Dr. Alayne Thorpe

President, Griggs International Academy

Dean, College of Education and International Services, Andrews University

Dr. Alayne Thorpe is President of Griggs International Academy and serves as Dean for College of Education and International Services and the School of Graduate Studies at Andrews University. She is responsible for all online and off-campus programs at Andrews University and administrator for all graduate programs within the University’s schools and colleges.

Dr. Thorpe holds a BA and MA in English and PhD in modern British literature from the University of Maryland. She took additional graduate courses in curriculum design and instructional strategy at Georgetown University. In 1985, she was awarded a fellowship to Cambridge University.

In 2011, Dr. Thorpe supervised the relocation and re-establishment of Griggs University/Griggs International Academy (GU/GIA) when they moved to Andrews University. Prior to the move, she was senior vice president for education at Griggs University and Griggs International Academy for 22 years.

Dr. Thorpe has a long history in distance education, both as an administrator and a faculty member. She served as a mentor teacher and course developer for the University of Maryland and Washington Adventist University and as an active member of the Distance Education Council, the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges and the Council for International and Trans-Regional Accreditation. In that capacity, Dr. Thorpe worked to develop accreditation standards and best practices for distance education, serving as a site evaluator for many years, and member of the Adventist Accrediting Agency Board from 2010–2015.