Rodney Higgins

Rodney G. Higgins (1911–1964) was an American political scientist. He was the chair of the political science department at Southern University from 1946, two years before the department awarded its first degree, until 1964. Higgins and has been credited with laying a foundation for the social sciences at Southern University. He was the namesake for the Rodney G. Higgins Hall for Social Sciences at Southern University.

Rodney Higgins
Born	1911 St. Louis, Missouri
Died	1964
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Southern Illinois Teachers College University of Iowa
Spouse(s)	Mildred Higgins[1]
Scientific career
Fields	Political science
Institutions	Southern University
Doctoral students	Jewel Prestage Lucius Barker Shelby F. Lewis

Life and career

Higgins was born in 1911[2] and grew up St. Louis, Missouri.[1] He attended Southern Illinois Teachers College, where he graduated with a B.Ed. degree in 1935.[1] He then attended the University of Iowa,[3] where he obtained an M.A. in 1936 and a Ph.D. in 1940, both in political science.[1] Higgins joined the United States Army in 1943, and in 1944 he joined the American Red Cross.[1]

Higgins subsequently became a professor at Southern University. He was chair of the department from 1946 to 1964.[3] This made him central to the development of political science and other social sciences at Southern University, which awarded its first degree in political science in 1948.[3] During Higgins's time as chair, the department awarded hundreds of degrees.[3] According to Southern University's Southern Digest, Higgins "established a foundation for not only Political Science at Southern, but also Sociology, History, Economics and Geography".[1] As a researcher Higgins made contributions to journals including University of Iowa Studies and the Quarterly Review of Higher Education among Negroes.[1]

The Rodney G. Higgins Hall for Social Sciences at Southern University was named after Higgins.[1] Higgins is also the namesake of the Rodney Higgins Best Faculty Paper Award given annually by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.[4] Higgins was particularly noted as a teacher and as an advisor, and several prominent political scientists identified him as the person who first made them consider studying politics.[5] His students included Jewel Prestage,[6] Lucius Barker,[5] and Shelby F. Lewis.[4]

Higgins died in 1964.[2] He remained chair of the political science department at Southern University until his death.[3]

References

1. "The Origin of Higgins". Southern University. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
2. "Faculty Awarded the Rodney Higgins Best Faculty Paper". University of Arkansas. May 3, 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
3. Antoine M. Garibaldi, ed. (1984). Black Colleges and Universities: Challenges for the Future. Praeger Publishers. p. 67.
4. "Rodney Higgins Best Faculty Paper". National Conference of Black Political Scientists. 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
5. "A Giant in Mentoring Political Leaders: Lucius Barker, 1928-2020". Social Science Space. July 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
6. Martin, Shiela Harmon (January 2005). "Jewel Limar Prestage: Political Science Trailblazer and the Mother of Black Political Science". PS: Political Science and Politics. 38 (1): 95–97.