“It was great to have so many minority professors. I thought, wow, I can see myself in their shoes,” Blockson says. FAMU professors told her, “Yes, definitely become a professor! But, once you graduate [from FAMU], get some real world experience first. Then come back [to doctoral study],” Blockson recalls.
Though her research and teaching responsibilities keep her busy, mentoring the next generation of minority professors and serving the community are just as important for her. During her Ph.D. dissertation process, Blockson relied on a supportive network of peers she met through The PhD Project, which aims to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities in academia and business.
Blockson has been recognized for her work encouraging the next generation of minority professors and entrepreneurs. The Academy of Management recognized her with its 2005 Best Mentoring Practices award for her role co-founding the Management Faculty of Color Association. Inspired by the support she received in The PhD Project, Blockson, along with Dr. Ian Williamson of the Melbourne Business School, cofounded the organization in 2001 to offer social and professional support to Black, Hispanic and Native American business management faculty. Earlier this year, the College of Charleston’s Office of Multicultural Affairs named Blockson business faculty of the year.
Dr. Jeffrey A. Robinson, who met Blockson through The PhD Project, lauds her work’s blend of disciplines and emphasis on social responsibility. “She’s one of a few people who really tries to integrate business and social issues in the same research. When you’re able to cross those boundaries, you’re doing something unique in the academy,” says Robinson, who is now the assistant director of the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at Rutgers Business School.
“Her work has consistently done that in ethics, community and economic development, and entrepreneurship in terms of African-American women,” he adds. “All those issues cross the gap between what’s thought of as business scholarship and research about sociology or urban development. It’s great work and makes a social impact in the world. It’s not just research for research’s sake.”
