DELTA SIGMA THETA’S $200,000 ENDOWED CHAIR BY ERICKA BLOUNT DANOIS
The original mission of HBCU’s focused on educating black students who came to college from a variety of educational backgrounds. Because of the priority to teach students, many of whom were first generation college students, sometimes the time allotted for research for professors became secondary. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has been changing that dynamic with their Distinguished Professor Endowed Chair award (DPEC). The award was established in 1977 by then Delta president Dr. Thelma Thomas Daly, and is a traveling endowed Chair that resides at a 4-year degree granting HBCU. The HBCU is a recipient of the Chair for a two-year period and the scholar-in-residence is noted as the Distinguished Professor for that biennium. “We have really tried to meet a void and a need,” said Delta Sigma Theta National President & CEO, Beverly Evans-Smith.” The DPEC award was established at the sorority’s 34th National Convention as a perpetual trust fund to continue the group’s longstanding commitment to educational excellence through quality instruction at HBCUs. Over 19 institutions have been awarded the chair and conducted innovative research, including studying dementia in African 10 | HBCU Times 2020 Winter Issue
Americans, breast cancer research, research that established a history department at an HBCU, and research on non-invasive techniques to address uterine fibroids that received a patent. “Many of the awardees have come up with areas of research that we would not have thought of,” said Smith. “One of my favorites was on the role of grandparents in the lives of children. She had done extensive work and had a wonderful national convening of experts in that area. The community was so involved in it.” The Chair receives monetary support of $200,000 a biennium which affords the opportunity to support HBCUs by funding programs, initiatives and research projects to improve the lives of African Americans. Over the years the sorority has awarded almost $3 million in support. The research project must also involve the community. “When you look at research overall, its usually done by large white institutions or by medical companies and pharmaceuticals and their focus on average and especially in the healthcare field is a 60-year-old white male and all of our medications and drugs are driven by that population,” said Smith. “We really have not had the opportunity to have research focused on African Americans or given the opportunity for our faculty and staff to do the kind of research that they would like to do, nor have we
