Award Amount and Conference Waiver
Funding for initial awards is provided by Drs. Debra and Michael Bragg. Each award will provide a $1,500 honorarium plus reimbursement of travel expenses (not to exceed $1,000) for presentation at the annual Community College Baccalaureate Association National Conference (February 17-19, 2027) in Albuquerque, NM. The $1,500 honorarium is to provide monetary recognition of the awardee’s achievement and also encourage publication of the dissertation results, including in a CCBA communication. CCBA will waive the conference fee for the awardee and his/her dissertation chair will receive a 50% discount on the conference registration rate in recognition of his/her contributions to the doctoral dissertation and to encourage his/her attendance.
Award Committee
A committee representing the CCBA Board and CCBA membership, including additional members who bring expertise useful in selecting the award winner, will review applications.
*While preference is given to completed doctoral dissertations at the time of submission of the nomination package, the CCBA president and CCBA board may elect to allow applicants who are nearing the dissertation defense and completion of the doctoral degree to respond to the award solicitation that ends October 16. Any exception should be limited to cases where there is compelling evidence, with written attestation in the nomination letter of the Dissertation Chair, that the student will defend the doctoral dissertation successfully and graduate before the time CCBA confers this award during its 2027 conference.
Nomination materials must be submitted below on or before October 16, 2026.
2026 Debra D. Bragg Dissertation Award Honoree
Dr. Jessica Wojtysiak completed her doctoral degree in educational leadership at California State University, Bakersfield, in August 2024. Her dissertation, titled “Making Us Fearless”: A Mixed Methods Study Of The California Community College Baccalaureate Degree,” examined whether or not the CA CCB program is achieving its legislatively mandated goal of expanding access to new job opportunities and promotion through the provision of a quality baccalaureate education to California’s students and to investigate how the self-efficacy of enrolled students compares to those earning a bachelor’s degree at traditional 4-year institutions.
2025 Debra D. Bragg Dissertation Award Honoree
Dr. April Mazon completed her doctoral degree in Community College Leadership at San Diego State University in December 2024. Her dissertation, titled Voces Rurales: Examining Latina Rural College Student Experiences in Navigating Transitions from College to Career or Post-Baccalaureate Studies, explores the critical intersection of rurality, gender, and ethnicity in higher education. Her work strives to inform policies and practices that expand access to baccalaureate degrees, improve support systems for Latina students, and strengthen workforce development in rural communities.
Dr. Mazon prides herself on being a first-generation Latina college graduate, a San Diego native, and a resident of Imperial County, California for 15 years. She has worked in education for the past 23 years. Dr. Mazon is Imperial Valley College’s Program Manager for “LIFT the Valley,” a Department of Energy-funded initiative focused on workforce development in the lithium and geothermal industries. Dr. Mazon also teaches part-time at San Diego State University Imperial Valley in the teaching credential program, where she works with local emerging K-12 educators.