Wilbur C. Rich
Wilbur C. Rich is a professor of political science at Wellesley College, where he teaches courses in "American Presidential Politics," "Urban Politics," "Public Policy Analysis," "The Politics of Urban Public Schools" and "The Politics of Minority Groups in the United States."
A member of the Wellesley College faculty since 1991, he received a B.S. degree from Tuskegee Institute and both Ed.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana.
Formerly on the faculty of Wayne State University, he also taught at Columbia University in New York. He was the 1989-90 winner of the Wayne State University Career Development Chair Award, and has also been awarded the NYASPA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Furtherance of Professional Dialogue in Public Administration. In 2000-2001 he was appointed a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation.
Listed in Who's Who Among Black Americans, his research focuses on minority participation in American government and on American public policy. He also writes about organization behavior, political communication, public school politics and urban management. His book, Black Mayors and School Politics: The Failure of School Reform in Detroit, Gary and Newark, was awarded the outstanding book of 1997 by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. His most recent books are David Dinkins and New York Politics: Race, Images and the Media (2006) and his edited collection of essays, African American Perspectives on the Political Science Discipline (2007). These are among the 10 books he has either authored or edited. In addition, he has published numerous journal articles and book chapters.
Rich has served as president of the Northeastern Political Science Association (1999-2000); president of the Urban Section, American Political Science Association (2006-2007), vice president of New England Political Science Association (2006-2007), and he is a member of the American Society for Public Administration, Urban Affairs Association, American Educational Research Association, Eastern Educational Research Association, Eastern Communication Association and the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.
Profile last updated: 7/07