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Jonathan Holloway (historian)

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Jonathan Holloway
Holloway in 2023
21st President of Rutgers University
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 1, 2020
Preceded byRobert Barchi
Provost of Northwestern University
In office
August 1, 2017 – July 1, 2020
Preceded byDaniel I. Linzer
Succeeded byKathleen Hagerty
Dean of Yale College
In office
July 1, 2014 – July 1, 2017
Preceded byMary Miller
Succeeded byMarvin Chun
Personal details
Born
Jonathan Scott Holloway

1967 (age 56–57)
Hawaii, U.S.
RelativesBrian Holloway (brother)
EducationStanford University (BA)
Yale University (MA, PhD)
Academic background
ThesisConfronting the Veil: New Deal African-American Intellectuals and the Evolution of a Radical Voice (1995)
Doctoral advisorDavid Montgomery
Academic work
DisciplineHistory
Institutions

Jonathan Scott Holloway (born 1967) is an American historian, academic administrator, and the 21st president of Rutgers University.

Holloway was named as the president of Rutgers University in January 2020 becoming the first person of color and first African American to be named president of Rutgers. He assumed the position on July 1, 2020.[1] Before coming to Rutgers, he was the provost of Northwestern University, a position he held between August 1, 2017, and July 1, 2020. Before that, he was the dean of Yale College and Edmund S. Morgan Professor of African American Studies, History, and American Studies at Yale University. During his tenure as Rutgers president, he oversaw the response to the 2023 Rutgers University strike. In an email to students on September 17, 2024 Holloway announced his resignation stating that the 2024–2025 academic year will be his final year as university president and he would not seek a contract extension.

Early life and education

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Holloway was born in Hawaii and raised on military bases in Montgomery, Alabama and Maryland while his father served in the United States Air Force.[2][3] He was a star football player at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Maryland,[4] and he was named an All-American honorable mention by USA Today.[5][6]

Holloway was recruited to play linebacker at Stanford University but graduated in 1989 without starting a game.[5] While on Stanford's football team, he was a teammate of future U.S. Senator Cory Booker.[7] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in American studies.[8] Holloway earned a Ph.D. in history from Yale University in 1995.[6][9]

Academic career

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He began his academic career at the University of California, San Diego,[9] before returning to Yale and joining its faculty in 1999. He became a full professor there in 2004.[9]

Holloway was appointed Master (now known as "Head") of Calhoun College (now known as Grace Hopper College) in 2005, and chaired the governing body of Yale's residential colleges, the Council of Masters, from 2009 to 2014. As a Master, Holloway was respected for his approachability, charisma, and involvement in student life.[9][10] For several years, he opposed the change of name of Calhoun, despite student demands, and noted the irony of his serving as the Master of that college; but he changed his mind as many students became more vocal in their opposition to the name in 2015.[11] He was considered a candidate for dean of Yale College in 2008, though Mary Miller was eventually appointed.[10] He was appointed as her successor in May 2014 by Yale President Peter Salovey, making him Yale's first black dean.[12][13][14]

During the protests regarding Halloween costumes at Yale in November 2015, while he was dean, Holloway strongly supported the costume guidelines issued by his office (guidelines which some critics saw as unnecessary), calling them "exactly right."[15][16][17] Holloway is a supporter of affirmative action programs and reparations (albeit not cash transfers).[18]

Holloway left Yale and became provost of Northwestern University on August 1, 2017.

Holloway is the author of Confronting the Veil: Abram Harris Jr., E. Franklin Frazier, and Ralph Bunche, 1919-1941 (2002) and Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America Since 1940 (2013), both published by the University of North Carolina Press. He also wrote The Cause of Freedom: A Concise History of African Americans (2021) and African American History: A Very Short Introduction (2023), both with Oxford University Press. He edited Ralph Bunche's A Brief and Tentative Analysis of Negro Leadership (NYU Press, 2005) and co-edited Black Scholars on the Line: Race, Social Science, and American Thought in the 20th Century (University of Notre Dame Press, 2007). He wrote an introduction for a new edition of W.E.B. Du Bois's Souls of Black Folk, published by Yale University Press in 2015.[19]

Rutgers University

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Holloway with Thomas Kean Jr. in February 2023

On January 21, 2020, Rutgers University announced that Holloway has been selected as the university's twenty-first president. He assumed the position on July 1, 2020, following the resignation of the university's previous president Dr. Robert L. Barchi.[1][20] Holloway is Rutgers' first Black president.[14]

At Rutgers, Holloway endorsed a climate goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, established a public service-focused summer internship program, and commissioned a diversity strategic plan. In his first year, Holloway championed a fundraising drive that generated $10 million in private donations for student financial assistance; a year later, he expanded the initiative and set a target of raising $50 million by the end of 2024.

On April 9, 2023, three unions voted to go on the first strike by academics in the university's 257-year history, citing the lack of progress on contract talks between union representatives and university officials. As a result, classes and research were suspended.[21][22][23] Holloway opposed the strike and claimed during negotiations that strikes by public workers are illegal in New Jersey.[24] These claims were disputed by several scholars,[25] and the legality of public worker strikes in the state remains unclear.[26]

On September 22, 2023, the Rutgers senate passed a motion of no confidence in Holloway's leadership. The vote was 89–47 and came after several unpopular actions by Holloway, including not renewing the contract of Nancy Cantor, the popular chancellor of the school’s Newark campus, and threatening to file an injunction against Rutgers faculty during its strike.[27]

On September 17, 2024, Holloway announced that the 2024-2025 academic year would be his final year serving as university president. Although he may be leaving, Holloway says, “There is plenty to do before I leave office on June 30, and I remain focused on that work... Above all, I remain steadfast in my belief that Rutgers is on the rise and is earning the respect it has long deserved. I look forward to seeing it flourish in the years ahead.” [28]

Personal life

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Holloway is married to Aisling Colón, and they have a son, Ellison, and a daughter, Emerson.[6] His older brother Brian Holloway played professional football in the NFL.[5]

Publications

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Books

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  • Holloway, Jonathan Scott (2002). Confronting the Veil: Abram Harris, Jr., E. Franklin Frazier, and Ralph Bunche, 1919-1941. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807853437.
  • Holloway, Jonathan Scott (2013). Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America since 1940. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9781469610702.
  • Holloway, Jonathan Scott (2021). The Cause of Freedom: A Concise History of African Americans. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190915193.
  • Holloway, Jonathan Scott (2023). African American History: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190915155.

Edited volumes

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  • Holloway, Jonathan Scott; Keppel, Ben, eds. (2007). Black Scholars on the Line: Race, Social Science, and American Thought in the Twentieth Century. University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN 9780268030797.

Critical editions

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Jonathan Holloway Named 21st President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey". Rutgers Today. 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  2. ^ Barnes, Kristen (13 March 2014). "Dr. Jonathan Holloway of Yale University Is the 2014 Realizing the Dream Distinguished Lecturer". Engaging Diversity at UA Crossroads. University of Alabama. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  3. ^ NJ.com, Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for (2020-01-20). "What you need to know about Rutgers' new president, Jonathan Holloway". nj. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  4. ^ Huff, Donald (November 16, 1984). "Holloway: In Pursuit Of Targets". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ a b c Warren, Peter (August 30, 2019). "Q&A: Provost Jonathan Holloway remembers his football career at Stanford ahead of NU's game Saturday". Daily Northwestern. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Holloway named next master of Calhoun College". Yale Bulletin & Calendar. Vol. 33, no. 22. March 18, 2005.
  7. ^ NJ.com, Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for (2020-07-01). "Did Rutgers find the perfect president for 2020? Meet Jonathan Holloway, Black historian". nj. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  8. ^ "Jonathan Holloway: Office of the Provost - Northwestern University". www.northwestern.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  9. ^ a b c d Rodman, Micah (5 September 2014). "The master of Yale College". Yale Herald. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014.
  10. ^ a b Arnsdorf, Isaac (26 September 2008). "Holloway: Charismatic, but too young?". Yale Daily News. Dean Search. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  11. ^ "HOLLOWAY: Looking back on Calhoun". Archived from the original on 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  12. ^ Lloyd-Thomas, Matthew (May 21, 2014). "Salovey Names New Deans". Yale Daily News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  13. ^ Watson, Jamal (22 May 2014). "Two African-American Scholars Join Ranks of Deans". Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  14. ^ a b Madani, Doha (January 21, 2020). "Rutgers University names its first black president in 253-year history". NBC News. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  15. ^ "New Videos Show How Yale Betrayed Itself by Favoring Cry-bullies". Tablet Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  16. ^ "Yale Students Demand Resignations from Faculty Members Over Halloween Email - FIRE". FIRE. 2015-11-06. Archived from the original on 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  17. ^ Friedersdorf, Conor (2015-11-09). "The New Intolerance of Student Activism". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  18. ^ Cui, Jingyi (April 6, 2018). "Holloway returns to campus, debates reparations". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  19. ^ Lorincz, Kevin (May 26, 2022). "Holloway a Contributing Voice in New HISTORY Channel Series". Rutgers Today. Rutgers University. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  20. ^ Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko de (January 19, 2020). "Rutgers to Name Its First Black President, School Official Says". The New York Times. p. 20. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  21. ^ Stack, Liam (2023-04-10). "Rutgers University Faculty Members Strike, Halting Classes and Research". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  22. ^ Reilly, Kristina Sgueglia,Elizabeth Wolfe,Artemis Moshtaghian,Liam (2023-04-10). "3 unions representing about 9,000 Rutgers University faculty and staff to begin historic strike over contract negotiations". CNN. Retrieved 2023-04-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Racioppi, Dustin (9 April 2023). "Rutgers University workers will strike, a historic first for New Jersey's state school". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  24. ^ Fox, Joey (April 10, 2023). "Rutgers faculty begins history-making strike". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  25. ^ Yi, Karen (March 31, 2023). "Prominent scholars blast Rutgers president for calling looming faculty strike 'unlawful'". Gothamist. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  26. ^ Biryukov, Nikita (April 13, 2023). "Little support for striking public workers in state law". New Jersey Monitor. States Newsroom. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Snyder, Susan (September 22, 2023). "Rutgers University senate votes no confidence in the school's president after faculty strike and controversial changes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  28. ^ https://www.rutgers.edu/news/jonathan-holloway-serve-final-year-rutgers-president
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