Jackson State University announces the appointment of Dr. Maruice Mangum as chair of the Department of Political Science.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Mangum join Jackson State University to lead our Department of Political Science,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Alisa L. Mosley, Ph.D. “His experience as a scholar in the fields of African American politics, race and politics, and political behavior will be a great asset to our program.”
Mangum has more than 20 years of experience as an award-winning professor and administrator with a research focus on the intersection of identity, race and public opinion. He has been published in numerous highly ranked journals in political science and social science. Additionally, he has published several chapters in edited volumes.
‘Program with a rich tradition’
“I am thrilled to join the Department of Political Science at Jackson State University,” Mangum said. “It is a strong program with a rich tradition of student involvement and preparing students for their next stages in life. I am humbled by the appointment, and I am looking forward to working with the excellent faculty in the department. Together, we will be doing some great things for the students.”
Mangum began his academic journey as a postdoctoral fellow and research associate in the Department of African and African American Studies and the Department of Political Science at Washington University.
Mangum later served as an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham followed by a teaching position at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. During his tenure, the National Conference of Black Political Scientists selected him as the recipient of the Anna J. Cooper Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching (2007). He also won the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2011 and 2015.
A highly distinguished administrative career
Mangum began his administrative career at Texas Southern University in 2009 as the director of the Barbara Jordan Institute, a research institute. He later served as the associate dean for Academic Affairs of the School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. In 2016, he joined North Carolina A&T State University as chair of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice. He also served as chair of the Department of Social Sciences at Alabama A&M University.
Mangum earned his B.S. in political science from the University of Iowa, his M.A. in political science from The Ohio State University, and his Ph.D. in political science from Louisiana State University.