UCSR Services | Types of Surveys | UCSR Personnel | Cost of Services
Brett Zollinger, Ph.D., Director
Dr. Brett Zollinger rejoined the Docking Institute as director in August 2019. He also serves as chair of Sociology Programs at FHSU. He previously served in a joint-appointment between the Docking Institute and Sociology as research scientist at the Institute from 1998 to 2008 and director of the Institute from 2002 to 2008. His work has been nationally recognized. He received the Rural Sociological Society's Dissertation Award in 1997. He has been published in several academic journals including Rural Sociology, Journal of the Community Development Society, Research in Community Sociology, Economic Development Quarterly, Complimentary Health Practice Review, the Online Journal of Rural Research and Policy, and e-journal of Public Affairs. He also has a book chapter in the edited book, Mad about Wildlife. He has designed and conducted survey research projects at local, state and regional levels on a wide variety of topics including the following: public health/wellness awareness, attitudes toward wildlife management approaches and recreational hunting practices, labor availability, health care needs assessment, housing and city services satisfaction, quality of life, crime and domestic victims issues, and use of conservation tree plantings. He also conducted dozens of program evaluation studies and organizational and community development strategic planning sessions. One of most notable research and strategic planning projects was the statewide 2005 Kansas Prosperity Summit research and planning process on behalf of the Kansas Department of Commerce and five partner state agencies, which culminated in an economic development plan for Kansas issued by Governor Kathleen Sebelius. He has over $2.5 million of applied research and planning funded. Dr. Zollinger's primary research interests are in the areas of natural resource sociology, human dimensions of wildlife management, community development, and public health/wellness programming. Prior to joining the Docking Institute in 1998, Dr. Zollinger earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Utah State University and worked in USU's Institute for Social Science Research on Natural Resources. In his spare time he enjoys golfing and spending time with his family.
Jian Sun, Ph.D., Assistant Director
Dr. Jian Sun joined the Docking Institute in July 2007 as a research scientist and was promoted to assistant director in 2017. His responsibilities include survey design, survey administration, data analysis, and report writing. He has been the lead researcher for a variety of projects involving feasibility studies, health needs assessments, program evaluation, public opinion surveys, and housing studies. His personal research interests include housing prices, urban developmental policies, and public administration. Before joining the Docking Institute, he was involved in several planning projects in the United States and China, including land use planning, transportation analysis, and community economic development. He has published in the academic journals Environmental and Planning A, Journal of Real Estate Literature, Journal of Housing Economics, Journal of Urban Affairs, Journal of Public Affairs Education, Real Estate Economics, and Journal of Current Chinese Affairs. Jian is also an associate professor in FHSU's Political Science Program, teaching research methods and public administration courses.Jian received his doctorate from the University of Louisville in 2007.
Michael Walker, M.S., Research Scholar
Michael Walker holds a research scholar appointment with the Docking Institute and Sociology Programs at Fort Hays State University. He joined the Institute in 2000 as a research scientist, and was promoted to assistant director in 2006 and director in 2017. In the fall of 2019 he transitioned to a research scholar position. His academic specialties include urban and rural sociology, community theory and development, and population change. His applied research specialties include research design, survey and focus group research, strategic planning, and program assessment. He has been the lead researcher for more than 100 of labor and employment studies in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Mike is a member of the Rural Sociological Society, the Community Development Society, wKREDA, Hays Area Chamber of Commerce, American Association of Public Opinion Research, and the Population Association of America. Prior to coming to Fort Hays State University, he performed ethnographic and survey research in California, Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Nebraska. Mike also participated in archeological digs in southern Utah, completed a political internship in Washington, DC, and served in the U.S. Army. Mike received his Master of Science degree in sociology from Utah State University.