New sociology professor to join MCfaculty for 2026-27: Annie McGhee

After in-depth interviews and meetings with faculty and students, Annie McGhee has been hired as the new sociology professor, and will start in the 2026-27 academic year. McGhee is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cincinnati. She will be defending her dissertation this summer and will receive her doctorate in sociology upon entering her professor role at MC. 

In 2019, McGhee earned her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, with minors in professional education and gender and diversity studies. She gained an interest in sociology during her senior year of her undergraduate education. 

“I remember after class one day, one of my best friends stopped me and said, ‘You talk about this class for three hours every day,’” said McGhee. “That’s when it clicked for me that this is what I was supposed to be doing. I love the ability to think about the world in new ways and understand the relationship between social structures and agency.” 

Following Xavier, McGhee went on to the University of Cincinnati. In 2022, she earned her master’s degree in sociology and is now finishing her doctorate degree.

McGhee said that she is most interested in researching race and ethnicity, sex and gender, media and technology, and qualitative methods. Her dissertation is about how white people develop a sense of racial identity through media depictions. She said that she has previously published research on racism in video games, as well as a study of transgender people’s experiences with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). 

McGhee has taught courses such as Introduction to Sociology, Media and Society, Sociology of Gender and Contemporary Social Problems at other institutions. She has taught courses at the University of Cincinnati, Miami University of Ohio and the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College.

McGhee said she is not certain what she will be teaching at MC; however, she said she will likely be assigned some introductory sociology courses as well as a First Year Seminar course. She also said that, given her background in math, she can teach the core quantitative reasoning course. She also shared her excitement about potentially developing new courses at MC. 

“I would love to teach Digital Research Methods, Gender Online, Race and Ethnicity or Sociology of Whiteness courses,” said McGhee. “I’m also happy to develop courses if students are interested in a particular topic. I have lots of ideas, and I’m very excited to start developing [the] curriculum, teaching and meeting all of you.” 

She voiced that choosing to teach at MC was more than just a paycheck. She said she was interested in the liberal arts education and teaching focus of MC, as she had received a liberal arts education at Xavier University. 

“My experiences made me think more critically, communicate more effectively, approach problems from different and innovative perspectives, and generally, made me a well-rounded person,” said McGhee. “I knew that I wanted to be a part of an institution that views its students and education holistically.” 

McGhee said she was also interested in Maryville College’s location. She mentioned having family in Kingston, which is around 45 minutes from Maryville. She also said that she enjoys hiking and being outdoors, so being near the Great Smoky Mountains is ideal. 

McGhee said when she came to MC, she fell in love with the campus and its community. 

“The students and faculty had a great relationship,” said McGhee. “For example, as I was walking around with Dr. Nathan Higdon, he was saying ‘hi’ and joking with so many students. It felt like home already.” 

Sociology student Haley Yager (‘28) was one of the students who was able to meet and speak with McGhee during her visit on campus, sharing a lunch together in the dining hall.

“She came across as very open-minded and student-focused, and it was clear that she values student voices and participation in the classroom,” said Yager. “I also liked that she emphasized keeping her classes relevant and connected to current social issues.”

Sociology student Katie Parnell (‘27) also met with McGhee. Parnell highlighted how personable McGhee is, as well as her care for students’ interests and needs. 

She also said that she liked that one of McGhee’s research focuses is race, which Parnell said, “that’s something the Sociology Department has been lacking in.” However, she did show some concern about McGhee’s course idea. 

“She mentioned wanting to create a sociology of whiteness class, which I think could be interesting, but I also worry that it would be a disservice to have our only class that specifically focuses on race be about whiteness,” said Parnell. 

Parnell had a good impression of McGhee in many components, but still holds some skepticism.  “I think that she will be a good fit for the Maryville College Sociology Department because she did seem to want to tailor the classroom environment to student needs and to incorporate discussion into the classroom, which is something Maryville College students seem to enjoy,” said Parnell. “However, I do worry that this teaching method will not challenge students in upper-level courses.”

Headshot of Annie McGhee, new sociology professor set to start teaching at MC in the fall of 2026. (Photo courtesy of Annie McGhee.)