Jayne E. Maugans completed her Ph.D. in sociology at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1990. She holds a bachelor's degree and master's degree in sociology from Wichita State University. As a graduate student, she directed the 11th Annual Governor's Conference on Aging in Kansas. Her master's thesis was among the first in the discipline to explore the social construction of the so called Social Security crisis. For the past four years, she has been teaching sociology in New York at Alfred University and Houghton College, specializing in gerontology, gender, stratification, and as of late, developmental studies. Recently, Dr. Maugans has been appointed Associate Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of the Sociology Program at Houghton College. Along with teaching sociology and directing the learning center, she has several works in progress, one of which is on legality and the aged. Her perspective remains critical. She and her husband, Bob Scherzer, live in the country with their many animals.