James Alford
Professor • Educational Leadership and Professional Studies
As the Director of the Higher Education Administration Program, Dr. Alford is committed to preparing and training highly competent professionals in the field of educational leadership. Serving as the Program’s first Director, he has chosen to use his platform to build much needed bridges between faculty, staff, and students as a way to create a culturally sensitive community that values educational excellence while simultaneously bringing attention to the ongoing plight of those who have been historically and systematically oppressed. Prior to joining the faculty at William Paterson, Dr. Alford served 14 years as a higher education administrator.
Professional Interests
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Student and Alumni Activism/Involvement
Leadership in Black Higher Education
Degrees
Specialization
Higher Education Administration/History and Education
Representative Publications
“DEVELOPING IN THE RACE A MANLY SELF-RESPECT”: THE ROLE OF ALUMNI REFORM AT LINCOLN UNIVERSITY;
, Issues in Race & Society ;
2021
Campus Uprisings: Understanding Injustice and the Resistance Movement on College Campuses;
Black Students Matter: A History of Activism and Protest at HBCUs from 1920-1940; Teachers College Press;
2020
http://1600 Valley Rd.
TRAINING THE HANDS, THE HEAD, AND THE HEART: STUDENT PROTEST AND ACTIVISM AT HAMPTON INSTITUTE DURING THE 1920s;
, Issues in Race & Society ;
2019
http://1600 Valley Rd.
The Black and Hispanic/Latino male teacher networked improvement community: Promising practices to recruit and retain male teachers of color;
AACTE; (pp
http://1600 Valley Rd.
HOW DOES NETWORK IMPROVEMENT SCIENCE (NIS) IMPACT THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF BLACK AND LATINO MALE TEACHERS;
, NERA Repository ;
2017
Representative Presentations
Training the Hands, the Head, and the Heart: Activism and Protest at Hampton Institute, 1920-1950
Re-Imagining Our Competency Areas: Helping Students Connect the Dots
Media
Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/tell-them-we-are-rising/
The rich history of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) began before the end of slavery, flourished in the 20th century, and profoundly influenced the course of the nation for over 150 years — yet remains largely unknown. With Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities, the latest documentary from Stanley Nelson (Black Panthers, Freedom Riders) and Marco Williams, the powerful story of the rise, influence, and evolution of HBCUs comes to life.
A haven for Black intellectuals, artists, and revolutionaries — and a path of promise toward the American dream — HBCUs have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field while remaining unapologetically Black for more than 150 years. These institutions have nurtured some of the most influential Americans of our time, from Booker T. Washington to Martin Luther King, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois to Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison to Oprah Winfrey, Alice Walker to Spike Lee to Common. A key driver of Black social, political and economic progress, HBCUs were also a place of unprecedented freedom for African American students and a refuge from the rampant racism that raged outside the campus walls. Tell Them We Are Rising captures this important history to tell the dynamic story of Americans who refused to be denied a higher education and — in their resistance — created a set of institutions that would influence and shape the landscape of the country for centuries to come
Notable Courses Taught
ELHE 6001: Higher Education from Past to Present
ELHE 6002: Student Development Theory
ELHE 6004: Law and Policy in Higher Education
