Of the 38 chairs announced this summer by Provost Vicki Golich, two are new to the role and one is new to the College.
African and African American Studies
Heading up the African and African American Studies Department this year is Professor Winston Grady-Willis. The Pueblo, Colo., native grew up in Denver’s Park Hill community before leaving to earn a bachelor’s in history from Columbia University, a master’s in Africana studies from Cornell University and a doctorate in U.S. history from Emory University.
He most recently served as director of intercultural studies and associate professor of American Studies at Skidmore College.
Metro State marks a return “home” to Denver and Africana studies, an area of study he is passionate about, but hadn’t been able to focus on in recent years. “I feel doubly blessed to be here,” says Grady-Willis, who drove eight days from New York to Colorado with his wife Lisa, three children under 12 years old and their dog. Lisa will be teaching in the Theatre Department.
His goals for the department include growing the number of majors and minors, and continuing to build great relationships with Chicana/o Studies and the Institute for Women’s Studies and Services. He also plans for the department to be active in the community.
Grady-Willis heard Rachel B. Noel, former chair of the department, speak at a public forum in Denver when he was in junior high school. “The state of affairs at Denver Public Schools does not live up to her legacy and commitment to public education,” he says. “I sincerely hope the department can play a small role in changing that reality.”
Early in his career, Grady-Willis spent three years teaching under the New York City Public Schools system in Harlem and the Bronx.
Marketing
Assistant Professor Gregory Black will lead the Marketing Department as it does its part to help the School of Business move through a pivotal accreditation process with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
To have this accreditation, “faculty will need to continue to publish well in journals, attend conferences, deliver presentations and receive positive feedback on student evaluations,” says Black, who holds a doctorate in marketing from Washington State University; a master’s in marketing and international business and a bachelor’s in international relations and Korean language—both from Brigham Young University.
Benefits of the accreditation will impact students who are bound for post-graduate work. “Some graduate schools require students to have graduated from an AACSB accredited school,” says Black, who has been at Metro State since 2009. “It will be a huge advantage to our students.”
His goals for the department range from continuing successful programs, such as the annual Sport Sales Workshop and the Rocky Mountain Product Camp, to launching “sales center,” a new concentration in the department that will require four classes: Personal Selling, Advanced Selling, Sales Management and Sports Sales.
Black, whose expertise is in consumer behavior, previously taught at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi.
Psychology
At the helm of the Department of Psychology is Associate Professor Layton Seth Curl, who has been at the College since 2004.
Curl holds both a doctorate and master’s in psychology from the University of Mississippi and a bachelor’s in psychology from Lyon College. He also holds a diploma in Asian studies from Kansai Gaidai University of Japan.
A global citizen since before high school, Curl continues to learn about the world through travels abroad. He was part of the March 2010 delegation to Ethiopia under the College’s partnership with Aksum University. Interested in research projects on social and multicultural psychology, as well as human sexuality, Curl and Professor of Psychology Mary Ann Watson have worked to develop numerous educational videos including, “Rocking the Cradle: Gay Parenting” and “Becoming Me: The Gender Within.” Their latest efforts will produce three new videos in multicultural and positive psychology.
His goals for the department include expanding support for faculty and undergraduate research. Curl says the collaborative partnership with the Tools of the Mind preschool program and faculty will add to the department’s research expertise. Curl notes that the expertise and scholarly pursuits of the department is “especially broad.”
Review entire list of chairs.
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