Doctoral graduate Matt Deeg reflects on his time at KU

Matt Deeg had a simple reason for wanting to pursue a doctorate.

“I love learning,” he explained. “I love being able to dig into any random topic and learn more about it.”

Deeg previously earned a bachelor’s in social sciences and organizational studies and a master’s in higher education administration. He held several student affairs roles, and the experience working with students around leadership piqued his interest in organizational leadership.

Now, Deeg researches relationships at and outside of work and how they influence individuals’ well-being and performance. His dissertation is focused on social support — somebody helping another in a way that alleviates stress — and specifically, what leads people to provide different kinds of support.

His research found that regardless of how long you’ve known somebody, where you know them from, or how often you interact with them, the quality of relationship dictates how willing you are to give them social support.

“You could have known somebody for a month, but if you think that your relationship is one that’s grounded in trust and mutual respect, you’re going to go ahead and help them out,” Deeg said. “This seems like conventional wisdom, have good relationships, but we’re actually confirming the benefits of it.”

After defending his dissertation in June, Deeg will head to Abilene Christian University this fall, where he has accepted an assistant professorship.

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Faculty and staff support

During his own educational experience, Deeg said he benefited from the support of numerous people throughout the School of Business and KU.

“It is a place where people literally just want to help and make sure that you succeed,” he said.

That willingness to go the extra mile was evident from the beginning. Now-professor emeritus Douglas May met with Deeg the summer before he started the doctoral program to discuss his research interests, a conversation that led them to build out a research project.

Deeg described program faculty like May, along with Neeli Bendapudi Professor of Management Jill Ellingson, as the ideal coaches.

“They’re the perfect mixture of hands-on to help you know where you’re going so you’re not going to run off a cliff with an experiment or spend three months of time chasing down something they know is not going to work — they know how to help guide that,” Deeg said. “But they’re also hands-off enough to let you go off into the world feeling like you can actually be a faculty member.”

Charly Edmonds, director of the School of Business doctoral program, also played an invaluable role for Deeg, ensuring he and other doctoral students were getting the support they needed from faculty during the pandemic.

“Charly makes the world go around for us doc students,” he said. “She keeps us on track, but also they call her the Ph.D. mom, and it’s true. She sets things up, and she cares about us.”

Additionally, Deeg benefited from connections forged with those outside of his program. When his plans to collect data from healthcare workers in March 2020 were derailed by COVID-19, Deeg asked Dee Steinle, executive director of MBA and M.S. programs, if it was possible to get access to MBA students. Steinle connected him with students who made up the first sample for his dissertation. Other programs and departments on campus also stepped up to give Deeg additional access so he could broaden his data collection.

Making his mark

In the classes he’s instructed during his time at the School of Business, Deeg has shown a similar willingness to connect and offer support to students. His efforts have been recognized with several doctoral student teaching awards.

“What I’ve appreciated and what I think the students have appreciated about the classes is their willingness to engage on topics going beyond what we normally cover in the classroom,” he said. “It’s fun. I love teaching them, and I love coming in.”

Edmonds said Deeg also took pains to support his fellow doctoral students, mentoring incoming students and serving as president of the Association of Business Doctoral Students for two years in a row, a mark of his dedication to student well-being.

“He has proved his dedication and perseverance while in this program,” Edmonds said, “and Abilene Christian University is lucky to have him on their faculty.”