Eddie R. Cole
ON LEAVE AY 23-24
Eddie R. Cole, Ph.D., is a Professor of Education and History at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of the multi-award-winning book, The Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black Freedom (Princeton University Press, 2020).
He is also a 2023-24 fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
A historian of leadership, race, and social movements through the prism of higher education, Professor Cole’s research addresses power and systems of power; education’s impact on society; and higher education and organizational change. His historical research has been supported by the Radcliffe Institute, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (now the Institute for Citizens & Scholars), Spencer Foundation and National Academy of Education, the University of Chicago, and Princeton University.
Professor Cole uses extensive, historical materials to demonstrate the role of higher education in influencing all aspects of American life. He also leverages his research to highlight solutions to the complex and nuanced challenges that have plagued society for generations.
His book, The Campus Color Line, is a history of how academic leaders shaped racial policies and practices during the mid-twentieth century. It was awarded five book prizes:
• 2022: Outstanding Publication Award, American Educational Research Association, Division J.
• 2021: Outstanding Book Award, History of Education Society
• 2021: Frederic W. Ness Book Award, Association of American Colleges & Universities
• 2021: Outstanding Book Award, Association for the Study of Higher Education
• 2021: Critics’ Choice Book Award, American Educational Studies Association
His impact beyond the academy has been demonstrated as a sought-after speaker, contributor to national and international media outlets (see the Guardian, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Chronicle of Higher Education), and an expert commentator for CNN, BBC World News, MSNBC, and C-Span Book TV.
In addition to The Campus Color Line, Professor Cole has published in the Journal of African American History, Peabody Journal of Education, and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.
Professor Cole is also a senior fellow for the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy.
Awards, Honors, Fellowships
- 2023: Fellow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University
- 2022: Winner of the Outstanding Publication Award, American Educational Research Association, Division J.
- 2021: Winner of the Outstanding Book Award, History of Education Society
- 2021: Winner of the Frederic W. Ness Book Award, Association of American Colleges & Universities
Education
- Ph.D., Higher Education, Indiana University
- M.S.Ed., Student Affairs Administration, Indiana University
- B.S., Speech Communication, Tennessee State University
Select Publications
- Njoku, N. & Cole, E. R. (2024). “Little Kingdoms”: The Black College and the Gains and Losses of Desegregation. Journal of African American History. 109(1), 103-127.
- Cole, E. R. and Burris-Greene, C. L. (2024). Black Higher Education: A Historiography of Perseverance and Triumph. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research (Springer Publishing).
- Cole, E. R. (2023). Presidential Responses to Campus Racism: A Historical Perspective. In W. A. Smith and K. Lomotey (Eds.), The Racial Crisis in American Higher Education (Third Edition, SUNY Press).
- Ris, E. W. & Cole, E. R. (2023). Promises Made: The Truman Commission Report at 75. Peabody Journal of Education, 98(3), 265-268.
