Director of Academic Support
- Education: B.A., University of Central Florida; M.A., Goddard College
- Office: Thaw Hall Academic Success Center
- Department: Academic Affairs Support
- Phone: 865-981-8121
Greetings and Welcome!
I came to Maryville College in 2009, after teaching and then program and site directing in alternative education throughout Central and South Florida. The focus of my research centers around the retention of 1st and 2nd year college-identified underprepared students and student-athletes. I also specialize in academic success strategies, such as time management, organization, systems of academic accountability & other important study skills needed to not only survive college, but to thrive throughout the 4-year experience.
In 2012 I won Maryville College’s Sharon Murphy Crane Distinguished Service Award and in 2013 I was honored with the Spirit of the Covenant Award.
Courses I teach:
- Honors Tutorial & Academic Mentor Training (fall & spring)
- College Success Portfolio for KT Fellows (fall & spring)
- College Success Portfolio for Freshmen on Academic Probation (spring)
- College Success Midterm SOS Course (fall & spring)
Programs I direct or co-direct:
- Honors Tutorial Practicum
- ASC COL.LAB
- KT Collaborative
- MC Math Tank
- MC Group Study
- MC Writing Consultations
- MC Supplemental Instruction
- MC Content & Language Tutoring Services
Committee Work:
- Student Intervention Team
- Academic Standing Committee
- Educational Resources Committee
Academic Success Coach
- Office: Thaw Hall Academic Success Center
- Department: Academic Affairs Support
- Phone: 865-981-8121
Gretchen Cook earned her Ph.D. in cultural studies of education at The University of Tennessee Knoxville. Her research interests fill three buckets– women teacher identity formation, LGBTQ+ studies, and social justice education. She adopts the methodologies of autoethnography and ethnography to serve her research demands and is a disciple of Pierre Bourdieu. For “fun”, she also is interested in critical animal studies, and exploring the human/animal relationship.
She will carry her research with her as the Academic Success Coach at MC. The classroom should be a place of joy and collaboration, and not rooted in outdated neoliberal ideologies. The norm should be that schools foster the whole student, while also making them feel included in culture making. Her central teaching and learning beliefs are that the teacher is a facilitator and not an authority, more time should be spent in practice than lecture, students should collaborate, and the learning environment should be a safe space.
Prior to moving to east Tennessee, Cook earned a B.A. in journalism at Muskingum University and a M.A. in film and video production at The University of Memphis. She worked in documentary film, serving as the associate producer for “Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story”, before earning a M.A.T. in elementary education from The University of Memphis. Prior to higher education, she taught in charter schools, served as a dean of curriculum and instruction, and worked as an associate program consultant for The New Teacher Center. She resides in Alcoa with her husband Chris, two cats– Maisy and Sanders, and two remarkable dogs– Truman and Huckleberry.
Courses Taught: College Success Portfolio for KT Fellows (fall & spring)
Link to personal website https://gretchencook3.wixsite.com/mysite