Randolph-Macon College issued the following announcement.
Randolph-Macon’s Ty Mills ’22 was selected as one of 20 students in the nation to attend the 2021 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute. This is one of the premiere programs of the American Political Science Association (ASPA) – the flagship organization for the discipline of Political Science in the United States. This year’s program will be virtual.
“This is a tremendous honor,” says Lauren Bell, R-MC’s Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Political Science. “Ty earned this privilege through his outstanding hard work and dedication and we’re extremely proud of all he has accomplished.” Bell says that since this year’s program is virtual, Ty will have the opportunity to remain on campus for the duration of the five-week program and the College will support him by providing access to the library, computing and technology resources.
ASPA’s Ralph Bunche Summer Institute Program
The annual, intensive five-week Summer Institute is designed to introduce undergraduates from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to the world of doctoral study in political science. It also supports those interested in broadening participation in political science and pursuing scholarship on issues affecting underrepresented groups or issues of tribal sovereignty and governance.
Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, a political scientist and human rights activist, was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in political science from a U.S. institution. He was also the first African American winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded for his work to promote peace in Israel in the 1940s. He worked with Presidential First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and worked at and with the United Nations for 25 years.
Ty Mills ’22
Hailing from Mechanicsville, Virginia, Mills says he is very thankful for this opportunity. “I’m just a kid that came from a small town and small school that will participate in this program held at Duke University to study race relations.” He extends special thanks to his professors in the Political Science department, because “not all heroes wear capes. Each one of them has helped me become the scholar I am now. I’m very blessed and cannot wait to see how this opportunity will help me grow.”
Mills feels a key factor with his acceptance to this prestigious program was his research topic: studying access to financial literacy for people of color and how it correlates to those in underrepresented groups.
Mills, a Political Science major and Economics and Asian Studies minor, holds the T. McNider Simpson Scholarship this year, won the Porter Hardy Jr. award as an outstanding political science student and has been on the dean’s list for five consecutive semesters. Mills is also actively engaged on campus. A member of the football team, he is also a tour guide for the R-MC admissions office and volunteers in a mentorship program with other R-MC athletes at Gandy Elementary School in Ashland, VA.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Randolph-Macon College
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