Title: Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, University of Oklahoma
Age: 38
Education: B.S., Business Marketing, Albany State University; MBA., Albany State University; M.S., Student Affairs and Higher Education, Indiana State University; Ph.D., Educational Leadership and Higher Education, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Career mentors: Dr. Brian McGowan, American University; Dr. Kimberly A. Griffin, University of Maryland, College Park; Dr. Deryl Hatch-Tocaimaza, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Dr. Christina Yao, University of South Carolina; Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr., University of Idaho; Dr. Shaun Harper, University of Southern California; Dr. Dawn Johnson, Syracuse University; Dr. Candace Maddox Moore, University of Maryland, College Park
Words of wisdom/advice for new faculty: “Be unapologetic about your work. Trust in the possibility of achieving the impossible, even when it feels out of reach.” Dr. Kaleb Briscoe
In June 2024, Dr. Kaleb Briscoe, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Oklahoma (OU) Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, found herself at the White House, presenting her research to policy makers and legislators. Briscoe was called in as an expert on the safety of Black students on college campuses and the increasing number of hate crimes committed on campuses.
Briscoe is the child of two historically Black college and university (HBCU) graduates and an HBCU graduate twice over herself. She received her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Albany State University (ASU). Her mentors at ASU, Briscoe says, truly encouraged her to “understand the significance of education and valuing Black thought.”
Early on, Briscoe saw herself as a student leader.
“I was always advocating for students’ rights and issues, working with administration, leaders, and university presidents advocating for university students,” says Briscoe of her time at ASU. “That merged into an intersection of me realizing my passion was truly higher education.”
She went on to earn her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), a predominately white institution (PWI) in a region with a very low Black population. These disparate environments have offered Briscoe a unique insight into the experiences of Black students within these spaces and how institutional support for Black students is critical to their success. She directly credits mentors and multicultural resource centers on UNL’s campus for her ability to thrive in their program.
“I’ve done a lot of work talking about white supremacy, about college campuses, the murdering of Black people and hate crimes. Now I do work in higher education politics and policies, analyzing the legislative bans against critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI),” says Briscoe. “I really call for university presidents and leaders to respond to this moment."
These last few years, seeing anti-DEI and anti-CRT movements take successful hold of state governments and the public, have been the most challenging of her career. She says that having access to grant and external funding has been critical to her continuing and persisting in her work, and she encourages others who do similar research to shore themselves up similarly.
“Entrench your work in funding,” she says, acknowledging the educational philanthropy of The Spencer Foundation, which has sponsored portions of her work. “In this moment where some institutions may not be brave, [where] everything is being attacked and interrogated, I’m funded by these agencies. That makes me attractive, and the work I do attractive."
It’s not just funding organizations that pay attention to Briscoe’s scholarship. Dr. Shaun Harper, provost professor of education, business, and public policy, and founder and chief research scientist at the Race and Equity Center at the University of Southern California (USC), says Briscoe’s work is rigorous and substantive. He calls her level of productivity “mind-blowing.”
“Inasmuch as I respect [her] full body of scholarship, her studies on campus racial climate are my favorite,” says Harper. “I cite much of her work in my research in this area and assign multiple papers of hers in courses I teach here at USC.”
Briscoe is quick to thank and acknowledge the mentors and administrators that have supported her work, sometimes coming to her defense when online trolls attack her work. Despite the threats, Briscoe says that she is hopeful for the future. She wants to broaden her advocacy work, and she is debating the merits of taking on the study of law, particularly in regards to anti-DEI legislation, its enactment, and overcompliance. These new regulations, she says, have led to the closure of multicultural resource centers that, in theory, were to remain safe despite the new rulings. Briscoe says that inevitably, the more resources for minoritized students that are erased, the more likely those students will leave, as will faculty and administration.
“I’m really waiting on what I think the next couple of years will be, because there is a moment when people wake up,” says Briscoe. “We’re already seeing mass unenrollment and mass exodus. You’ll see it in a couple of states. You have erased history, people, resources, and services. No one feels safe there.”