4 Black Men Graduate With Doctoral Degrees

In life, there are various milestones that should not be looked past.  ONe of those events being any kind of degree in higher education. It doesn’t matter if it’s high school or graduate school, seeing your way through to a degree is a monumental achievement showcasing that see can see something through to completion. Each year, only about 1,000 African Americans men earn doctoral degrees in the United States. Last month, the Journal for Blacks in Higher Education posted an article on four Black men who were awarded doctoral degrees from one academic department a Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Now this accomplishment has been repeated at Ohio State University. Four Black men earned doctorates this spring in the College of Education and Human Ecology under the mentorship of Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, the youngest full professor in Ohio State’s history. This is the first time that four Black men have earned doctorates in the same department in the university’s history.

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Here’s a snapshot of the incredible men:

Royel Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in education policy from the University of Illinois. His doctoral dissertation examined the influence that early arrest plays on Black males’ odds for college enrollment. He works as policy analyst in the Center for Higher Education Enterprise at Ohio State.

Leroy Long earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University. His dissertation explored the influence of technology adoption and use on first-year engineering students’ academic success. This fall, Dr. Long will be a tenure-track assistant professor of engineering education at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Todd Suddeth earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Akron and master’s degree in public policy from The Ohio State University. His doctoral dissertation examined the career decision-making processes of Black male college students. His research won the 2015 Loadman Dissertation of the Year Award. He works as a program director in the Todd Bell National Resource Center at Ohio State.

Derrick Tillman-Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington and a master’s in degree higher education from Indiana University. His dissertation focused on identity label adoption and usage among gay college students of color. He works as special assistant to the director in the Center for Higher Education Enterprise at Ohio State.