If you’re looking for a sauvignon blanc recommendation from an obsessive bargain shopper, look no further than Paul Justice, our very own lecturer for the Liberal Studies program and undergraduate adviser in Interdisciplinary Studies in Three Departments. Karaoke king, sports fan and outstanding adviser, he supports our COE mission in so many ways. Find out more about Paul in this edition of 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Faculty and Staff!
1. Marilyn Bredvold, executive assistant to Dean Chung, was Paul's very first San Diego friend
When Paul moved to San Diego in August of 1994, he knew absolutely no one. Marilyn happened to be working for the same grant programs that he began working for, and while she taught him the ropes of grant management, they became friends. They’ve remained friends through four different deans.
2. Paul is a rabid Aztecs and Philadelphia sports fan
Paul has been a season ticket holder for Aztecs football and basketball for the past 20 years. When he’s not talking Aztecs sports with College of Education colleagues like Lisa Lamb and Donna Ross, he attends games with Bredvold and Luke Duesbery and often runs into Ian Pumpian and other colleagues. Born and raised in the City of Brotherly Love, Paul really had no choice but to love his hometown teams. He ranks the teams in order of affection (from true love to strong attraction) as follows: Eagles, Phillies, Sixers and Flyers. Ask to see his protective phone case if you get a chance.
3. Paul is an amateur KJ (karaoke jock)
Paul purchased his first karaoke machine and karaoke CDGs in 2002. The machines have changed over the years — as have the venues — but his passion has remained constant. He has rolled with technological advances and can now fit everything he needs to rock your house in a small backpack. Note: he will work for beer.
4. Paul is an obsessive bargain shopper with a love for wine!
The folks at Vons apparently had Paul in mind when they started tallying savings percentages at the bottom of receipts. He won’t settle for anything under 30 percent, preferring 40 percent or more. When the percentage eclipses 50 percent, he takes a photo of the receipt and sends it to whoever he thinks might be impressed. While shopping at Vons, he routinely avoids buying full price items, even when he needs them (toilet paper will go on sale eventually, right?). He also chastises his wife when she adds full price items to their cart. He’s happy to report that, at press time, they were still married. Perhaps it’s because they bond over sauvignon blanc wines from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. They keep a spreadsheet listing every one they’ve sampled, along with their expert (not!) commentary. The list currently stands at 83, with plenty of room for growth.
5. Paul has been running competitively since the sixth grade
Too small to play football, not especially interested in soccer, and required to participate in a fall season sport, Paul chose cross country in sixth grade and has been channeling his inner Forrest Gump ever since. He’ll tackle anything up to a half marathon but sees absolutely no point in attempting a full marathon.
6. Paul taught elementary school for a year before enrolling at SDSU as a graduate student
Generally, folks end up in a College of Education graduate program to build on their teaching experience, but not in this case. Rather, Paul was looking to transition out of K-12 education to adult ESL education, which required a graduate degree in Linguistics. So his involvement with the College of Education was largely coincidental. All’s well that ends well, right?
7. Paul’s first (and blind!) date with his wife was on SDSU’s campus
A mutual friend decided that Paul and his future wife, Dinah, would be a good match, so the friend tried to engineer a complicated meet-up. Dinah put the kibosh on that, grabbed the dating bull by the horns, and contacted Paul directly. The result was an on-campus date that included a tour of the then-under-construction Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union and a review of her academic record as an undergraduate at SDSU (once an academic adviser, always an academic adviser). Amazingly, there was a second date!
How Paul Justice is making I’m making a difference in the College of Education
“I’ve worked in the College of Education in some capacity since 1994, starting as a graduate student assistant making phone calls (not very interesting), and then graduating to managing grants and working on the development of the new ITEP credential programs (both very interesting and rewarding). I’m looking forward to whatever comes next (as long as it’s interesting and rewarding, of course). The grants that I manage for funded faculty in Special Education and Counseling & School Psychology provide students with specialized professional preparation in high needs K-12 areas, as well as financial support to offset the cost of their program. Similarly, my collaboration with faculty in the School of Teacher Education on their ITEP credential programs in math and science will help address two other high needs areas in the K-12 system. In addition, in my role as an adviser for the Interdisciplinary Studies Major in Three Departments (IS3D) in the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA), I help undergraduate students not majoring in Liberal Studies prepare for a credential program. I’m also proud to be a member of the College of Education/DAESA commencement team. Go Team!”