Dr. Cobbina-Dungy Becomes First Black Full Professor in School
July 11, 2022
Dr. Jennifer Cobbina-Dungy has earned the status of Full Professor. This designation makes Dr. Cobbina-Dungy the first Black Full Professor in the history of the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University.
Dr. Cobbina-Dungy first joined the School of Criminal Justice in 2009 as an Assistant Professor. Her research interests include public response to police use of force, prisoner reentry, and how the intersection of race, gender, and neighborhood context shape victimization risks among minority youth.
On being named the first Black Full Professor in the School and paving the way for future scholars of color, Dr. Cobbina-Dungy says "I am beyond ecstatic to matriculate through the ranks of becoming a Full Professor. Being the first Black Full Professor is humbling and I have immense gratitude for all of the people who supported me along the way."
In addition to continuing her research, Dr. Cobbina-Dungy plans to continue mentoring and paving the way for students and junior faculty of color. She is currently working on increasing the diversity of the School's Doctoral Program, with the intended goal of working to see those students graduate and receive tenure track positions at other Institutions and ultimately becoming Full Professors themselves.
In addition to her dedicated service to the School of Criminal Justice, Dr. Cobbina-Dungy also serves as the Associate Editor for Crime & Delinquency, and serves on the editorial boards for Justice Quarterly, Criminology & Public Policy, Journal of Crime & Justice, Feminist Criminology, and Sociology Compass.
Dr. Cobbina-Dungy is the author of Hands Up, Don't Shoot: Why the Protests in Ferguson and Baltimore Matter and How They Changed America. She has also received the 2020 Coramae Richey Mann Award and the 2021 Albert J. Reiss Distinguished Scholarly Publication Award form the American Sociological Association Crime, Law and Deviance Section. Her work has been cited widely and has been featured in CBS News, CBC News, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico.
Congratulations Dr. Cobbina-Dungy!