BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Ulsperger obtained his B.S. from the University of Central Arkansas as an H.L.
Minton Scholar. He earned his M.A. in Sociology from Arkansas State University and
soon after received the Student Award of Excellence from the Southwest Society on
Aging. He completed his Ph.D. in Sociology at Oklahoma State University with concentrations
in Crime/Deviance, Social Psychology, and Gerontology. While there, he won the O.D.
Duncan Award. He holds ATU Faculty of Excellence Awards in teaching, scholarship,
and service. Sociological Spectrum recognized one of his manuscripts as “Article of
the Year.” He is co-author of Elder Care Catastrophe: Rituals of Abuse in Nursing
Homes, published by Routledge; author of The 53: Rituals, Grief, and a Titan II Missile
Disaster, published by Lexington; and co-editor of several oral history projects.
His publication record includes approximately 80 scholarly and professional works.
Dr. Ulsperger has shared his research and community education work through nearly
100 professional and community presentations. The International Organization of Social
Sciences and Behavioral Research recognized one of his co-authored manuscripts on
stalking and victimization as “Best Paper.” He is a former president of the Mid-South
Sociological Association and served as a regional representative for Alpha Kappa Delta,
the international honor society of sociology. He is an award-winning faculty sponsor
for AKD and Alpha Phi Sigma, the international criminal justice honor society. Under
Dr. Ulsperger’s guidance, both honor societies won national service awards. He and
his students actively engage with nonprofit and government agencies, including the
Arkansas State Supreme Court, Pope County Department of Youth Rehabilitation, River
Valley Child Advocacy Center, and CASA of the 5th Judicial District.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dr. Ulsperger's research revolves around Structural Ritualization Theory. He is currently
using SRT to study organizational deviance as related to technological disasters and
survivor grief. He also studies law formation processes. Several of his studies use
SRT to analyze criminal behavior in a variety of environments, such as corporations
and long-term care facilities. Some of his work focuses on ritualized strain and its
relation to mass homicide. A well-known former member of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis
Unit recently described it as an "interesting and unique perspective" on crime.
