Shaun Harper

Shaun Harper is one of the nation’s most highly respected racial equity experts. He is a Provost Professor in the USC Rossier School of Education, Marshall School of Business, and Price School of Public Policy. In 2022, he was appointed University Professor, a distinction bestowed only to 30 of 4,700 USC full-time faculty members. Dr. Harper also is the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership, as well as the USC Race and Equity Center's founder and Chief Research Scientist. He served as the 2020-21 American Educational Research Association president and the 2016-17 Association for the Study of Higher Education president. Additionally, he was inducted into the National Academy of Education in 2021 and appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden to the National Board for Education Sciences in 2022.

Dr. Harper’s research focuses primarily on race, gender, and other dimensions of equity in educational, corporate, and policymaking contexts. He has published 12 books and over 100 other academic publications. Review of Research in Education, Teachers College Record, Harvard Educational Review, American Journal of Education, Journal of Higher Education, and Review of Higher Education are some journals in which he has published. His research has been cited in nearly 26,000 published studies across a vast array of academic fields and disciplines. Atlantic Philanthropies and the Bill & Melinda Gates, Lumina, Ford, Kellogg, ECMC, College Futures, Kresge, Walton, Sloan, and Open Society Foundations have awarded him $25.9 million in grants. The center he founded also procured more than $25 million in contracts and investments during his 14-year tenure as executive director.

The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education, and hundreds of other news outlets have quoted Professor Harper and featured his research. He has interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, and NPR. He also has testified twice to the United States House of Representatives and spoken at numerous White House convenings. Dr. Harper served on President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council; on the national education policy committee for the Biden-Harris Campaign; and on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s statewide task force on higher education, racial equity, and COVID-19 recovery. More than 3 million people have read op-eds and essays he has published in the Washington Post, Forbes, TIME, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Education Week, Inside Higher Ed, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. 

The recipient of dozens of top awards in his field and five honorary degrees, Professor Harper has been repeatedly recognized in Education Week as one of the 10 most influential scholars in the field of education; he was ranked #4 overall in 2023 and #1 in education policy in 2025.

• Harper, S. R. (2022). Advancing and sustaining racial justice in pro sports. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Race and Equity Center.
• Harper, S. R. (2021). Black people vs. educational culprits engaged in our systemic mass incarceration in the United States of America. Peabody Journal of Education, 96(5), 582-587.
• Harper, S. R. (2021). Racial tensions between presidents and governing boards. Trusteeship, 30-34.
• Harper, S. R. (2020). COVID-19 and the racial equity implications of reopening college and university campuses. American Journal of Education, 127(1), 153-162.
• Davis III, C. H. F., Harris, J. C., Stokes, S., & Harper, S. R. (2019). But is it activist? Interpretive criteria for activist scholarship in higher education. The Review of Higher Education, 42, 85-108.
• Harper, S. R., & Simmons, I. (2019). Black students at public colleges and universities: A 50-state report card. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Race and Equity Center.
• Harper, S. R. (2019). Twelve ways to demonstrate care for people of color. NASPA Leadership Exchange, 17(1), 34-37.
• Harper, S. R. (2018). Black male student-athletes and racial inequities in NCAA Division I college sports: 2018 edition. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Race and Equity Center.
• Harper, S. R., Smith, E. J., & Davis III, C. H. F. (2018). A critical race case analysis of Black undergraduate student success at an urban university. Urban Education, 53(1), 3-25.
• Cole, E. R., & Harper, S. R. (2017). Race and rhetoric: An analysis of college presidents’ statements on campus racial incidents. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 10(4), 318-333.
• Harper, S. R., & Newman, C. B. (2016). Surprise and sensemaking in the first college year: Black undergraduate men’s academic adjustment experiences. Teachers College Record, 118(6), 1-30. 
• Harper, S. R., & Davis III, C. H. F. (2016). Reducing racism in college classrooms: Eight actions for faculty. Academe, 102(6), 30-34.
• Harper, S. R. (2016). Black male student-athletes and racial inequities in NCAA Division I revenue-generating college sports: 2016 edition. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education.
• Harper, S. R. (2015). Black male college achievers and resistant responses to racist stereotypes at predominantly white colleges and universities. Harvard Educational Review, 85(4), 646-674.
• Harper, S. R. (2015). Success in these schools? Visual counternarratives of young men of color and urban high schools they attend. Urban Education, 50(2), 139-169.
• Harris III, F., & Harper, S. R. (2015). Matriculating masculinity: Understanding undergraduate men’s pre-college gender socialization. Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, 27(2), 49-64.
• Smith, E. J., & Harper, S. R. (2015). Disproportionate impact of K-12 school suspension and expulsion on Black students in Southern states. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education.
• Harris III, F., & Harper, S. R. (2014). Beyond bad behaving brothers: Productive performances of masculinities among college fraternity men. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 27(6), 703-723. 
• McGuire, K. M., Berhanu, J., Davis III, C. H. F., & Harper, S. R. (2014). In search of progressive black masculinities: Critical self-reflections on gender identity development among Black undergraduate men. Men and Masculinities, 17(3), 253-277.
• Harper, S. R. and Associates. (2014). Succeeding in the city: A report from the New York City Black and Latino Male High School Achievement Study. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education.
• Harper, S. R. (2013). Am I my brother’s teacher? Black undergraduates, peer pedagogies, and racial socialization in predominantly white postsecondary contexts. Review of Research in Education, 37(1), 183-211.
• Harper, S. R. (2012). Race without racism: How higher education researchers minimize racist institutional norms. The Review of Higher Education, 36(1), 9-29.
• Harper, S. R., & Davis III, C. H. F. (2012).  They (don’t) care about education: A counternarrative on Black male students’ responses to inequitable schooling. Educational Foundations, 26(1), 103-120.
• Harper, S. R. (2012). Black male student success in higher education: A report from the national Black male college achievement study. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education.
• Harper, S. R., & Harris III, F. (2012). A role for policymakers in improving the status of Black male students in U.S. higher education. Washington, DC: Institute for Higher Education Policy.
• Harper, S. R., & Griffin, K. A. (2011). Opportunity beyond affirmative action: How low-income and working class Black male achievers access highly selective, high-cost colleges and universities. Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy, 17(1), 43-60.
• Harper, S. R., Davis, R. J., Jones, D. E., McGowan, B. L., Ingram, T. N., & Platt, C. S. (2011). Race and racism in the experiences of Black male resident assistants at predominantly White universities. Journal of College Student Development, 52(2), 180-200.
• Museus, S. D., Harper, S. R., & Nichols, A. H. (2010). Racial differences in postsecondary educational expectations: A structural model. Teachers College Record, 112(3), 811-842.
• Harper, S. R. (2009). Niggers no more: A critical race counternarrative on Black male student achievement at predominantly white colleges and universities. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 22(6), 697-712.
• Harper, S. R., Patton, L. D., & Wooden, O. S. (2009). Access and equity for African American students in higher education: A critical race historical analysis of policy efforts. Journal of Higher Education, 80(4), 389-414.
• Harper, S. R., & Nichols, A. H. (2008). Are they not all the same? Racial heterogeneity among Black male undergraduates. Journal of College Student Development, 49(3), 199-214.
• Harper, S. R. (2008).  Realizing the intended outcomes of Brown: High-achieving African American male undergraduates and social capital. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(7), 1029-1052.
• Harper, S. R., & Quaye, S. J. (2007). Student organizations as venues for Black identity expression and development among African American male student leaders. Journal of College Student Development, 48(2), 127-144.

Harper, S. R. (2024-2027). Institutional Innovations for Men of Color at Four-Year Colleges and Universities [also known as Takeoff 2]. ECMC Foundation. Awarded: $2,641,123

Harper, S. R. (2024-2026). Understanding Young Men’s Post-Pandemic College Enrollment Decisions. Walton Family Foundation. Awarded: $500,000

Harper, S. R. (2024-2025). National DEI Defense Alliance. Amalgamated Charitable Foundation. Awarded: $400,000

Harper, S. R. (2022-2024). Institutional Transformation for Community College Men of Color Student Success (also known as Takeoff). ECMC Foundation. Awarded: $2,089,180

Harper, S. R., Jones, B. P., & Davis, K. B. (2022-2024). Campus Racial Climate Research Translation and Postsecondary Institutional Improvement Tools. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded: $1.2 million

Harper, S. R. (2022-2024). Advancing Racial Equity for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Kresge Foundation. Awarded: $460,000

Harper, S. R.(2020-2022). Enhancing Racial Equity in Postsecondary Service, Design, and Delivery. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded: $1,500,000

Harper, S. R. (2021-2023). Racial Equity Research and Resource Hub for California Community Colleges. College Futures Foundation. Awarded: $1 million

Harper, S. R. (2021-2023). Capacity Expansion for California State Policy Racial Equity Agenda. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded: $500,000 

Harper, S. R. (2021-2023). Capacity Expansion for Historically Black Colleges and Universities Racial Equity Agenda. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded: $175,000

Harper, S. R. (2021-2023). State Policy Racial Equity Experts Academy. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded: $500,000

Harper, S. R., Davis, K. B., & Jones, B. P. (2021-2023). Racial Equity Leadership Academy for Engineering and Computer Science Department Chairs. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Awarded: $250,000

Harper, S. R., & Pascarella, J. (2020-2023). Teacher Education Racial Equity Academy. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded: $250,000

Bensimon, E. M., & Harper, S. R. (2020-2022). Ensuring Equity in Policy Implementation. Project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded: $500,000

Bensimon, E. M., & Harper, S. R. (2019-2020). Equitable Solutions for Postsecondary Success. Project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded: $300,000

Kelsey, R., & Harper, S. R. (2019-2022). Achieving the Dream Racial Equity Institute. Project funded by the Kresge Foundation. Awarded: $750,000

Harper, S. R. (2018). National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates and USC Equity Institutes. Project funded by Lumina Foundation. Awarded: $1 million