Many people go to church for spiritual reasons. For School of Business and Technology faculty member Dr. Egypt Grandison, it鈥檚 where she found her dream career.
Dr. Grandison built her skills and knowledge from the ground up. She worked during her entire collegiate career in various retail jobs, as both a cashier and a desk associate, along with gaining on-the-job training in a community college business office. After finishing her MBA, she decided to pursue teaching to share her knowledge of business with a student body.
To take on a teaching role, she first needed to gain relevant experience. A previous advisor urged her to find an applicable real-world role. After an extensive search, she began volunteering at a church with the Christian Women Job Corps at First Baptist Church of Huntsville, AL. That is when the transformation began.
鈥淎t that point I had my MBA, but I was learning along with them,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 had the business perspective, but I had no experience teaching.鈥
It was one of the best experiences of her life. While working her full-time job, she took two hours every morning to teach a career program. As the 鈥済atekeeper,鈥 she taught the students how to build their resumes, dress for work, and conduct interviews.
鈥淚 enjoyed it thoroughly,鈥 she says.鈥 I wound up meeting some of the best people. These were women from different walks of life.鈥
During the graduation ceremony from the six-week program, Dr. Grandison says her path into teaching clicked into place.
鈥淚f I had any doubts, that program cleared it up,鈥 she says.
Pursuit of Knowledge 鈥 With Knowledge
Dr. Grandison knows that laying a path to success might not always be clear, but moving forward regardless is key.
Her work background always intertwined with her educational aspirations, and she is a staunch supporter of online learning. At the start of her higher education career, she enrolled in a traditional four-year university in Huntsville, AL, but didn鈥檛 enjoy the campus atmosphere. After a year, she decided to pursue the nontraditional route and earned her associate degree at a technical college in Huntsville.
A decades-long education career followed. Dr. Grandison moved through her bachelor鈥檚 degree, a master鈥檚 program, and finally, a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree program through online modes of learning.
鈥淢y parents always instilled 鈥榚ducation, education,鈥 and that鈥檚 the one thing nobody can take from you. Make sure you educate yourself,鈥 she advises.
This approach was successful for her, and she recommends it to others. However, Dr. Grandison emphasizes the importance of understanding the commitment to online learning.
鈥淚 think when people choose online learning, they need to have an understanding of what it is,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen people think of online learning, they don鈥檛 think they have to be disciplined. You don鈥檛 have the same aspects of traditional colleges. You have to be disciplined.鈥
Keep Moving Forward
Dr. Grandison鈥檚 ability to adapt to any circumstance is a testament to her leadership skills. As a child, she spent most of her time in Alabama. Being in a military family, she moved around with her parents and younger twin siblings. She spent her early childhood in New York before her parents moved the family to where they were originally raised, in a small town in south Alabama.
Therefore, when her career called her to take on an assistant teaching role at Bemidji State University in Minnesota, she knew it would be an adjustment. That teaching position took her to a small town of around 15,000 people, where she didn鈥檛 have a wide network to lean on. She was also the first Black woman to ever teach in the business school, breaking ground in a different capacity beyond the personal.
鈥淏emidji is 1% African-American territory,鈥 she explains 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a lot of 鈥榤e鈥 out there.鈥
When the pandemic forced her to take her classes online, it isolated her from making any further connections. Despite spending three years working full time with the university, she packed up her car and moved to Texas to be closer to family. In conjunction, she was also teaching part time for several different universities to stay afloat during the uncertainty of COVID times.
鈥淣obody knew I was working six different part-time jobs to make ends meet,鈥 she admits.
Dr. Grandison still resides in Houston, TX. When a full-time position at UAGC opened in 2022 鈥 where she previously worked part-time 鈥 she claims it was what she prayed for.
Balance Achieved
Dr. Grandison stays involved with the UAGC community through the Center for Women鈥檚 Leadership and the Human Resource Management (HRM) Advisory Committee. When she isn鈥檛 working with her community of online students, she also keeps a robust list of hobbies. She鈥檚 a self-published author of two books 鈥 one children鈥檚 book and one longer-form book geared toward prospective doctoral students.
She also loves to travel, whenever time permits. As a remote worker, Dr. Grandison has the flexibility to take her responsibilities on the road. She notes that a trip to Egypt and Dubai for the New Year was one of the best vacations she鈥檇 ever taken.
鈥淚 travel whenever I can,鈥 she says. 鈥淲henever I want to go somewhere, I just go.鈥
Through it all, Dr. Grandison reaps the benefits of her hard work through her rewarding interactions with her students. She often receives encouraging messages from her students relaying how much they enjoy her classes, which is a validating experience.
鈥淚 love that teaching gives me the opportunity to connect, share, and learn with my students,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t lets me know I鈥檓 doing my job, and I love that feeling when it comes to teaching.鈥
Q & A: Getting to Know Dr. Egypt Grandison
UAGC: What made you choose UAGC?
Dr. Grandison: 鈥淭hey cater to all people, to everyone. They cater to the first-time college student. They cater to the military, and the military transitioning to civilian life. They cater to the mom who has kids and is working. They cater to the person that doesn鈥檛 really know what they鈥檙e doing, but they know they need to be in school. We cater to everyone, and that鈥檚 important to me.鈥
UAGC: What advice would you give to a student considering an online learning institution?
Dr. Grandison: 鈥淔igure out what you want to do, and what you plan on using your degree for. Give room for those mishaps, which will happen, and give yourself some grace.鈥
UAGC: What are some obstacles you experienced while pursuing your degrees?
Dr. Grandison: 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to get thrown off the tracks, especially when you have people around you that don鈥檛 understand your goals, your vision, and your plan. I knew that if I wanted to be a professor, I needed to have a doctorate by any means necessary. If someone couldn鈥檛 understand that, they couldn鈥檛 be on the boat with me.鈥
UAGC: Do you have any role models?
Dr. Grandison: 鈥淢y parents would be No. 1, as sticklers for education. My dad always says, 鈥済et what you can, while you can get it,鈥 to the younger generation. As far as anybody else, I really don鈥檛 cling to people like that, as far as someone inspiring me. I鈥檝e always been my own person.鈥
UAGC: What鈥檚 something your students might not know about you?
Dr. Grandison: 鈥淚 own my own mobile notary business. I never wanted to own my own business, but I used to be a notary in Alabama. During the pandemic, I wound up doing it online. I can regulate my own time, and the good part is I can still work online.鈥
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