The award recognizes Clark Atlanta alumni and community members for their achievement in diverse fields of endeavor, McGruder will be one of five alumni to receive the award, which will be conferred at the annual Spirit of Greatness Gala on March 21 at the Georgia International Convention Center, the net proceeds of which will benefit the CAU Scholarship Fund.

McGruder joined the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts as director of development in 2010. Previously he served as associate director of development in the College of Computing and the first director of development for the School of Computer Science at Georgia Tech.

Juan McGruder completed a doctorate of philosophy degree in education and human development (higher education) at Vanderbilt University in 1999.His research areas included historically black colleges and universities, institutional collaborations, and institutional advancement. McGruder earned a master’s degree in education at Harvard University in administration, planning, and social policy. He also holds a master’s in counseling and human development from Clark Atlanta, an Education Specialist degree in Student Affairs from Western Kentucky University, and a Certificate in Romanesque and Gothic Architecture in Britain and Europe from University of Cambridge, England. His baccalaureate degree is in political science and pre-law from Clark College.