"Owning Our Past, Creating Our Future."
"Owning Our Past, Creating Our Future."
2024 MLK Keynote Speaker
DR. SYDNEY FREEMAN JR.
Presented By: Idaho Falls African American Alliance
“Owning our past, Creating our future.”
Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr. (born 1984) is an American educational theorist, social scientist, and former educational administrator. Freeman's early education was at Seventh-Day Adventist, historically black schools and institutions, and has written several articles about the history and state of the denomination. His areas of research includes higher education, the challenges in higher education administration programs, the university presidency, the faculty career cycle, and the leadership of historically black colleges and universities. He is a professor in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, the first African American male to be promoted to full professor in the university's history.
Dr. Freeman grew up in Camden, New Jersey, the third generation in his family to reside there, to Christian singers and musicians Sydney and Cassandra Freeman. His grandmother was Mary Lewis, a community service advocate in the Adventist church. He attended Seventh-day Adventist Church schools from preschool to college, including Pine Forge Academy in Pennsylvania, an Adventist high school that is one of four historically black boarding college-preparatory academies, where he was a leader in singing and drama ministries, and Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. While at Oakwood, Freeman founded the Progressive Black Caucus. Freeman's early influences were gospel singer Tye Tribbett and actress Tasha Smith; he said that they helped him "see excellence in other ways".[1]
After shadowing the president of Oakwood, Delbert Baker, Freeman decided to go into field of higher education, with the goal of becoming a university president.[1] He earned a master's degree in 2008 and a PhD in higher education administration in 2011 from Auburn University.[2][3]
Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr. has made history as the First African American male in history to be promoted to the rank of Full Professor at the University of Idaho.
Dr. Freeman, who directly descended from slaves, was able to earn the full professorship in just 5 years and 7 months on a tenure track whereas others usually take an average of 10 to 12 years to earn that. Most full professors start at the age of 55, while Freeman is only 36-years old.
He received his degree in Higher Education Administration from Auburn University in 2011. He immediately got hired at Tuskegee University, where he served as a Director in the Teaching and Learning Center for more than 3 years.
He then started working at the University of Idaho as an Associate Professor before recently becoming a Full Professor. He said he is hoping more Black people could be hired as faculty members.
Awards:
American Association of University Administrators’ Robert MacVitte Emerging Leader of the Year (2015)[15]
Auburn University Graduate School 2015 Auburn Authors Award (2015)
National Pine Forge Academy Alumni Association Meritorious Award (2018)
Auburn University's College of Education Outstanding Young Alumni Award (2020)
Idaho Business Review's Accomplished Under 40 Honoree Award (2020)[16]
Dr. Sydney Freeman will be the Keynote speaker at the 17th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Idaho Falls African American Alliance Banquet Dinner on January, 19th, 2024 @6-9PM. Make sure you get your tickets here! The event will take place at the Mountain America Center located at: