African-American: Meet the University of Idaho’s First African-American Full Professor.

Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr., 36, is the first African American male in history to be promoted to the level of Full Professor at the University of Idaho.

Dr. Sydney, who is directly descended from slaves, was able to get the full professorship in just 5 years and 7 months on a tenure track, although others often require 10 to 12 years. Sydney’s path is remarkable in that he is only 36 years old, when most full professors begin at the age of 55.

In 2011, Freeman earned his first degree in Higher Education Administration from Auburn University. Following graduation, he was hired at Tuskegee University as a Director at the Teaching and Learning Center for more than three years.

The smart young man began his career as an Associate Professor at the University of Idaho before being promoted to Full Professor recently. In his words, he hopes that more Black people will be hired as faculty members.

Dr. Freeman stated to CBS 2 Idaho News:

“If we want to see Idaho grow and be more inclusive, we have to bring that inclusion in and so it’s important for us to not only have conversations about it but actually invest in diversifying faculty and staff but also retaining them,”

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