D Day

D Day in our house is Andy's Dissertation Defense Date, which happens to be Thursday.  I can't believe that we are already here!  Andy is busily preparing right now.  He is excited, but said the nerves started to kick in today.

So, what fun is Andy in for this week?   Well, for about one and a half to two hours, he will be in the hands of his committee.  The committee includes five people.  His Director and two Readers, plus a Chairman who is another professor from the school that keeps everything on track, and a secretary which is someone from another school within the university.  In Andy's case, the secretary is from the Chemistry department (Andy is getting a theology degree)!  I think the main purpose of this is to make sure that each school is maintaining their academic integrity by not just awarding Ph.D's to anyone that walks in the door.

Andy will have 15 minutes to present this:

Yep, that is Big Bertha.  The fruit of his labor.

No notes are allowed.  The director and two readers will then each have 15 minutes to question him on his dissertation.  Afterwards, a second round of questioning begins and the Chairman and Secretary are allowed to join in on the fun.  In the best case scenario, members of the committee get into arguments with each other while the candidate stands by watching and letting the minutes tick past.  Ha ha! This has happened to some people. 

After everyone is satisfied that they have a grasp on the intelligence of the candidate, or when time is up, the candidate leaves the room while the committee deliberates.  Hopefully there is not much to deliberate about.  The candidate is called back in the room and if all goes as planned, the champagne gets popped, someone comes in to take awkward pictures, and the newest Ph.D is born! 

If you have a chance, please say some prayers for Andy as he prepares, and especially in the 2-4 time slot on Thursday.  I'm so proud of my hubs!

The picture at the top is of a gift that I got for Andy when he was still doing coursework.  While I was in San Diego on a business trip, he was working his tail off finishing up a grueling semester.  He has kept the plaque in his work area ever since.  Almost time to bring this baby to completion!