Associate Professor of Sociology Tyson Brown has been named the inaugural Presidential Fellow.
The Presidential Fellowship is a new, one-year and part time fellowship established by President Vincent Price to “develop the talents of a diverse cohort of faculty leaders for Duke’s future” and aid mid-career faculty members in gaining exposure to higher education leadership.
Price, along with other senior leaders, selected Brown for the fellowship.
“It’s an honor to be selected as the inaugural Presidential Fellow,” Brown said. “As a social scientist and professor, I’m fascinated by the inner workings of institutions of higher education. I’m excited about this fellowship because it provides an opportunity to learn about university structures and governance and to make a positive impact.”
According to a Duke press release, Brown and future Presidential Fellows will “work with members of Price’s cabinet, participate in leadership meetings and coordinate a project related to a university priority.” Presidential Fellows also receive funding to participate in training programs for leadership and attend conferences focused on key issues in higher education.
Valerie Ashby, dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, nominated Brown for the honor.
“Tyson is an exemplary scholar and teacher who is skilled at connecting with students and supporting his colleagues in intentional and meaningful ways, as evidenced through his leadership in the Writing and ReseArch Productivity Group for Underrepresented Faculty,” Ashby wrote in an email.
Ashby added that Brown will have the “top-down visibility” necessary to identify areas where the University can adapt and grow, building a stronger community.
“The Presidential Fellows are going to bring new ideas, thoughts and experiences to the table, and new viewpoints on what Duke students need. The exposure to university leadership through the fellowship will benefit the scholar, but the help they will bring us—the gift of this engagement—is really for Duke,” Ashby wrote.
Brown directs the Center on Health & Society—where he conducts research that quantifies the roles of structural racism—and leads a new Bass Connections theme titled Race & Society.
Brown’s research aims at solving racial inequality in society, focusing on “the who, when, and how questions” regarding race-based disparities in economic prosperity and health.
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