Teaching Institution: Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois

Field of Study: Political Science

DSP graduate turned Institute recruiter

As I began at Augustana College, I was able to convince the administration to reconstitute the Diversity Dissertation Fellowship. They allowed me to design the basic parameters for the new version of the program. It has now been going for seven years. Since that time, it has evolved and is stronger than ever thanks to support from our new dean and contributions of time and ideas from many colleagues. Over the years, I have been the lead recruiter and mentor for our fellowship program. 

In the community, I have been part of many efforts and projects. One that was a great collaborative effort was with the Moline Public Library. We worked to get grants from the Changing America Program as the Created Equal Program. It evolved into over a month of programming in Moline, Illinois and Rock Island, Illinois in March and April of 2014. I was most involved in public screenings and discussions of Freedom Riders and “Slavery by Another Name,” a PBS documentary. It is always a good feeling to be able to bring my scholarship and teaching to the public.

Dr. Whitt’s research centers on cultivating an Africana studies program for his students. His desire is to be an ongoing steward of research on interdisciplinary studies and the wants and needs of students. 

Starting with DSP as a dissertation scholar, Dr. Whitt has been attending the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring for 10 years. Now attending as a recruiter, he attributes the Institute with helping him to build a supportive network of higher education contacts.