UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ray Block, associate professor of political science and African American studies, has been named the Brown-McCourtney Early Career Professor in the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts.
Block joined the Penn State faculty in July 2019 as part of the college’s African American and African Diaspora Life and Culture hiring effort, which resulted in 11 new faculty members in the college. He holds doctoral and master’s degrees in political science from Ohio State and bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and political science from Howard University.
The Brown-McCourtney professorship was created through an estate commitment made by longtime Liberal Arts benefactors and Penn State alumni Lynne and Laurence Brown. The Browns took advantage of the college’s Tracy and Ted McCourtney Endowed Professorship Matching Gift Program, which doubled the size of their commitment and made possible the immediate activation of their endowment.
“The Brown-McCourtney Professorship was created to support faculty whose teaching and research preserves and advances democracy in the U.S. and abroad,” said Larry Brown. “The selection of Ray Block to this position is another in a distinguished line of appointments that includes Professors Abe Khan and Candis Smith. Since joining the Liberal Arts faculty in 2019, Dr. Block has proven to be an ambitious and highly productive scholar, and his research into areas including racial, ethnic and gender differences in civic involvement, social identity, political arenas and related topics makes this appointment both timely and compelling. Lynne and I are delighted by the appointment and eager to follow Dr. Block’s path as he explores the complex issues facing our society today.”
Noting he is both grateful and humbled by the award, Block said he is honored to be in the company of the two “amazing scholars” who held the title before him.
“I have great respect and admiration for Dr. Smith and Dr. Khan, both of whom were affiliated faculty in the African American studies department, so and I am proud to be part of that tradition,” he said.
When he learned he was being considered for the appointment, Block at first thought he was a bit too far along in his career to be considered an early career professor.
“When I thought more about it, though, I realized that being at Penn State has given me the freedom to grow as a researcher,” he said, noting that he spent bulk of his time working at a teaching-oriented institution. “When it comes to my career, I feel like I am finally hitting my stride. I am now able to bring forth a lot of ideas that were laying in file drawers or written on napkins before. I am finally in a place where I have the resources to do the work. This award comes at exactly the right time. It doesn’t matter how many birthdays I have celebrated; I am still learning how to be a researcher, and I am emerging in my profession.”
Since joining Penn State, Block has published one book, “Losing Power: African Americans and Racial Polarization in Tennessee Politics,” and one edited volume, “The Politics of Protest: Readings on the Black Lives Matter Movement.” He has another book under contract and one more in progress. He has authored dozens of journal articles and book chapters, and he recently was named on grants from the Commonwealth Fund, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for the “American COVID-19 Vaccine Poll,” a research project he is conducting with several academic and medical colleagues from around the nation
“I knew when Dr. Block joined the faculty that he was going to be a great asset to the college. He has easily exceeded all expectations,” said Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts. “His recent research on race and the pandemic has been especially important, and I am confident that he will make more meaningful contributions both through his continued scholarship and through his affiliation with the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. I am thrilled to have him in this prestigious appointment as the Brown-McCourtney Early Career Professor.”
Block said he is looking forward to interacting with the Browns and the McCourtneys, the Liberal Arts benefactors who funded his professorship.
“I appreciate the fact that they believe in me,” he said. “I am grateful and also humbled to be part of this community of academics who get support and encouragement from generous people like the Browns and the McCourtneys.
“Here at Penn State, it is possible to be a superstar teacher,” Block continued, touting the resources of time and funding the professorship provides. “It’s also possible to lean into research and be a leading scholar who does community-engaged work like they do in the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. I believe that the work faculty do should matter beyond academia, and I’m in a position now to do work that makes a public impact.”