Crawford named dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences Division

An inquisitive mind can lead a person to many places unforeseen in their dreams.

Northeast State is proud to announce Tricia Crawford has been named dean of the College’s division of Behavioral and Social Sciences. She had served as interim dean until January of this year. She previously served as an associate professor of sociology at the College.

Crawford brought a fascinating skill set and professional background to the classroom when she joined the Northeast State faculty.

“I’ve been an investigator or an educator for my entire career,” said Crawford. “I’ve learned when God opens a door, you better go through that door.”

A graduate of North Greene High School, Crawford earned her bachelor’s degree in English from East Tennessee State University (ETSU). She initially planned to teach in high school. That changed when the then dean of ETSU’s Sociology Department offered her a graduate assistantship to pursue her graduate degree in sociology.

That decision propelled Crawford in a different direction. Her skills of understanding human behavior and thought directed her to a different career path. After graduating from ETSU she joined the Tennessee Human Rights Commission as a case investigator. A few years later, a life-changing moment presented itself when an opportunity arose to become a special agent with the venerable United States Secret Service.

“At that time and still they had very few female special agents, and that appealed to me – the challenge of being one of the few,” Crawford said. “You are protecting the country and the sense of right and wrong and who we are as a nation.”

While the agency’s operational details are scarcely known, the most well-known function is protecting the American president, vice president, and White House. White collar and financial crimes such as counterfeiting also fall under the Secret Service’s investigative realm.

“I have a strong sense of justice of what is right and wrong, and I always had a great interest in law,” said Crawford. “I knew I enjoyed the investigations side of it.”

That career move made Crawford a special agent and guardian of the nation’s leaders and national identity. She found herself investigating crime as well as moving among the highest legislative and executive political company of our nation.

“I wondered sometimes, ‘How did a country girl from Greene County end up standing here?’” Crawford said, recalling her experiences as a special agent.

Her investigative career ultimately led her back to East Tennessee where she became an investigator with Tennessee Child Protective Services. While that brought her closer to home, Crawford felt the pull to return to her first career dream.

“It was very challenging, and it is very difficult emotionally,” said Crawford. “I decided I wanted to go back to what I had originally planned to do which was teach.”

Although she had served as an adjunct college professor in years past, Crawford opted to pursue her original pathway.  A faculty position in the division opened at Northeast State. After speaking with friends at other institutions, she applied and was subsequently hired as a full-time instructor. Crawford remains in touch with students from her first semester teaching at Northeast State.  She ultimately became associate professor of sociology with the College.

“A big part of education is empowering the students,” said Crawford. “You need a love of learning to adapt to changes whatever professions you choose to pursue.”

The Behavioral and Social Sciences Division offers academic programs ranging from criminal justice and pre-teacher education to psychology and speech communication. Students purse associate of science, associate of arts and associate of applied science degrees. Many programs transfer those degrees to four-year institutions via the Tennessee Transfer Pathway.

The division’s programs cover the human behavior spectrum. Economics focuses on systems of supply and demand. Sociology and psychology teach people how to interact with others. All of us live in a society governed by laws, hence criminal justice.

Crawford called the division’s faculty and staff the best on campus. She praised her colleagues for their student-centered philosophy to learning. While the Covid era put distance and glowing video screens between people, human relationships now require an even more complex understanding.

“We have had to learn how to build those relationships and how to interact like we never have in the past,” said Crawford.

The division features a slew of professors with diverse educational and personal backgrounds. As humans and society change rapidly, the faculty strives to stay current with cultural trends and influences to keep academic material relevant to students. The diversity of their backgrounds gives faculty the ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of students, Crawford said.

“This division is the framework for everything in our society from personal relationships to our government to the world around us,” she said. “This division stays on top of current events and trends because our subject matter changes with every change in culture.”

While technology grabs headlines, the human components of social interaction remain critical elements of higher learning. Crawford said the new generations of college graduates will always need the ability to communicate well, think critically to solve problems, and analyze data to reach conclusions.

“Our faculty teach students what changes they need to make in order to stay competitive through their entire life,” said Crawford. “You have to position yourself to be competitive in any kind of market.”