Our Director

Anthony Troy Adams, Ph.D.
Director

Troy Adams, Ph.D.

Dr. Anthony Troy Adams serves as director of the Atwood Institute for Race, Education, and the Democratic Ideal. A passionate mentor and applied social scientist, Dr. Adams is the former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Alabama State University (ASU). As dean, Adams worked to coordinate the academic and creative activities of six robust departments, including the departments of Communications, Criminal Justice and Social Sciences, History and Political Science, Languages and Literatures, Psychology, and Social Work. During his ASU tenure, Adams was an unapologetic advocate for student and faculty development; the production of knowledge and scholarly activity; and, engagement in civic and community service.

Dr. Adams earned his doctorate and MA (Sociology) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (90’, 87’), a B.S. (Criminal Justice and Criminology, 83’) and he completed post graduate work at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Institutes for Higher Education, Management Development Program (2009).

Professionally, Adams celebrated over three decades of service in higher education (August 1988 – present). He taught sociology at Eastern Michigan University for nineteen years, 1988 – 2006, Arkansas State University 2007 – 2012 and he joined the Alabama State University Hornet’s Nation 2012. He is a self-proclaimed applied sociologist, using academic sociology and social statistics to help solve “real world” problems. Adams is the past president of the Association of Applied and Clinical Sociology and the Alabama Mississippi Sociological Association, both in 2015.

Dr. Adams is the recipient of several awards. Notably, he won the coveted Teaching Excellence Award by The Alumni Association of Eastern Michigan University (2007) and in 2010 was bestowed several awards, including The President’s Award, St. Francis County Branch, NAACP, Forrest City, AR, Omega Man of the Year Award, Epsilon Alpha Alpha Alumni Chapter, Jonesboro, AR, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, Men of Distinction Award, Eta Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Arkansas State University, “You Made A Difference” Advising Award, Wilson Advising Center and Student Government Association, Arkansas State University, and he was nominated for the Diversity Excellence Award, Office of Diversity, Arkansas State University (2011) and the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, Academic Advising Council on Excellence and Academic Affairs and Research, Arkansas State University (2011).

E: anthony.adams1@kysu.edu
P: (502) 597-6443