Dr. Phillips joins UNCG as ACE Fellow

Dr. Clarenda Phillips, chair of the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminology at Morehead State University, will spend the 2010-11 academic year as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Started in 1965, the ACE Fellow Program has provided professional development opportunities for more than 1,500 emerging leaders in higher education, including more than 300 who have become chief executive officers at colleges and universities.

Dr. Phillips will work directly with Chancellor Linda P. Brady, herself an ACE Fellow in 1997-98; Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David H. Perrin; and other senior administrators. ACE Fellows observe and participate in key meetings and events, take on special projects and assignments while under the mentorship of experienced campus leaders, participate in three-week long national seminars, visit other campuses, and attend national meetings.

“We are delighted to welcome Clarenda Phillips to UNCG for the 2010-11 academic year,” Chancellor Brady said. “The ACE program is the premier leadership development program in higher education today. As a former ACE fellow myself, I know this will be an exciting year of learning and discovery for Dr. Phillips. We look forward to learning from her as well.” Dr. Phillips’ research investigates the social factors that contribute to the resilience of African- Americans, especially African-American women, with an emphasis on social support networks and religiousness. In 2007, she became chair of the university’s Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminology.

“The senior administration, faculty, staff and students as well as the Greensboro community make UNCG the ideal placement for my fellowship,” Dr. Phillips said.

She is particularly interested in community partnerships and engagement, and collaboration between UNCG and N.C. A and T State University, which includes a joint master’s degree in social work, the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, and Gateway University Research Park.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology at DePauw University and her master’s and doctorate in sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduate school, she spent three years in Washington, D.C., evaluating the effectiveness of youth development programs like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and education programs like the U.S. Department of Education’s Program for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

Dr. Robert A. (Bob) Bylund, professor of sociology, will serve as interim department chair.

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