Associate Professor of Business Wendy Gradwohl takes each day in stride as she brings out the best in her students and colleagues.
By Karen Gerboth ’93. Portrait by Erin Pence ’04.
Whenever a friend or family member needed to bounce off an idea or work through an issue, Wendy Gradwohl proved to be the point person for such conversations. Perhaps it was her reassuring words, welcoming smile, desire to help or her genuine approachability that drew people to her. Either way, her innate ability to offer counsel at the right time and place prompted her early on to consider psychology as a possible career.
A self-described “straight A over- achiever,” Gradwohl soon headed to northwest Ohio to attend college at Bowling Green State University, where she quickly immersed herself in her studies and sought out the best mentors to guide her chosen path. Once ensconced in the undergraduate program, however, Gradwohl found herself gravitating toward psychology applied to organizations or workplace behavior. Her self-discipline with staying fit also began to show itself in her growing interest with sport psychology.
“I began to align myself with specific professors at Bowling Green,” she says. “William Balzer and Dale Klopfer both had a huge impact on my future career as they believed in me and encouraged me throughout my studies.”
Diploma now in hand, Gradwohl returned to eastern Ohio to earn her master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Akron with every intention of entering the industry post-graduation. But, as the saying goes, “When you plan, God laughs,” and so it was for Gradwohl, who was assigned to teach a Pysch 100 class as a teaching assistant her second year of graduate school.
“Being in front of that class and knowing that you can inf luence these students’ learning proved very powerful to me,” she says. “I’m not an extrovert, but in that class, I found myself come alive.”
Through the sharing of knowledge, Gradwohl also began to see the meaningful relationships that develop between professors and their students. Additionally, she started to understand the path being paved for her and went on to teach some more classes before completing her program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. By graduation, Auburn University came calling, and she found herself smack dab in Alabama, where another set of Tigers ruled.
“I worked with master- and doctoral- level students there, and I made lifelong friendships,” she says. “I still keep in touch with some of my former students there.”
Yet, the large class sizes and the pressure to publish took time away from her first love – teaching students.
“I prayed a lot about it, and the Lord directed me to think about another avenue,” she says, and that avenue led to Wittenberg.
“Deciding to join the Department of Business at Wittenberg was the best professional decision I have ever made,” she said. “The department is a special place, one of collegiality and cross-collaboration, where we work together for the common good of our students and each other.”
During her tenure as chair, Gradwohl changed the name of the department from management back to business, worked with different constituencies to get the new business curriculum approved (a process that colleague John Fenimore had started prior to her becoming chair), and recruited new faculty. Given that much of her time was spent on the business curriculum, she is grateful to Fenimore and fellow colleague Wayne Maurer for taking the lead in launching the new major in accounting.
“The model Wendy offers for our students is powerful,” said colleague Tom Kaplan, Ness Chair in Entrepreneurship and chair of the business department. “Without her leadership, I cannot see how we would have managed the forward movement we have seen in the recent past. Her unmatched humility would allow someone who is not paying sufficient attention to undervalue her many contributions to Wittenberg.”
Described as a true servant leader who is unafraid to talk openly about her faith, Gradwohl has often wondered whether she is making a difference. Clearly she is, if her latest recognition – the 2013 Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Teaching – is any indication.
Referencing the sentiments shared by her nominators, Alumni Board member Eric Rusnak ’00, who presented the award during the university’s Honors Convocation, April 12, noted that Gradwohl is “the glue that keeps the business department together.
She is a teacher, mentor and friend. She encourages students to develop their strengths and to capitalize on them. She’s tough on her students, but her students appreciate her all the more for it.”
In the words of one student nominator, “Little did I know that she would become my lifelong mentor. She has guided m e through tough times and was always willing to lend an ear when needed.... She has a way of capturing her students’ attention and inspiring us. She is truly a model citizen and someone I only hope to live up to.”
Listening to Rusnak’s presentation, Gradwohl couldn’t help but be overwhelmed as she believes that her ability to teach is a gift from God, and, therefore, it must be used in service to others. Challenges come. Opportunities arise. Decisions are made, and each time Gradwohl’s faith remains constant, helping her to grow and inspire others in unspoken ways.
“When something this special happens, it humbles you and reminds you that no man (or woman) is an island,” she says.
“You don’t get to where you are in life all on your own.
For me, I owe everything to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose grace and mercy abound daily; loving parents who support me every step of the way; friends and mentors who care about my well-being; and students who challenge me and enrich my life.”
It’s that perspective that guides her teaching style as well.
“In my leading and managing class, for example, we spend a lot of time talking about person-job and person-organization fit,” she says. “In my opinion, there are few things that bring greater joy than using your gifts and talents to serve others and enjoying the people who are working alongside you.”
A longtime runner, who has finished four marathons and seven half-marathons in five states, Gradwohl also knows that anything worth doing takes time, discipline and commitment.
“Listening to music when you run only gets you so far,” she says. “You must rely on drive and inner strength, and you need to grab on to something. For me, that’s God.”
It’s why Gradwohl takes each day in life in stride, hoping to do the best for her students and for Wittenberg.
“I often tell students that sometimes things don’t work out as you think they should, and you may not see the whole picture, but God is in the details. You can trust that.”