Education Week has recognized Kimberly Griffin, dean of the University of Maryland College of Education, as one of the most influential education scholars in the United States. This is the third year in a row that Griffin has received this honor.
Education Week announced its annual 2024 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings earlier this month. The list ranks the 200 scholars based at U.S. universities who “did the most last year to shape educational practice and policy.” A 39-member committee chose these top 200 scholars from among more than 20,000 university-based faculty researching education issues in the United States. The rankings are based on eight metrics, including the number of widely cited articles, books or papers a scholar has authored, and the number of times a scholar is mentioned or quoted in online sources, newspapers and education publications.
“I am honored to receive this recognition. As EdTerps, we strive to transform education for good and engage in bold work that addresses critical questions and generates impactful solutions and actions,” said Griffin. “It’s gratifying to see that my research is influencing other scholars and practitioners and helping to advance equity and justice in schools and society.”
Griffin’s research focuses on promoting access, diversity, equity and justice in higher education, including through mentorship, career development and faculty and graduate student diversity. Her work has been published widely, including in the Review of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Negro Education and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, where she served as editor from 2018 to 2022. Griffin’s research has been funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. She has collaborated and consulted with prominent institutions, organizations and federal agencies including the National Academies, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Association of American Universities, American Council on Education, and Council of Graduate Schools. Frequently sought out for her insights on education issues, she has been cited and quoted by media outlets including USA Today, Education Week and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
This honor is the latest in a long list of awards Griffin has received during her career, including the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s Promising Scholar/Early Career Award (2013) and the American College Personnel Association’s Diamond Honoree Award (2020), Outstanding Mentor to Graduate Students Award (2018) and Emerging Scholar Award (2010).
