577-2297, ext. 287
t.jankowski@wayne.edu
113 Knapp
 

Thomas B. Jankowski, Ph.D., is Associate Director for Research at the Institute of Gerontology. He earned his doctoral degree under a Steven B. Sarasohn Dissertation Fellowship and his masters degree under a Thomas C. Rumble Graduate Fellowship in Wayne State University's Department of Poltical Science, and received his bachelors degree in political science from Michigan State University, where he was a National Merit Scholar. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Jankowski worked in electoral politics as a campaign manager and director, and in government as a legislative aide in the Michigan House of Representatives.

In his role as Associate Director of the IOG, Dr. Jankowski is responsible for the planning and oversight of the IOG's extensive computer resources, including servers, workstations, networks, research software, digital audio/visual equipment, and the IOG's websites and Internet facilities. He works with his faculty colleagues to enhance awareness of opportunities for extramural research funding, to enable and assist in their pursuit of that funding, and to help build research collaborations with other researchers across the University and around the world. He works with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and predoctoral trainees as a consultant and advisor in the areas of survey research, research methodology, statistical analysis, data management, and academic computing. He also works with the IOG's administrative staff to assist in the automation and streamlining of grant application processes, post-award grant and personnel management, and business processes and systems.

Dr. Jankowski also serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Political Science and Gerontology at Wayne State University, and has served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Political Science at Eastern Michigan University as well. He currently teaches Wayne State's graduate seminar in public policy and the aged, part of the IOG's Graduate Certificate Program, through the Department of Poltical Science and the College of Lifelong Learning. His academic interests include Social Security and Medicare policy, as well as public opinion and the social and political participation of mass publics, and he is particularly interested in the effects of race, gender, and the aging process on the development of political orientations, habits of media use, and patterns of participation in individuals. When his other duties allow, he continues to pursue his own research in adult political socialization and the effects of cohort, life span forces, and social and racial identity on political behavior, civic knowledge, and public opinion. He chairs the Advisory Council of The Senior Alliance, Michigan Area Agency on Aging 1-C, and sits on its Board of Directors and Executive Committee.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of Families For Children, a not-for-profit international adoption advocacy organization.

Dr. Jankowski combines his academic and technical interests in his sponsorship and administration of PhinisheD, on the web at http://www.phinished.org. PhinisheD is an online discussion and support community for those pursuing graduate education or those who have recently completed an advanced degree and are seeking or adjusting to employment in academia, government, or the private sector. PhinisheD is especially geared toward graduate students writing a thesis or dissertation on the Masters or Doctoral level, a group which often faces enormous isolation and frustration and therefore has a singular need for advice, social support, and the camaraderie of others in similar circumstances. A lively community with scores of active members from North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and beyond, PhinisheD includes several interactive bulletin boards, a links directory containing over 700 links to other websites of interest, a chat room, a public calendar, and a number of other features. So far, PhinisheD has helped about 300 struggling graduate students finish their theses or dissertations, an accomplishment of which Dr. Jankowski is particularly proud.

Publications

Herring, Mary, Thomas B. Jankowski, and Ronald E. Brown. (1999). "Pro-Black Doesn't Mean Anti-White: The Structure of African-American Group Identity." Journal of Politics 61 (2): 363-386.

Ellis, R. Darin, Thomas B. Jankowski, Jarrod E. Jasper, and Balaji S. Tharuvai. (1998). "Listener: A Tool for Client-Side Investigation of Hypermedia Navigation Behavior." Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers 30 (4): 573-582.

Ellis, R. Darin, Thomas B. Jankowski, and Jarrod E. Jasper. (1998). "Design of an Internet-based Information System for Aging Services Professionals." The Gerontologist 38 (6): 743-748.

Ellis, R. Darin , Thomas B. Jankowski, Jarrod E. Jasper, and Aziz Abdul. (1996). "Gero-informatics and the Internet: Locating Gerontology Information on the World Wide Web." The Gerontologist 36 (1): 100-105.

Jankowski, Thomas B. and John M. Strate. (1995). "Modes of Participation Over the Adult Life Span." Political Behavior 17: 89-106.

Strate, John M. , Coit C. Ford III, and Thomas B. Jankowski. (1994). "Women's Use of the Print Media to Monitor Politics." Social Science Quarterly 75: 166-186.

Thomas B. Jankowski. (1994). "Reciprocity, Elder Satisfaction, and Caregiver Stress and Burden: The Exchange of Aid in the Family Caregiving Relationship." Journal of Marriage and the Family 56: 35-43.