Ruth Gregory receives WSU Provost’s Featured Faculty award
Ruth Gregory makes media. The 2011 Master of Arts in Cultural Studies alum is an award-winning filmmaker, published writer, and web designer with over two decades of experience in the creative industries. She is also an Assistant Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Digital Technology and Culture Program (DTC) at Washington State University (WSU).
In February, Gregory was recognized as the College of Arts and Science’s Featured Faculty Recipient in an online video ceremony hosted by the WSU Provost’s office. The award recognized her significant and exemplary contributions to the DTC program and WSU. “Ruth is more than just one of our most technologically savvy faculty,” says Todd Butler, Interim Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences. “At heart, she is an educator in the best and deepest sense of the word – someone who is dedicated to not only her field and her craft, but also, and more importantly, to the students and communities she serves.”
Gregory’s creative and scholarly work examines the intersection of media, technology, education, and power (the latter term she borrowed from MACS faculty member Susan Harewood’s biography, since Susan is great at using language in a succinct manner that Gregory greatly admires). Her films have won awards at top-tier and Oscar-qualifying film festivals including the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival. Gregory’s taught multimedia and cultural studies topics for over 20 years to diverse audiences; everything from introducing kindergartners to DSLR cameras to leading an introductory women’s studies course in a men’s prison.
During her time in the M.A. in Cultural Studies (MACS) program, Gregory made significant connections with her peers and faculty. She’s collaborated on films with other MACS alumni including Luke Ware, David Ryder, and Ryan Sackman. One of which, Maikaru, was shortlisted for Oscar consideration and is currently available on PBS. She also continues to benefit from the expertise of MACS co-director Ron Krabill who recently emailed about a call for papers that might be appropriate for her work. Gregory’s time in MACS helped her focus her interests, refine her academic skills, and connect with scholars and peers interested in how power and privilege operate in different sectors of society. She is proud to be a UW Bothell Husky, and often tells her students, who attend rival school WSU, just to make sure they know she is rooting for the Dawgs during the Apple Cup.
Gregory is honored to receive the Provost’s award, an affirmation of her passion for teaching. “I love stepping in front of a class and engaging in an exchange of ideas about media and technology with my students,” she says. “It’s a joy to teach in a program like Digital Technology and Culture; it is forever evolving and therefore always interesting.”
In addition to her master’s in Cultural Studies, Gregory holds a M.F.A. in Film and Graduate Certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies from Ohio University and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College.
You can check out more of Ruth Gregory’s work on her website.