Dr. Diane Gregory
Associate Professor of Art
Director, Undergraduate & Graduate Studies in Art Education
Department of Visual Arts
Program Area: Art Education

Professional Preparation
BS.Ed, Art Education, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1974.
Lifetime, All Level Art Certification, (NCATE), Missouri.
M.Ed. Art Education, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1979.
Ph.D. Art Education, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1982. Major Advisor, Dr. Larry Kantner
Dissertation Topic:  Cognitive Style, Instructional Motivation and Artistic Merit of Children’s Drawings.

Profile
   Most students, faculty & staff call me Diane.  However, if you feel more comfortable, feel free to call me Dr. Gregory.  When growing up as the youngest daughter of an Air Force Staff Sergeant, my family called me Snooks.  When I graduated with a Ph.D. in Art Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1982, my family started calling me Dr. Snooks.  Diane, Dr. Gregory, Dr. Snooks, or Dr. G.  Whatever makes you comfortable works for me.
   As an "Air Force Brat", I lived in Paris, France for seven years and returned to the states with mom & dad when I was twelve and lived in places like New York City, Washington D.C., Seattle, WA, St. Louis, MO and Tulsa, OK.  You name it I have lived or driven through many places across the United States and Europe.  Currently, I live in Plano with Suzie, my adorable yet totally spoiled 2 year old Schnauzer. However, I must admit that my favorite place to live and visit is Austin, Texas, where I lived and worked for over 12 years, before coming to TWU the fall of 2004.
   I have a passion for online learning, technology and elementary art education.  I have written and published one book on Art Education and Technology, numerous articles on this topic and have presented extensively at state, regional and national conventions.  I am on the editorial review board of two prestigious Art and Education journals.  I am currently working on my second book on Art Education & Technology.  I am currently, the National President of the Electronic Media Interest Group, an affiliate of the National Art Education Association.  I am a member of the Texas Art Education Association, the National Art Education Association and the Texas Faculty Association.
   I have taught art education at the university level for over 25 years and was an elementary and middle school art teacher for several years in the state of Missouri.  Since coming to Texas Woman's University in 2004, I have served as the Undergraduate and Graduate Director of Art Education.  In 2006, I converted the MA in Art Education to an online program, the only such program in the state of Texas and possibly the only one of its kind in the United States.
   I love my work and am eager to serve the needs of all my students.  Drop by Panera Bread in Plano or Denton; join me for a cup of coffee and share stories about your favorite books, music and people.  Just give me a call and make a date!  In addition, do not forget to bring your favorite photos of your pets and loved ones.
   In my online classes, I begin my courses by asking students to identify and discuss the most important influences in their lives.  I encourage them to identify and discuss the most influential people, events, books, artists and teachers in their lives.  I would like to share my list with you now.
The most influential people in my life have been my parents.  My dad modeled a passion and thirst for knowledge and learning which continues to live on in every part of my life, most particularly since his death in 1979.  My mom modeled and continues to model how important healthy relationships are and in my professional life, I carry that conviction with me in developing effective professional relationships with my students and colleagues.  My mom continues to be a strong, guiding and grounding influence in my life as she ages gracefully.
   There have been many events and experiences that have influenced my thinking and professional development.  My childhood growing up in Paris, France, the numerous places I have lived throughout the United States growing up as the youngest child of an Air Force Staff Sergeant, the varied universities I have worked at throughout my career and coming to TWU in fall of 2004 that led to the establishment of an online Masters program in Art Education.  I would have to say the single most professional event in my life, however, occurred when Bettie Lake, a middle school art teacher in Tama, Iowa, dragged me kicking and screaming into the world of art education and technology in the fall of 1986.  That experience changed my professional direction in art education and was the beginning of a career long passion for art education and technology.

The most influential books that have shaped my educational philosophy are:
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl, Creative and Mental Growth by Viktor Lowenfeld, 3^rd Edition, Walden by Henry David Thoreau, Leaves of Grass by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Teaching as a Subversive Activity, by Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner, Death at an Early Age by Jonathan Kozol, The Courage to Create, by Rollo May, Reading, The Arts and The Creation of Meaning by Elliot Eisner, Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person, by Carl Rogers, Emphasis Art by Frank Wachowiak, Education and Ecstacy by George Leonard, The Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - by Maya Angelou, Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, A Christmas Carol and a Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, On Writing Well by William Zinsser, and the Bible, particularly, the New International Version.
Each of these books and countless other similar books have shaped my professional and personal philosophy and vision.

   If you ask me what I like to do in my free time, I am quick to say I love to: watch classic movies, and Cable News shows like Hardball and the Rachel Maddow Show, listen to all types of music, including classic rock of the sixties and seventies, jazz, classical and country-western, play James Bond or Perfect Dark on the XBOX or spend hours on my computer learning all kinds of new things.  I can often be found at the local Panera Bread in Denton or Plano sipping a Chai Tea Latte and teaching my online classes with the help of my Apple MacIntosh laptop.  My iPhone is always close by and I make myself available to my students by phone, email and in person every week.