Dr. Shaun Harper

In Pursuit of Excellence: Critical Perspectives on Racial Equity

Dr. Shaun Harper

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF RACE AND EQUITY IN EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

January 26, 2017

Lecture Summary: Race and Equity Scholar Tells Stevens Audience Higher Education Ignores Racial Matters at Its Peril→

ABSTRACT: Within the last few years, college campuses across the nation have experienced a resurgence of activism around issues of racial justice. This national conversation brings into focus the systemic challenges and disadvantages faced by students of color in higher education. When members of a campus community are marginalized, a university’s ability to innovate and create far-reaching impact is diminished. For the benefit of our collective success, all members of the Stevens community have a responsibility to ensure a culture that values the perspectives, talent and contributions which all groups bring to the enterprise. Dr. Shaun Harper will highlight important experiences faced by students of color in higher education and emphasize what members of the Stevens community can do to create an inclusive, just and equitable environment for all.

BIOGRAPHY: Shaun R. Harper founded the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education in 2011. He is author of over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and other academic publications. Journals in which his studies are published include Review of Research in Education, Teachers College Record, Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, and Journal of College Student Development. Dr. Harper’s research has been cited in over 4,000 publications. His twelve books include Advancing Black Male Student Success from Preschool through Ph.D. 

Dr. Harper is president-elect of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and an elected member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Executive Council. He serves on editorial boards for the Journal of Higher Education and American Educational Research Journal, and was previously associate editor of Educational Researcher. AERA presented Dr. Harper the 2010 Early Career Award (Division G) and 2014 Relating Research to Practice Award. He also received the 2008 ASHE Early Career Award, the 2012 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Robert H. Shaffer Award for Faculty Excellence, and the 2014 American College Personnel Association Contribution to Knowledge Award.

Dr. Harper has been interviewed on CNN, ESPN, and NPR, and featured or quoted in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and over 11,000 other media outlets. He was appointed to President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper advisory council in 2015, and recognized in Education Week as one of the 12 most influential professors in the field of education in 2016.

Dr. Harper received his B.S. from Albany State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University.