ATLANTA — More than 400 participants from various academic disciplines who are in varying stages of their career, spent the weekend networking and sharing their research at the 4th Annual Black Doctoral Network Conference (BDN).
BDN — which was formed nearly five years ago — has become the go-to place for Black faculty and Black graduate students who are pursuing terminal degrees.
“One of the primary reasons the network was formed was to eliminate the isolation that Black scholars feel in their doctoral programs and in their positions,” said Deandra S. Taylor, director of operations for BDN and chair of this year’s conference. “We feel that this has been one of our best conferences so far.”
Over the years, BDN — which invites colleges and universities to become members — and encourages participation from undergraduate, graduate and university professionals from all disciplines—has caught the eye of prominent academicians who have lent their support to the growing network. Past conference speakers have included Dr. Cornel West, Dr. William Julius Wilson, Dr. Tricia Rose and Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad.
This year’s conference was titled “Changing Research for a Changing World,” and featured Dr. Patricia Hill Collins, a Distinguished University Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park; Dr. Ivory A. Toldson, the president and CEO of the QEM Network and a professor of counseling psychology at Howard University; and Dr. Joy DeGrury, a recognized researcher and lecturer whose book Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome—America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing has become a popular text.
A variety of panel sessions focused on topics ranging from increasing diversity in graduate education to mentorship and educational leadership for Black Students. Participants had the opportunity to hear from veteran educators like Dr. Julianne Malveaux, who spent five years as president of Bennett College, a historically Black college for women located in Greensboro, N.C.
In the aftermath of major protests on college campuses over the past year, participants who attended this year’s conference argue that colleges and universities need to step up their efforts to recruit and retain Black faculty.
