Ellington Graves

Ellington Graves, PhD first joined the faculty of the Department of Sociology in August 2000 and currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Practice. He rejoins the department after several years in university administration, with his most recent role having been Associate Vice President for Inclusive Strategy. During that time, he provided leadership for programs dealing with student retention and success, campus culture and climate, faculty diversity, and curriculum development. He also supported and served on multiple university governance bodies. He also served as director of the Africana Studies Program from 2012-2022.

He received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from The Johns Hopkins University, his master’s in sociology from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His doctoral research focused on considering Black conservatism as a project competing to define Black American identity.

Areas of expertise:

• Race
• Inequality
• Identity
• Higher education policy
• Diversity, equity and inclusion

Courses Taught:

• Social Inequality
• Sociological Theory
• African American Leadership for Social Change
• African American Identity
• Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
• Sociology of Religion
• Sociology of Education