Every student pursuing a path in Kennesaw State’s school of communication and media has likely taken a writing for public communication course as a prerequisite for their upper division classes.
As with most college classes, a textbook is required for it. The author of that textbook is a KSU professor that many students may not know.
Tricia Grindel, a senior lecturer in the School of Communication and Media, is the coordinator for that writing for public communication course. She also teaches an editing course and a persuasion course, and her other duties include mentoring new faculty members and tracking student pass-fail rates for the writing course.
Grindel says her favorite part about teaching is the students, and throughout her career, her bottom line has always been “people instead of money.”
“I like thinking I can make a difference in people’s lives,” Grindel says as she explained her joy of being able to teach young minds.
Grindel originally attended Edinboro State University in Pennsylvania before transferring to Point Park University in Pittsburgh to pursue journalism. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree and summa cum laude with a master’s degree, both in journalism and communications. Grindel relocated to Atlanta from Pittsburgh in 1985.
“The first few months were pretty rough, and I wondered several times if moving here was a mistake,” she says. “But after a couple of months, everything fell into place. Moving to Atlanta turned out to be the best decision I ever made.”
During her practical career in journalism and communication, Grindel worked as the director of education and communications for AID Atlanta during the 1980s AIDS epidemic, creating policies and implementing education programs. She also freelanced full-time and worked in organ and tissue donation and transplantation at LifeLink of Georgia as manager of hospital development before applying to KSU.
Her venture at KSU started after viewing an advertisement in 2002 for a full-time faculty position in the communication department, now known as the school of communication and media.
“I told them I would teach anything they wanted me to teach — I just wanted to teach,” Grindel says. “It had been one of my goals since I was 18.”
Instead, she was hired for a part-time faculty position in 2002 but transitioned to full time in August 2011. She became a senior lecturer in 2015 and taught principles of human communication and public speaking before she began teaching the writing for public communication course.
Grindel tells her students to keep their eyes on their dream job, but not to be so focused on it that they miss the wonderful opportunities that may come along the way.
“My dream job has always been to be the director of public relations for a nonprofit hospital,” Grindel says. “I’ve never had that job, and, at this stage of my life, I likely never will. But I’ve had some wonderful opportunities and have loved almost every job I’ve ever had. I have no regrets.”
When it comes to life experiences, Grindel strongly encourages students to put themselves out there.
“Become that go-to person,” Grindel says. “Underpromise and overdeliver. Be flexible, as life is ever-changing. Look upon challenges as opportunities. Everyone should do what they love because life is too short to be miserable.”
Outside of teaching at KSU, she is the neighborhood watch coordinator for her subdivision and is active in her community. She is also involved at her church as treasurer and a trustee, and she loves outdoor activities such as bicycling, playing tennis, golfing and walking.
