New Jersey City University (NJCU) has announced the appointment of Mary McGriff as interim dean of the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education. The appointment was effective earlier this month.
McGriff, who most recently served as acting associate dean, will lead the college as NJCU continues its collaboration with Kean University.
McGriff succeeds Lourdes Sutton, who has served as acting dean since Spring 2023.
Since joining NJCU in 2011, McGriff has served as chair of the Literacy Education Department and co-coordinator of College of Education accreditation and program assessment. Her university service includes membership on the Credit for Prior Learning Policy Committee and the Academic Master Plan Development Working Group, as well as leadership roles as co-chair of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Self-Study Working Group and chair of the Teacher Education Council.
Prior to her tenure at NJCU, she served as a middle school English language arts teacher and elementary school principal.
“My parents, Alfred and Evelyn Crawford, were teachers, and I am grateful for their example,” said McGriff. “I am also grateful for the opportunity to serve in this new role. Our College of Education is a strong community, fully dedicated to preparing outstanding educators and working with our partner school districts to meet their needs.”
Her research interests focus on teacher identity and self-study, the retention of education majors of color, and literacy instruction. McGriff has contributed to academic discourse through peer-reviewed journal articles and scholarly book chapters. She finds professional satisfaction in leading monthly workshops for education majors participating in the Teacher Intern Program and has been active in grant projects focused on diversifying the teacher workforce.
Under Sutton’s leadership, the college achieved the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accreditation and CAEP’s Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement. Sutton also guided the revision of the teacher education curriculum to meet New Jersey State Department of Education mandates and helped secure recognition for the Teacher Internship Program as a Certified Registered Apprentice Program through the New Jersey Department of Labor.
Sutton will transition to a new role as assistant professor of literacy in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Literacy.
