Morehouse College, the nation’s only college dedicated to educating and developing men of color, announced the appointment of Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough as interim executive director of the College’s recently launched Black Men’s Research Institute (BMRI), a first-of-its-kind institute dedicated to the in-depth, nuanced, and intersectional study of Black men, their impact, and societal influences. A distinguished educator and higher education administrator, Kimbrough previously served as the 12th president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., and most recently as the seventh president of Dillard University in New Orleans, La. He has also held leadership roles in student affairs at Emory University, Georgia State University, Old Dominion University, and Albany State University. An Atlanta native, Kimbrough graduated as salutatorian from Benjamin Elijah Mays High School, which is named after the sixth president of Morehouse College, and later received his Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Georgia, a Master of Science in college student personnel services from Miami University, and a Ph.D. in higher education from Georgia State University.
Kimbrough is an internationally recognized voice in higher education with a respected reputation for his research, published writings, and advocacy for African American men in college, historically Black colleges and universities, and fraternities and sororities, particularly historically Black, Latin, and Asian organizations. As interim executive director, he will work with associate professor of sociology and BMRI associate director Dr. Derrick Bryan to launch the institute’s inaugural annual symposium, public lecture series, teaching and scholarship fund awards, social justice policy fund awards, and curriculum development workshops. Kimbrough will also lead an internal advisory board comprised of Morehouse faculty and an external board of prominent scholars in Black Masculinities Studies to guide the early years of the BMRI’s growth and impact.
"As someone who is often asked if I attended Morehouse, which is a great compliment, I am glad to finally be part of the Morehouse family,” says Kimbrough. “I've been actively working to better outcomes for Black men during my professional career, and this institute gives us an opportunity to develop research and most importantly actionable practices that may be implemented across the country."
Funded through a four-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the BMRI is a pioneering initiative designed for the research, education, and engagement of Black men and their allies on the economic, social, cultural, and personal outcomes of issues affecting Black men in the U.S. and internationally, while equipping these communities with the knowledge and tools to navigate and challenge a society constructed in ways that may marginalize Black men’s contributions and humanity. Rooted in the scholarship of the humanities, humanistic social sciences, and the creative arts, the institute is intentionally and uniquely focused on diverse Black masculinities and the positioning of Black men in society through the intersectional lenses of race, class, religion, gender, sexuality, identity, politics and policy, history, art, and more. By amplifying collaborative thought leadership, the institute strives to counter conflicting narratives, distrust, and ambiguity with a clear, authoritative voice on the experiences of Black men. The BMRI will also strengthen the intellectual discovery, discourse, and scholarship at Morehouse in areas related to LGBTQ history, culture, and social challenges, as well as sexism, patriarchy, and misogyny.
“Along with President Thomas, I am thrilled to have Dr. Walter Kimbrough as the interim executive director of the Black Men's Research Institute,” says Dr. Kendrick Brown, senior vice president of academic affairs and provost of Morehouse College. “Dr. Kimbrough is an eminent and distinguished leader in higher education and a long-standing proponent of addressing the needs of Black men and their communities. He will enable BMRI to have a strong foundation upon which Morehouse's enduring commitment to social justice, civic engagement, and multidisciplinary scholarship can be advanced.”
In the upcoming academic year, Morehouse will conduct a search for a permanent executive director, who will have a faculty appointment. For more information about Morehouse College and the Black Men’s Research Institute, visit morehouse.edu.
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