Washington, DC, Oct. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNCF is pleased today to announce Dr. Jelani M. Favors is joining the organization as Vice President of the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute.
Dr. Favors will be responsible for developing and executing UNCF’s expansive research agenda, which is central to the development of our organization’s efforts to advocate for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). He will direct research programs and initiatives that support the Institute’s mission and enhance the presence, image, and visibility of UNCF and HBCUs.
Dr. Favors is one of the world’s leading historians and scholars on HBCUs. He has been awarded major fellowships in support of his research that includes an appointment as a Humanities Writ Large Fellow at Duke University in 2013, and he was an inaugural recipient of the Mellon HBCU Fellowship at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke in 2009.
Dr. Favors most recent professional appointment was at North Carolina A&T State University where he served as the Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor of History and the founding director of the Center of Excellence for Social Justice. In this latter role, Dr. Favors raised over a million dollars to support the programming of the center and recruited research fellows to North Carolina A&T to further the institution’s legacy as a seedbed of social justice and advocacy. He has also held academic roles at Clayton State University, University of Baltimore, and Morgan State University.
Dr. Favors earned his doctorate in history and his master’s degree in African American studies from The Ohio State University. He is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history with honors. Dr. Favors is a native of Winston-Salem, NC, and currently resides in Atlanta, GA.
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About UNCF
UNCF is one of the nation’s largest and most effective supporters of higher education and serves as a leading advocate for college-bound students. Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than $6 billion to support students' access to higher education, provide scholarships and strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Each year, UNCF awards more than 11,000 scholarships totaling more than $62 million. The scholarships support students attending more than 600 US-based colleges and universities including 37 UNCF-member HBCUs. Through its efforts, UNCF has helped generations of students to get to and through college. We believe a college education plays a vital role in fortifying the pipeline of leaders and professionals who contribute to the advancement of our society. Our logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and our widely recognized trademark is, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Instagram.
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Roy Betts UNCF 240.703.3384 roy.betts@uncf.org
