Terrell L. Strayhorn, Ph.D.

Terrell Strayhorn is Associate Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Director of the Center for Higher Education Research and Policy (CHERP), as well Special Assistant to the Provost in the Office of the Provost at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He has teaching responsibilities in the both the College Student Personnel master’s degree program and Higher Education Administration doctoral degree program. In addition, Strayhorn is adjunct associate professor in the Department of Sociology and the Africana Studies Program.

Dr. Strayhorn’s research agenda consists of two major streams of scholarly inquiry: (a) the social psychological impact of college on students and (b) the study of inequality in education based on race, gender, and social class. Much of his research focuses on the experiences of historically under(mis-)represented groups in American society, with a particular emphasis on the condition of higher education for African Americans/Blacks. He has conducted research on barriers to college access for disadvantaged groups, influences of social context and institutional practices on college choice, labor market outcomes of recent college graduates, transitions from high school to college, and factors affecting student retention and subsequent persistence to degree. Recent work protracts his agenda into post-baccalaureate (graduate) and international arenas. Studying how patterns of inequality accumulate over time and cascade into long-term disparities that can have profound implications on one’s class standing, social mobility, and livelihood stimulates his intellectual curiosity.

Dr. Strayhorn’s work appears (or has been accepted for publication) in the most highly-regarded, refereed journals in the fields of education, student affairs, and higher education, including, but not limited to: The Journal of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, NASPA Journal, Journal of College Student Retention, Urban Education, and the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP) Journal. To date, he has authored over 60 books, chapters, articles, reviews, and commissioned reports. He has presented more than 100 papers at international and national meetings, including invited keynotes and panel discussions. External grants from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), American College Personnel Association (ACPA), Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), and U.S. Department of Education have supported these studies. Strayhorn is recipient of a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his project titled, “Investigating the Critical Junctures: Strategies that Broaden Minority Participation in STEM Fields.”
 
In recognition of his early career achievements, Dr. Strayhorn received the 2006 Emerging Scholar Award from the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), Benjamin L. Perry Professional Service Award from the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP), Outstanding Junior Scholar Award from the Council on Ethnic Participation within the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Annuit Coeptis Emerging Professional Award from the ACPA.

Highly regarded as a sociologist of higher education, Dr. Strayhorn is a visiting scholar at the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American & African Studies at the University of Virginia (2008-2010). In this role, he is completing a historical research project on race-based educational disparities in access to college for African Americans living in southern states (pre-1950s).

Dr. Strayhorn earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree (M.Ed.) in educational policy studies from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, and doctoral degree (PhD) in higher education from Virginia Tech. In addition, he holds two certificates of advanced graduate study in race and social policy and graduate teaching respectively.

Updated 10/08/2008