SSA’s Grogan receives new faculty award named for Valerie Jarrett

Colleen Grogan, Associate Professor in the School of Social Service Administration, has received the first Valerie Jarrett Faculty Leadership and Mentoring Award, in recognition of her contributions to the school.

“This past year, Colleen provided important leadership to the school as Chair of the Promotion, Retention and Tenure Committee, one of the most important faculty committees in the school that determines the quality, significance and shape of the SSA faculty,” said Jeanne Marsh, Dean of SSA.

“She is a faculty colleague who has earned the trust and respect of students, faculty and staff. Like the namesake of the award, Valerie Jarrett, she conducts herself with a high level of energy and integrity as an institution builder for SSA and the University of Chicago.”

Grogan is a leading health policy researcher and scholar and is an expert in Medicaid and long-term care. She has published several articles during the past year on the topic as well as the book, Healthy Voice, Unhealthy Silence: Advocacy and Health Policy for the Poor.

Since 2005, Grogan has served as the Director of the Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy, a program administered at SSA that serves graduate students from the Graduate School of Business, the Medical School, SSA and the Harris School of Public Policy Studies.

The Valerie Jarrett Award is presented to a faculty member who has demonstrated distinguished leadership that has contributed to the development and enrichment of the faculty, their research, the recruitment and retention of exceptional scholars, and the greater good of the school.

The award is a tribute to Jarrett’s leadership as Chairman of the Visiting Committee of the School of Social Service Administration, as a benefactor and an unwavering advocate for the school.

Jarrett has been a member of the school’s Visiting Committee since 2001 and has served as its chair. The recipient of the award is selected every other year by the Chair of the Visiting Committee and the Dean.

“Valerie has been instrumental in raising awareness and support for SSA,” said Marsh. “She also has been crucial in advancing understanding of the role and value of social work in our society.”

Jarrett, who is CEO of The Habitat Company, serves as vice-chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees and chair of the University Medical Center Board and its Executive Committee.