COE’s Griswold Awarded by UofM President
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Dr. Wendy Griswold from the College of Education’s Department of Leadership was recognized by UofM President Dr. Bill Hardgrave with the Tigers Ascending to Excellence Award.
Dr. Griswold was recently approved for and is soon to begin a one-year professional development assignment (PDA), where she will spend the bulk of that time working to launch a fellowship program centered around participatory and community engagement.
The goal of the program is to provide professional development to workforces, while also building community capacity, to help redevelop sites that have potentially been contaminated with hazardous substances, which are known as brownfields.
“Successful redevelopment of such sites… entails enabling community stakeholders to play key roles in decision-making and policy development that meets locally determined needs and goals,” Dr. Griswold said in her PDA request to UofM. “As a nation and a planet, addressing our current and future environmental challenges requires a scientifically and technically literate citizenry and a technical assistance workforce well versed in community-driven participatory processes.”
For the remainder of her PDA, Dr. Griswold will be working on a book-length autoethnographic study, which is a type of research that uses autobiographic and personal stories and connects them to cultural and social issues in a particular area.
Dr. Griswold’s colleagues say she has given them much to aspire toward.
Dr. Charisse Gulosino, Professor of Leadership and Policy Studies in COE, says this is “a well-deserved acknowledgment of Wendy’s value as a core and senior department member. Wendy is being recognized for her exceptional leadership, commitment, and service to the University of Memphis.”
As part of her recognition, Dr. Griswold will serve as the honorary coach for the Tigers Men’s Basketball team during their matchup against Wichita State on February 3 at FedExForum.