Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.
Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. was elected as the eleventh Chancellor of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina, effective September 8, 2015. Chancellor Gilliam brings to UNCG and the UNC system a wealth of experience from a career that spans over thirty years in higher education.
Prior to this appointment, Dr. Gilliam served as Dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs for seven years and was a longtime UCLA Professor of Public Policy and Political Science. His research focused on strategic communications, public policy, electoral politics, and racial and ethnic politics.
As Dean of UCLA Luskin, Gilliam shepherded a $50 million naming gift, and he led the school’s charge to redefine its critical advantage and transform its scholarly and practical influence with innovation and impact. Dr. Gilliam launched UCLA Luskin’s strategic plan in October 2011 with such new initiatives as Global Public Affairs, Digital Cities, Inequality and Democracy, Arts and Culture Policy, and Leadership. Dr. Gilliam focused on identifying society's most pressing problems and establishing the school as a leader in addressing these concerns.
Prior to his appointment as Dean at UCLA, Gilliam served as the inaugural Associate Vice Chancellor of Community Partnerships in the University of California system from 2002 to 2008. As Vice Chancellor, he championed UCLA's civic engagement by supporting engaged scholarship and community collaborations to improve the quality of life for residents of Los Angeles.
Dr. Gilliam is the author of Farther to Go: Readings and Cases in African-American Politics (Harcourt Brace) and his work has been published in many leading academic journals. He is frequently interviewed or cited by national and international news outlets such as CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, HuffingtonPost and the BBC.
Gilliam is a senior fellow with the FrameWorks Institute (winner of the 2015 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions), where he has served as director for the "Framing Race in America" project and has contributed to research and training on health care, racial equity, early child development, youth and rural issues, and criminal justice. Gilliam serves on the boards of the Greensboro Partnership, Union Square Campus, Gateway University Research Park, and FrameWorks Institute.
He was honored with the 2015 Upton Sinclair Award by the Liberty Hill Foundation for his renowned work advancing civic engagement and commitment to social justice. Twice nominated for UCLA's Luckman Distinguished Teaching Award, Gilliam has also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Grinnell College and the University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and was a Visiting Scholar at Brandeis University. In addition, he taught at Columbia University, Fisk University and Middle Tennessee State University with former Vice President Al Gore. Dr. Gilliam received his B.A. from Drake University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Iowa.