Announcement of the New Interim Dean of the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education
Dear СŷÊÓƵ Community,
Our university continues to embrace change as we look ahead to the next academic year and our work with Kean University. As part of this process, we are establishing new leadership within the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education.
Beginning July 1, 2025, Dr. Mary McGriff, our current Acting Associate Dean, will be appointed Interim Dean of the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education.
Since joining СŷÊÓƵ in 2011, Dr. McGriff has served as Chair of the Literacy Education Department and as Co-Coordinator of College of Education accreditation and program assessment. Dr. McGriff has contributed to various university committees and initiatives, including serving as a member of the Credit for Prior Learning Policy Committee and the Academic Master Plan Development Working Group, and in leadership roles as a Co-Chair of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Self-Study Working Group and Chair of the Teacher Education Council.
Prior to joining СŷÊÓƵ, Dr. McGriff distinguished herself as an accomplished educator, serving as a middle school English language arts teacher and elementary school principal. She earned both her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Ed.D. in Literacy Education from Rutgers University, establishing a strong foundation of practical classroom experience combined with advanced academic expertise.
Mary finds great professional satisfaction in leading monthly workshops for education majors participating in the Teacher Intern Program, and has been active in several grant projects focused on diversifying the teacher workforce. Her research interests include teacher identity and self-study, the retention of education majors of color, and literacy instruction. Mary has contributed significantly to the academic discourse through her published research, including multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and scholarly book chapters on these topics.
Dr. McGriff will take the baton from Dr. Lourdes Sutton, who has served as Acting Dean of the College of Education with unwavering passion and commitment to СŷÊÓƵ and our students since Spring 2023. We sincerely appreciate her exceptional leadership during these challenging years.
Under Dr. Sutton's guidance, the college achieved remarkable milestones, including successful CAEP accreditation and CAEP's prestigious Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement. She also supported faculty and staff in revising 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.
Lourdes will now join the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Literacy as an Assistant Professor of Literacy. Our students will be so lucky to learn from her!
Please join me in thanking Dr. Lourdes Sutton for her commitment to the College of Education and our university, and congratulating Dr. Mary McGriff for this well-deserved appointment. She can be reached at mmcgriff@njcu.edu.
Sincerely,
Dr. Donna Adair Breault
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs