New Century College Welcomes Lisa M. Gring-Pemble as Associate Dean

New Century College Welcomes Lisa M. Gring-Pemble as Associate Dean
New Century College Associate Dean, Lisa M. Gring-Pemble, PhD

On January 10, 2013, New Century College (NCC), a college within George Mason University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, welcomed Lisa M. Gring-Pemble, PhD, as its new dean. Gring-Pemble joined the NCC faculty in 2000 and later served as the New Century College Assistant Dean.  

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of St. Olaf College, she holds both an M.A. and Ph.D. in rhetoric from the University of Maryland. Gring-Pemble brings a passion for undergraduate teaching and scholarship that centers on political communication, public policy, and social movements. 

In 2005, Gring-Pemble received the George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award.  She delights in teaching in Mason’s Cornerstones, a first-year learning experience for high-achieving students and she enjoys teaching upper-division courses including Public Speaking and Critical Thinking; Argumentation and Advocacy; and Social Movements and Community Activism. 

Her research focuses on the role of language in social change.  Current projects attend to immigration policy and representations of immigrants and their families in congressional discourse. She is the author of Grim Fairy Tales: The Rhetorical Construction of American Welfare Policy and a co-edited volume—Readings on Political Communication. Her work has appeared in The Quarterly Journal of Speech, Political Communication, and Communication Quarterly.  She currently serves as an associate editor for Communication Quarterly and The Quarterly Journal of Speech

From 2011-2012, Gring-Pemble was director and principal investigator for a prestigious Department of State funded Study of the United States Institute (SUSI) for student leaders on U.S. History and Government, which brought high-achieving, underserved, Afro-Latino and indigenous undergraduates from South America to the U.S. for 5-week intense academic residencies. 

“Lisa Gring-Pemble brings new leadership insights to New Century College,” says Nance Lucas, PhD, NCC’s associate dean from 2005-2012 and current executive director of NCC’s Center for Consciousness and Transformation.  “We're fortunate to have her as our new Associate Dean given her passion for teaching, deep commitment to facilitating students' learning, scholarly reputation, and leadership talents.  I'm looking forward to celebrating NCC's future successes with Lisa in this role.”