CSM Dwayne Coffer Graduates with Doctor of Education Degree

Command Sgt. Maj. Dwayne Coffer, the former command sergeant major of the 2nd Battalion, 317th Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 104th Training Division (LT), graduated with his Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia during a ceremony May 5, 2022.

“Perseverance was the key,” said Coffer. “I first applied for the Doctoral Program at Liberty University in the Winter of 2013 but was denied admission because I didn’t score high enough on the Graduate Record Exam. Liberty had an alternate test, the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). I studied and studied for the MAT and scored high enough for Liberty to admit me in the Spring of 2014. I began taking classes in the Spring of 2015.” Coffer noted that now Liberty does not require an admission test of any kind for the doctoral program.

“It was a hard, long process to earn my doctorate degree,” stated Coffer.

“While taking classes for my doctorate degree, I lost my civilian job due to my military service,” he said. “When I was working on my dissertation, I was ready to start interviewing the participants of my study in-person and then COVID-19 hit.”

Coffer continued, “This slowed me down a great deal because most of my participants had difficulty getting online for the Zoom and Google Meet interviews. My professor later allowed me to do the interviews over the phone. Then my beloved mother passed away unexpectedly in June

2020, five months before I completed my dissertation. I knew that my mom would want me to finish the degree, so I drove on. I was able to tell my mom three days before she passed away that I had finished interviewing all of my participants.”

Coffer earned his degree in 2020 however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, he was only able to attend the graduation ceremony this year. “I’m so grateful to God, my parents, brother, my friends, and my fellow Soldiers for their love and support over the years,” said the command sergeant major.

Coffer is currently an assistant principal at an elementary school in North Carolina. Born and raised in Virginia, he held a Virginia teacher’s license since 1998. Coffer has held a Principal’s License in both Virginia and North Carolina since 2006. And thanks to his newly earned doctorate degree, Coffer was issued his Virginia Superintendent’s License just this past week, which he can now also submit for his North Carolina Superintendent’s License.

“Keep pressing forward, no matter what life throws at you!” stated Coffer. “Anything worthwhile in life is an uphill battle.”