MISSION VIEJO : College Professor Chosen for Award

Saddleback College professor Patricia Grignon was one of four community college teachers in the state chosen this month to receive the Award for Excellence in Education from the Board of Governors of the Community Colleges.

The award, the highest honor that can be received by a community college professor in the state, is given each year to college instructors who demonstrate outstanding commitment to students, the teaching profession and the state’s community colleges.

Grignon, a resident of Dana Point, is a founding faculty member at Saddleback College, where she began teaching English and humanities in 1968 after teaching English at San Clemente High School.

“She is one of the most accomplished, dedicated, intellectually talented and compassionate educators I have ever known,” said Saddleback College President Constance M. Carroll.

Grignon, who holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in English from Cal State L.A., developed courses for the college’s interdisciplinary studies program, women’s studies program and honors program.

She also designed the college’s first writing labs, which have grown into a full-fledged program, college officials said.

Grignon recently helped Saddleback receive a $190,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide two summer studies institutes for faculty members in Asian and Latin American literature.

Grignon, who has also been a member of several state and national humanities associations, said she has tried to base her career on a belief in students, on good teaching, and on the state’s community college system.

“I try to assume that all my students can probably do better than they think they can,” she said. “I know that I can push them to reach high standards, but I hope that I can also structure my teaching to help them achieve and that I am available to encourage and help them along.”

The Award for Excellence in Education is given in honor of former California Community College Chancellor Gerald C. Hayward and is sponsored by the Pacific Telesis Foundation.