He received his B.S. from the University of Central Arkansas and M.A. from Arkansas State University. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Oklahoma State University. His article in Sociological Spectrum, "The Social Dynamics of Elder Care," recently won the Mid-South Sociological Association's award for publication of the year. Along with his book Elder Care Catastrophe: Rituals of Abuse in Nursing Homes, Ulsperger is the co-editor of three oral history collections involving elders living in the Arkansas River Valley. He is a recent recipient of Arkansas Tech University's Faculty Award for Teaching and the Faculty Award for Scholarship and Creative Activity.