Kentucky State University shines bright at 2018 HBCU Awards

Kentucky State University shines bright at 2018 HBCU Awards

Posted on June 23, 2018

Kentucky State University was a multi-award winner in the academic excellence category during HBCU Digest’s 2018 HBCU Awards. The Atwood Institute for Race, Education, and the Democratic Ideal was named the best research center while Dr. Kristen E. Broady was named best female faculty.

“Let me be the first to congratulate the Kentucky State University family for supporting the great work of the Atwood Institute, Dr. Crystal A. deGregory and Vice Provost Broady,” President M. Christopher Brown II said.

“Our academic ambitions are focused. The work of the Green Ribbon Commission, the establishment of University College, the restructuring of student success and enrollment management further demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence and successful student outcomes. To be recognized for our hard work in year one by HBCU Digest is a significant accomplishment, focusing on student success will continue to accelerate us forward.”

The Atwood Institute was created a year ago in June 2017. deGregory was named the Institute’s director in August and has been a near-constant presence in the media and as an orator.

“The Atwood Institute for Race, Education and the Democratic Ideal at Kentucky State University is just one testament of the forward vision of our 18th President and the Institute’s founder M. Christopher Brown II,” deGregory said. “As the Atwood’s inaugural director, I have the great fortune of holding aloft the good name of Rufus Ballard Atwood as well as to lead the institute’s undaunted work to honor diverse experiences, dismantle negative stereotypes, and train emergent leaders—in this midst of these very perilous times.”

deGregory has been quoted often on a variety of topics such as campus activism in Time Magazine, the opportunity of Beyoncé referencing HBCUs during her performance at Coachella in The Chronicle of Higher Education, HBCUs and the White House administration in Inside Higher Ed, diversity at HBCUs in The Nation and many more.

She has written op-eds for media outlets such as the Frankfort State Journal and the Atlanta Voice. deGregory has given presentations in the State Capitol at the MLK Memorial March to Move and across many states during the academic year. She presented at the SXSW EDU Conference with President Brown in March.

The Atwood Institute also held the inaugural Symposium of the Atwood Institute, which drew a large audience of diverse backgrounds, including members of academia, media, community members, student, educators and business people.

Broady, vice provost for graduate studies and academic specialization, was named female faculty member of the year.

“I’m honored to be part of Kentucky State University,” Broady said. “I’m thankful to President Brown for giving me a platform to showcase my research.”

Broady’s research and report on minorities facing a high risk of losing jobs were published by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and received media attention nationally. She appeared on HBCU Digest Radio to discuss her work.

Broady was also a featured author for the National Urban League’s 2018 State of Black America. Broady wrote an essay entitled “Race, Automation, and the Future of Work in America” for the report.

Broady’s academic experience includes former leadership roles at Dominican University, Fort Valley State University, Atlanta Metropolitan State College and Howard University.

Broady also previously worked as a consultant for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C.; a senior research fellow for the Center for Global Policy Solutions in Washington, D.C.; a consultant for the City of East Point, Georgia and as an HBCU consultant for season two of The Quad on Black Entertainment Television (BET) in Atlanta.

The HBCU Awards are the first and only national awards ceremony honoring individual and institutional achievement at historically black colleges and universities throughout the country. Winners are selected by a panel of previous winners, journalists, HBCU executives, students and alumni for the merit of accomplishment and for generating positive coverage for HBCU campus communities.

More than 700 nominations, a record number, were received for the 2018 nomination process.