Continuing Education courses for Summer II and Fall 2026 are now available to view in Self-Service. Course sections listed with a begin date after July 1, 2026 will open for registration on July 1, 2026.
One could say Mary Anne Fuller Grabarek’s ties to the city of Durham and Durham Tech began as early as 1957 when she moved from New York to Lawton, Oklahoma, the hometown of former College President, Phail Wynn.
Or maybe the connection took root in 1970 when Grabarek, then Fuller, married Robert W. Grabarek Jr. Bob had grown up in Durham where his father was mayor for several years.
Still, it may have been her father’s tie to Durham Tech that resonated with her. As a computer expert in the Army, he spent his retirement teaching computer programming for 21 years at Durham Tech.
Or maybe it was just Grabarek’s love of learning and teaching that led her to settle in for the long haul at the College.
Grabarek attended Connecticut College for Women from 1964-1968 where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in government. That background landed her a job working for Washington, D.C. Public Schools as a recruiter and later a teacher.
When she married Bob, he worked for Southern Railway, so the couple moved often with their daughter and son being born in Georgia and South Carolina, respectively. It was in Atlanta in 1977 where Grabarek earned her Master of Arts in teaching from Emory University. Subsequently, the family moved to Raleigh, NC where they live today.
“My life took an interesting turn when I moved to North Carolina and discovered Durham Tech,” Grabarek said. “For the next 30 years I had the privilege of teaching and learning in a wonderful environment where I learned at least as much from my students as they learned from me, developed meaningful relationships with faculty and staff members, and saw firsthand the transformation of students’ lives as they used their new skills to enhance their opportunities.”
She began work at the College in 1987 as a reading instructor in Developmental Studies and became program director and later department head. She served as Associate Dean of the General Education Department and later as Dean of Arts and Sciences. Other positions came her way as years passed, including Executive Dean.
Along with earning new positions at the College, Grabarek also had a number of accomplishments.
“In addition to establishing a research initiative to track learning outcomes, I developed a critical reading curriculum, a teaching-learning center for professional development, and one of the only professional development journals written by community college faculty in the country. The center is still active today,” Grabarek said. “I have written articles and co-authored a book chapter on teaching and learning. In the 1990s I led a team of five talented staff and faculty which developed the first online classes at Durham Tech. My years at the community college were a constant source of learning for me.”
In 1993, Grabarek earned an Innovation in Teaching Award from Durham Tech for developing a critical reading course for science students. She'd earn a second Innovation in Teaching award in 2007.
In 1995 she was awarded the NC Outstanding Service to Developmental Students Award (NCADE). She went on to be a finalist for the national award (NADE).
“My final full-time assignment was as Director of Research, Evaluation, Assessment, and Planning,” Grabarek said. “In 2009 I retired from full-time employment at Durham Tech and did part-time editing at the College for several years.”
In retirement, Grabarek stays close to teaching and learning through volunteer efforts at her church and work at the museum in the small Pennsylvania town of Eagles Mere, where she and Bob spend the summer months.
“Perhaps my most joyful volunteer activity has been establishing and leading a book discussion group at a government housing project in Raleigh,” Grabarek said. “The participants are remarkable women who have become great readers, and they continually show me that reading is a source of knowledge and depth of thought for all people.”
She is “trying” to learn to play the ukulele and walks two to three miles a day as exercise.
“Our son Rob and his husband Jon live in Seattle. Our daughter Julie and her husband Shannen live near us in Raleigh and our two grandsons, Owen and Jeremy, are college students,” Grabarek said. “Thanks to Bob and our families and friends, I am living a happy life for which I am deeply grateful.”