Biography
Ryan G.W. Grubbs
What do you do? I am currently the Manager of Academic Programs at the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU. My role provides leadership and curricular oversight of the administrative operations of the Institute’s Academic Office, and I serve as a resource for our graduate student population and faculty on all matters related to academics.
How did the GNSS concentration shape your career? My concentration in Gender and Sexuality Studies has been a great benefit to me in my professional life. I often joke that a degree in GNSS is a very “Brown” degree to get, but I firmly believe that my studies in the theories related to gender and sexuality honed my critical thinking, writing, and reading abilities—skills that are extremely transferable across professions. I also credit Brown itself with guiding me to where I am now in my career. I started out right out of undergrad thinking that I may want to try law school, and worked a few law-adjacent jobs that just weren't a great fit for me. As an active alumni volunteer, I recall telling a former coworker, “If I could only get paid to do the volunteer work I do for Brown, I’d be so much happier.” They replied, “You know, people work at universities too, right?” What may seem obvious now was mind opening to me at the time, and I’ve been so fulfilled with my path working in higher education since. Combining my undergraduate training in Gender and Sexuality Studies with my master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs has allowed me to view problems from different angles and propose unique solutions; another benefit that concentrating in GNSS provided me!