“Making the Case for the Socially Relevant Social Scientist”

Assistant Professor Constance Iloh published an article with Chancellor’s Professor Carol Connor in the Journal of Applied Social Science that reimagines the role of social scientists in the 21st century as well as their relationship to society.

The title of the article is “Making the Case for the Socially Relevant Social Scientist.”

Iloh engages in cutting-edge research to advance understanding of educational opportunity and inequities. Her scholarship has been recognized by Forbes, NPR, Politico, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Iloh is the inaugural scholar luminary for Inside Higher Ed’s “Scholarship to Practice" show and was recently an expert panelist for the Chronicle’s live webinar, “Trust & Value in Higher Ed: An International Comparison.”

​Iloh has been the recipient of multiple prestigious grants and fellowships and is currently an American Association of University Women (AAUW) Postdoctoral Fellow.
 
Abstract

Constance Iloh

In the twenty-first century, the role and possibilities of academics could not be more significant. As such, social relevance must be inextricably linked to our goal and work as academics, thinkers, and scholars. The purpose of this article is to put forth and highlight the socially relevant social scientist as a viable and necessary component of the academic enterprise. In particular, we highlight three functions meaningful to the socially relevant social scientist: genre flexibility, social street credibility, and relational research. The article also addresses graduate education and tenure and promotion as two areas greatly in need of revisiting to cultivate and sustain socially relevant social scientists.