Ellen Marie Granberg (born 1962) is an American sociologist and academic administrator who became the 19th president of

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

on July 1, 2023.

Early life and education

Granberg was born in 1962. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Davis, where she was the editor of the California Aggie. She earned her master's and Ph.D. degrees from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

. Her doctoral thesis was on self identity based on health outcomes According to Google Scholar, her research has been cited a total of 2,279 times and she has an h-index of 16 (i.e., 16 publications cited at least 16 times each). Her work has been on microsocial phenomenon on the self image, the identity, the well-being and ultimately the mental health of society but particularly of children.

Career

In the 1980s and 1990s, Granberg served in the telecommunications industry at the ''Fortune'' 500 firm

Pacific Bell The Pacific Bell Telephone Company (Pac Bell) is a telephone company that provides telephone service in California. The company is owned by AT&T through AT&T Teleholdings, and, though separate, is now marketed as “AT&T”. The company has ...

and

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

. She has been an academic administrator for over 25 years and first started her career in academia as a professor of sociology at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

where she worked on nutrition science and obesity. She spent 17 years at Clemson University before moving to

Rochester Institute of Technology The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York, Rochester. It was founded in 1829. It is one of only two institute of technology, institut ...

, where she was named provost in 2018. She became the first female provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Rochester Institute of Technology. She is credited for expanding doctoral education and creating new facilities for instruction and research at Rochester Institute of Technology. In addition to expanding doctoral education and research, Granberg co-led the formation of RIT Certified, which aimed to promote professional mobility. It has a portfolio of alternative education courses, certificate programs and skill-based learning experiences. In 2023, Granberg was named as the incoming president of

, the first woman and lesbian to hold the position of president at the university; Granberg started on July 2, 2023. After a decision by the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

that they would relocate to Washington, D.C. in November 2023, Granberg announced that the men's basketball championships would be hosted by GW in 2025. After the events of October 7th, GW gained national attention after students associated with the

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

liberation movement projected "glory to our martyrs" onto

Gelman Library The Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, more commonly known as Gelman Library, is the main library of The George Washington University, and is located on its Foggy Bottom campus. The Gelman Library, the Eckles Library on the Mount Vernon camp ...

. The student group, Students for Justice in Palestine, was suspended for 90 days after the incident. Granberg condemned what she called a "celebration of terrorism." This created outrage from SJP, saying Granberg's view was racist and Islamophobic. Granberg stated that she wanted to expel the student activists during a conversation with alumni, despite having no legal jurisdiction. In addition, Granberg has never met with the student negotiators, did not visit the encampment, and has consistently avoided speaking on matters related to Palestinian freedom and divestment from weapons manufacturing.https://countercurrents.org/2024/05/gw-president-calls-for-end-to-protest-students-vow-to-continue/

Personal life

Granberg met Sonya Rankin in November 1999 in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. They married in 2016 following the legalization of

same-sex marriage in the United States The legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States expanded from one state in 2004 (Massachusetts) to Same-sex marriage law in the United States by state, all fifty states in 2015 through various court rulings, state legislation ...

References

External links

Welcoming Dr. Ellen Granberg as the 19th President of the George Washington University
January 11, 2023 - YouTube video * {{DEFAULTSORT:Granberg, Ellen 21st-century American women scientists 21st-century American social scientists American sociologists American women sociologists Clemson University faculty Living people Rochester Institute of Technology administrators University of California, Davis alumni Vanderbilt University alumni 21st-century American LGBTQ people Women heads of universities and colleges Presidents of George Washington University George Washington University faculty American lesbians Lesbian scientists American LGBTQ scientists 1962 births