April 26, 2022 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A Grand Rapids Community College biology professor will cap a 30-year career with the 2022 Faculty Emeritus designation during commencement this week.
Paul Krieger, a biology professor who retired in 2019, says working at GRCC was his “dream job.”
“I taught courses in anatomy and physiology, general biology, and personal health,” he said. “My former students have launched their own successful careers as nurses, dental hygienists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, physician assistants, occupational therapists, and medical doctors, as well as many other careers.”
Krieger will be recognized during ceremonies on April 29 at Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse, 111 Lyon St. NE. Students in the School of Arts and Sciences will attend a 4:30 p.m. commencement, and those in the School of Workforce Development will be at a 7:30 p.m. ceremony.
Krieger credits what was then Grand Rapids Junior College for setting him on his career path. He loved both art and science, and his instructors suggested he consider teaching.
“I decided this would allow me to combine my passions for art and science in a meaningful way,” he said. “This turned out to be a great decision for me and worked out even better than I could have imagined.”
After receiving his Associate of Science in 1984, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Michigan and a secondary teaching certificate. He received a master’s in biological sciences from Wayne State University in 1991.
Before starting at GRCC in 1991, Krieger taught at high schools in Beijing and Jackson. During his teaching career, he wrote and illustrated the four-book Visual Analogy Guides series, which cover anatomy, physiology and chemistry.