Terrell Lamont Strayhorn

Terrell L. Strayhorn
Born	Terrell Lamont Strayhorn Virginia Beach, VA, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Virginia
Occupation(s)	Professor, writer, musician, minister
Known for	College impact studies, race expert, belonging theory
Notable work	College Students' Sense of Belonging
Website	www.dogoodworkLLC.org

Terrell Lamont Strayhorn is an American scholar who publishes on college student success and issues of equity and diversity in higher education. He is now founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Do Good Work Educational Consulting, LLC, a private education research firm committed to using research for strengthening families and communities, fighting oppression and injustice, advocating for social change, and ensuring student success. Until his resignation on May 3, 2017, he was a tenured professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology's Department of Educational Studies at The Ohio State University. Strayhorn formerly directed the Center for Higher Education Enterprise (CHEE), a multi-million dollar research and policy center, founded by former OSU President E. Gordon Gee. He is a cousin of William Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn, the famed American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, best known for his successful collaborations with composer Duke Ellington such as "Take the 'A' Train", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Lush Life."

Education and career

Strayhorn is a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was educated in the Virginia Beach Public Schools system and graduated with high honors from Kempsville High School. In high school, Strayhorn was photographer for the school's yearbook, starred as “Oliver Twist” in the school's rendition of the Charles Dickens musical, and participated in student government and the oceanography club.

Immediately following high school graduation, he enrolled at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville where he earned a bachelor's degree (BA) in religious studies and music. Freshman year, Strayhorn was part of UVA's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC), having received an academic scholarship from the Air Force. A music major, choir director, and tenor, Strayhorn was an active member of UVA's Black Voices Gospel Choir during his undergraduate years. He served for several years as Minister of Music of the First Baptist Church-Main Street, then under leadership of Rev. Dr. Bruce Aaron Beard.

Strayhorn earned a master's degree (M.Ed.) in education policy studies with a cognate in higher education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. During graduate study, he worked as an office associate in the Dean of Students, Residence Life Office under direction of Angela M. Davis, Associate Dean of Student and Director of Residence Life. His master's thesis focused on resegregation of higher education, arguing the need for affirmative action policies in college admissions at public universities. After completing a master's in education policy, Strayhorn accepted a job as research associate at the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in Washington, D.C.

After working professionally at CGS and the Helix Group, a public health firm in suburban Maryland, Strayhorn returned to graduate school at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), and earned a Ph.D. in higher education, and educational research and evaluation. His doctoral advisor was Don G. Creamer and his dissertation examined factors influencing the persistence of graduate students, using nationally representative survey data, from the Baccalaureate & Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:1993/1997) administered by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.

Strayhorn joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology (later reorganized into the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies) within the College of Education, Health, & Human Sciences. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor and granted tenure in just three years, compared to the national average that ranges from 6 to 7 years. In 2007, he was appointed Special Assistant to the Provost Former by Provost Robert C. Holub. During his tenure, Strayhorn worked with campus administrators to establish the UTK LEAD Summer Institute (a summer bridge program), enhance the first-year experience, and increase diversity numbers at the Knoxville campus.

In 2010, Strayhorn moved to Ohio State University (OSU) as associate professor in the School of Education Policy & Leadership. His primary faculty appointment was in the Department of Educational Studies and he taught in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) graduate program, one of the top 10 higher education programs in the country according to previous rankings from the U.S. News & World Report. He held faculty appointments in the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, Department of African American and African Studies, and the Sexuality Studies, Engineering Education, and Educational Policy programs. Strayhorn was faculty affiliate in the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity, faculty research associate in the Todd A. Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male, and faculty affiliate in the OSU Criminal Justice Research Center (CJRC). In 2014, Strayhorn was promoted to the rank of full professor—less than 10 years after receipt of his PhD—making him one of only 30 black full professors at OSU and the youngest full professor in the university's history.

Strayhorn directed the Center for Higher Education Enterprise (CHEE) at OSU, a multi-million dollar research and policy center, founded by former OSU President E. Gordon Gee, that focused on one primary goal in higher education: student success. Formerly, Strayhorn founded and directed the Center for Inclusion, Diversity, & Academic Success (IDEAS) at OSU, within the College of Education and Human Ecology located in Arps Hall and the Center for Higher Education Research and Policy (CHERP) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Amid controversy regarding an alleged travel audit, Strayhorn was terminated as CHEE director in 2017, although the audit showed "no intentional wrongdoing" on his part. He voluntarily resigned from his faculty position at OSU a short time later in a memo released May 3, 2017.

Selected awards and involvements

In 2008, the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded him a coveted CAREER research grant award, the highest honor that the NSF bestows upon early career scientists and rarely to education and social scientists. His 5-year project focused on identifying and testing proven strategies for broadening STEM participation among minorities, especially minority males. In 2012, Strayhorn delivered a popular TedX talk on student success and sense of belonging.

Notable awards and associations

• University of Virginia's Outstanding Higher Education Faculty Award
• BusinessFirst Magazine's “Top 20 to Know in Education”
• Diverse Issues in Higher Education “Top Emerging Scholar”, 2011
• Who's Who in Black Columbus
• Virginia Tech Don G. Creamer Outstanding Alumni Award
• American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Annuit Coeptis Award
• National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP) Professional Service Award
• American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Emerging Scholar Award
• Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Early Career Award, 2009
• NSF CAREER Faculty Development Award, 2008
• Virginia Tech Graduate Student of the Year Award
• He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Selected publications

Books

• Strayhorn, Terrell L. (2015-06-15). Student development theory in higher education : a social psychological approach. New York, NY. ISBN 9780415836630. OCLC 921839753.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Strayhorn, Terrell L. Living at the intersections : social identities and black collegians. Charlotte, North Carolina. ISBN 9781623961473. OCLC 849928841.
• Strayhorn, Terrell L. (2013). Theoretical frameworks in college student research. Lanham, Maryland. ISBN 9780761860891. OCLC 826076847.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Strayhorn, Terrell L.; Hurtado, Sylvia; Harris, Quartez. College students' sense of belonging : a key to educational success for all students. New York [New York]. ISBN 9780415895040. OCLC 730403990.
• Strayhorn, Terrell L.; Terrell, Melvin C. (2010). The Evolving Challenges of Black College Students : New Insights for Policy, Practice, and Research. Sterling, Va.: Stylus. ISBN 9781579222468. OCLC 781635685.
• Strayhorn, Terrell L.; Creamer, Don G.; Miller, Theodore K.; Arminio, Jan L. (2006). Frameworks for assessing learning and development outcomes. Washington, DC: Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. ISBN 9781583280393. OCLC 136972539.

Book chapters

• Terrell, T. L. (2013). "And their own received them not: Black gay male undergraduates' experiences with White racism, Black homophobia". In Dancy, T. E.; Brown, M. C. II; Davis, J E. (eds.). Educating African American males : contexts for consideration, possibilities for practice (2nd ed.). New York: Peter Lang. pp. 105–120. ISBN 978-1433108532.
• Strayhorn, T. L (2013). "Impact of institutional climates of MSIs and their ability to foster success for racial and ethnic minority students in STEM". In Palmer, R. T.; Miramba, D. C.; Gasman, M. (eds.). Fostering success of ethnic and racial minorities in STEM: The role of minority serving institutions. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 33–45. ISBN 978-1136589171.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). Hattie, J.; Anderman, E. (eds.). International guide to student achievement. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 16–18. ISBN 9780415879019.
• Strayhorn, T. L.; Williams, M. S; Tillman-Kelly, D. L; Dorimé-Williams, M. L. (2013). "STEMming the tide: Psychological factors influencing racial and ethnic minority students' success in STEM at community colleges". In Palmer, R. T.; Wood, J. L (eds.). Community colleges and STEM : examining underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities (1. publ. ed.). New York: Taylor & Francis. pp. 91–100. ISBN 9780415821100.
• Strayhorn, T. L.; Lockett, J. T. (2013). "Discussing Race Matters in the College Classroom". In Lillie, Elisabeth (ed.). Sense and sensitivity difference and diversity in higher education classrooms. Oxford: Peter Lang. pp. 165–181. ISBN 9783035304657.

Journal articles

• Strayhorn, T. L. & Tillman-Kelly, D. L. (2013). "Queering masculinity: Manhood and Black gay men in college". Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men, 1 (2), 83-110.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2013). "Measuring race and gender differences in undergraduate students' perceptions of campus". doi:10.1515/jsarp-2013-0010
• Strayhorn, T. L., Williams, M. S., Tillman-Kelly, D. L., & Suddeth, T. M. (2013). "Sex differences in graduate school choice for Black HBCU bachelor's degree recipients: A national analysis". Journal of African American Studies, 17 (2), 174-188. doi:10.1007/s12111-012-9226-1
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2013). "What role does grit play in the academic success of Black male collegians at predominantly White institutions?" Journal of African American Studies. doi:10.1007/s12111-012-9243-0
• Mertz, N. T., Eckman, E., & Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). "Entering student affairs: A comparative study of graduate school choice". College Student Affairs Journal, 30 (2) 1-14.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). "Exploring the impact of Facebook and MySpace Use on First-Year Students' sense of belonging and persistence". Journal of College Student Development, 53, 783-796. doi:10.1353/csd.2012.0078
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2011). "Bridging the pipeline: Increasing underrepresented students' preparation for college through a summer bridge program." American Behavioral Scientist, 55 (2), 142-159.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2011). "Singing in a foreign land: An exploratory study of gospel choir participation among African American undergraduates at a predominantly White institution". Journal of College Student Development, 52 (2), 137-153. doi:10.1353/csd.2011.0030
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2010). "When race and gender collide: The impact of social and cultural capital on the academic achievement of African American and Latino male collegians". The Review of Higher Education, 33 (3), 307-332.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2010). "Majority as temporary minority: Examining the influence of faculty-student relationships on satisfaction among White undergraduates at historically Black colleges and universities". Journal of College Student Development, 51 (5), 509-524. doi:10.1353/csd.2010.0007
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2008). "Influences on labor market outcomes of African American college graduates: A national study". The Journal of Higher Education, 79 (1), 28-57. doi:10.1353/jhe.2008.0003
• Strayhorn, T. L. (Ed.). (2008). African American student persistence: Implications for student affairs practice, planning, and policy [Special theme issue]. National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP) Journal, 11 (1).

National keynotes

• Strayhorn, T. L. (2013). Real talk about freedom and justice: How long will we wait? Keynote delivered at the Freedom Fund Banquet of the Virginia Beach, Virginia Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2013). Reflection on race and belonging: Shattering myths of justice in education. Keynote delivered at Educating All Students: A National Convening on Minority Serving Institutions, Educational Testing Services, Princeton, New Jersey.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2013). Connecting the dots: Learning, belonging, social justice, and residential curricula. Keynote presented at the ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2013). Cultivating excellence and empowering great minds. Keynote delivered at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium, Stamford, Connecticut.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). TedX Columbus. TedX talk in Columbus, Ohio.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). Demythifying the importance of equity and diversity in higher and legal education: A courageous conversation. Keynote delivered at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Law School Diversity Professionals Association, San Diego, California.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2011). “And we are not saved yet”: The paradox of the Black male crisis in higher education. Keynote presentation delivered at the CUNY Black Male Summit, New York, New York.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2011). Lives of quiet desperation: A conversation about race in American classrooms. Keynote delivered at 2011 Spring Conference of the Ohio Consortium of Multicultural Centers in Higher Education (OCMCHE), Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2010). Sense of belonging and African American student success in STEM: Comparative analyses of graduate and undergraduate students. Keynote presentation delivered at STEM Symposium, Washington University-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2010). Effective strategies for writing for publication. AERA Division J Pre-Conference Workshop for Early Career Scholars, Denver, Colorado.

External links

• OSU Faculty Page