Paul Tiyambe Zeleza
May 2015 Honorary Degree Recipient
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
Paul Tiyambe Zeleza is a respected teacher, writer and speaker on African history and culture. A distinguished academic, a prolific author and an in-demand speaker, Dr. Zeleza has championed the continent of his birth for more than three decades.
Dr. Zeleza graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of Malawi and subsequently earned a master鈥檚 degree at the University of London. He then became one of the first graduates of 麻豆传媒鈥檚 PhD program in African history, in 1982.
His academic career includes teaching roles in Jamaica, Kenya, South Africa, Canada and the U.S. He has also been a senior administrator at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola Marymount University. Currently, he is Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Quinnipiac University.
Dr. Zeleza is the author or editor of 26 books, as well as hundreds of book reviews, essays and scholarly articles. He has twice won Africa鈥檚 top book prize, the Noma Award. He has written about both the African continent and life for the diaspora of African-born people living elsewhere in the world, covering topics ranging from economics to human rights to technology. Dr. Zeleza has also made a powerful impact in the digital world with his blog, the Zeleza Post.
As a speaker, Dr. Zeleza has travelled to more than 30 countries to deliver keynote speeches and lectures, and is frequently sought out by media for his perspective on Africa and the African diaspora. In 2013, the Carnegie Corporation named Dr. Zeleza one of the 43 鈥済reat immigrants鈥� who have made essential contributions to American life.