Brothers of the Academy (BOTA)
"Where are the black males in higher education? How come so few African American men have obtained Ph.D.s, and their number is declining? Why are they falling further behind the performance of African American women, and society as a whole?"
— Lee Jones, ed. Brothers of the Academy: Up and Coming Black
Scholars Earning Our Way in Higher Education. (Stylus Publishing, 2000)
Brothers of the Academy (BOTA) is a national professional organization supporting African- American males in graduate school programs and the professoriate through a network established for collaborative scholarship particularly toward the desired end of promotion and tenure among members moving in tenure track positions. BOTA encourages high quality, publishable research and scholarship focused on improving African and African-American peoples, schools, and communities (socially, politically, and economically) achieved through research and scholarly activism via mutual efforts with affiliate colleges universities, and community organization. Since inception in 2000 BOTA members have collaborated on over 100 research grants and publication, presenting scholarship at more than 25 state, regional, and national conferences.
Example of BOTA collaborations that have produced scholarship:
George, M.S., Soares, C.V., & Gilbert, J.E., (2009) Combating Ethical Issues in University Admissions Using Technology. i-manager's Journal of Educational Technology, 6,3, pp. 58-6. Jackson, J. F. Ed. (2004). An Emerging Engagement, Retention, and Advancement Model for African American Administrators at Predominantly White Institutions: The Results of Two Delphi Studies. In D. Cleveland (Ed.), A Long Way to Go: Conversations about Race by African American Faculty and Graduate Students in Higher Education (pp. 211-222). New York, NY: Peter Lang. Herndon, M.K. and Moore, J.L. (2002). African American Factors for Student Success: Implications for Families and Counselor. Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, Volume 10(3), pp. 322-327 BOTA has over 300 members and Council of Elders leadership team. Furthermore, BOTA has begun a rigorous process to document all collaborative efforts between and among Brothers of the Academy and Sisters of the Academy. BOTA affiliates and partner organizations include the Think Tank for African American Progress and The Center of African American Research & Policy. Next conference/meeting: October 2011
I am because we are; and since we are, therefore I am.
—John Mbuti
Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D. is Professor & Chair of the Human-Centered Computing Division in the School of Computing at Clemson University where he directs the Human Centered Computing. Dr. Gilbert attributes success in his career trajectory to a combination of mentors and opportunities that began during his undergraduate experience studying computer science at Miami University in Ohio and attending graduate school at University of Cincinnati. For example, the Faculty for the Future program sponsored by General Electric Corporation provided financial support and unique professional development experiences. Dr. Gilbert fondly recalls his mentorship encounter with Eric Abercrombie, director of the African American Cultural and Research Center and the Office of Ethnic Programs and Services at the University of Cincinnati supporting his professional development and career advancement as professor, researcher and leader.
EurekAlert! Interview with Dr. Juan E. Gilbert, AAAS, November 2010???
"African American scholars haven't been trained to be researchers. It has been documented that African Americans publish fewer articles in graduate school versus our white and Asian counterparts even at the same institutions within the same departments. I believe this occurs because we are trained to be "teachers" not "researchers." As such, when we get an academic job and we are expected to be researchers first and teachers second, we experience some difficulty in meeting the expectations of the tenure and promotion committee. There are other challenges, but these are the two that I encounter the most."
A glimpse of Dr. Gilbert's recent journal publications:
Gilbert, J.E., McMillian, Y., Rouse, K., Williams, P., Rogers, G., McClendon, J., Mitchell, W., Gupta, P., Mkpong-Ruffin, I. & Cross, E.V. (2010) Universal Access in e-Voting for the Blind. Universal Access in the Information Society Journal, 9,4, pp. 357-365.
Gilbert, J.E., Martin, A.M., Eugene, W., Alnizami, H., Moses, W. & Morrison, D. (2010) Driving Transportation Policy through Technological Innovation. ACM Interactions, 17, 4, pp. 42-48. Dawkins, S. & Gilbert, J.E., (2010) Accessible, Private, and Independent Voting: The Prime III Voting System. User Experience, 9 (2), pp. 16.
Gilbert says "funding opportunities also make a significant difference" like the five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded early in his career. Gilbert now leads research teams that also include early career investigators, for example in the development the African- American Distributed Multiple Learning Style System. In 2010 Dr. Gilbert became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and among numerous awards and honors he also been named one of the nation's top African-American Scholars by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Dr. Gilbert is a National Associate of the National Research Council of the National Academies. Outside the classroom he is presenting, publishing and taking on leadership roles, Juan E. Gilbert is president of Brothers of the Academy (BOTA).