Armstrong Awarded Diversity Professorship
Dr. Ketra Armstrong, associate dean for graduate affairs and professor of Sport Management, is receiving quite the honors from U-M. She was selected to receive the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship, which honors senior faculty whose work has promoted the university’s goals around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Recipients will hold their initial appointments for five years and receive an annual stipend of $20,000. They will also receive special faculty fellow status at the National Center for Institutional Diversity (housed in the College of LSA) and will spend at least one semester as a faculty fellow-in-residence.
"I am truly humbled and most grateful to receive such a prestigious honor! This award is so meaningful to me because my commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to promoting social justice is not just what I do (in my scholarship, instruction, and service), but it's a reflection of the essence of who I am,” she said. “So, being recognized in this manner puts a heartwarming smile on my face that emanates from the depths of my soul! I am very thankful for all of the support I have received from Kinesiology and UM, and I look forward to the unique opportunities this designation will afford."
She was selected as one of 36 U-M faculty members honored for contributing in the areas of teaching, service, and scholarship.
She was honored at the Faculty Awards Dinner on October 30, 2019.
Dr. Armstrong is also a professor of women’s studies in the College of LSA. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Education from Mississippi State University. She has a PhD in sport management from The Ohio State University. She was director of the sport management graduate program at California State University, Long Beach, and an Ohio State faculty member prior to joining U-M’s faculty in 2011.
She is nationally recognized for her work on race, gender, and the social psychology of sport and leisure compensation. Her research focuses primarily on sport opportunities, and experiences and behaviors of women and consumers of African descent.
As an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Afro-American and African Studies, Armstrong teaches courses on race relations, gender, and leadership and diversity. She developed the open online course, “Free Speech in Sport Teach Out,” and co-produced and narrated the DVD series “Title IX: Implications for Women in Sport and Education.”
Dr. Armstrong is a research fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology and the North American Society for Sport Management. She is U-M’s faculty representative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association and serves on the Provost’s Academic Affairs Advisory Committee. She created the School of Kinesiology’s Diversity and Inclusion Network to engage and empower students to be DEI leaders. (read about KDIN here)
She is a past president of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport. She has received U-M’s Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award and the Honorary Guiding Women in Sport Award from the Society of Health and Physical Education.