Biographical Note (pdf version)

Samuel DuBois Cook was the first black professor at Duke University and has the distinction of being the first African American to hold a regular faculty appointment at any predominantly white college or university in the South. He served as a member of the Duke University Board of Trustees from 1981 - 1993 and was elected by the Board as a Trustee Emeritus in 1993.

After earning his A.B. degree from Morehouse College, Dr. Cook received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from The Ohio State University. His academic career includes teaching at Southern University, Atlanta University, the University of Illinois, Duke University, and UCLA.

Dr. Cook served as a Program Officer in Higher Education and Research at the Ford Foundation. He was the first black President of the Southern Political Science Association and served as Vice President of the American Political Science Association as well as being a member of that body's Executive Council. He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards.

In 1997 Dr. Cook retired as President of Dillard University having served in that capacity for 22 years. Under his leadership the only National Center for Black-Jewish Relations in the world was established and Dillard became the only historically black college with a Japanese Studies program.

Dr. Cook has an outstanding record as a political scientist, scholar, educator and civil rights activist. He continues to participate in the world of scholarship through publications and lectureships.