ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Political Science Professor Adolphus Belk Jr. will take on an additional role this fall as director of the John C. West Forum on Politics and Policy.
As the director of the forum housed at Winthrop University, Belk will work to coordinate efforts to educate students and others to become engaged and effective citizens of South Carolina. The forum has led several initiatives and has garnered national recognition as a “Voter Friendly Campus” based on its consistently high student voting rate. Additionally, the forum sponsors speakers to discuss policy and politics.
Both Washington Monthly and ALL IN-Campus Democracy Challenge have praised Winthrop for the efforts led by the West Forum. Washington Monthly recently recognized Winthrop Student Voting for the fifth straight year. Winthrop is among the top 230 colleges/universities in the Student Voting category of the 2022 Washington Monthly College Rankings and is one of only four institutions listed from the Palmetto State. Moreover, Winthrop, along with Clemson, is one of only two colleges in South Carolina designated as a “Voter Friendly Campus” for the 2023-24 academic year.
As part of the West Forum’s activities this fall and winter, Winthrop has invited presidential candidates to campus in what is billed as the Presidential Elections Initiative. South Carolina will attract numerous candidates to the state in anticipation of the Feb. 3 Democratic Primary and the Feb. 24 Republican Primary. Both primaries are among the first to be held in the nation and will be early predictors for how candidates will perform in other parts of the nation.
Belk is excited to lead the forum and said he is committed to its mission of promoting civic education, democratic citizenship and civic engagement. “More specifically, and as noted by the American Political Science Association, we want to transform politically interested students, no matter their career objectives or other interests, into politically literate college graduates who can both understand and engage with their political world,” Belk said.
About Adolphus Belk Jr.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Belk joined the university’s Department of Political Science in 2003. He has taught courses on American government, black politics, public policy, and race and ethnic politics in the United States. He also is the former director of Winthrop's African American Studies Program and has served as faculty conference chair.
Belk has studied and written about the politics of crime and punishment in the United States, as well as white nationalism in American government and politics. He and a former student, Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey ’04, now a professor of political science at Georgia State University, are co-editors of a new book, “For the Culture: Hip-Hop and the Fight for Social Justice.”
In 2009, Belk was named Winthrop’s Outstanding Junior Professor, an award that recognizes excellence among assistant professors. In 2015, he won the Kinard Award for Excellence in Teaching, the university’s highest teaching honor, and in 2022, he was selected to receive the highest faculty award, the Distinguished Professor Award.
Belk completed his graduate studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, earning a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in government and politics. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies and Political Science from Syracuse University.
About the West Forum
The West Forum was founded in 2002 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia by former Governor John C. West. It transferred to Winthrop University in 2008. In his career the former governor, then professor, worked to highlight the importance of civic education and citizen participation in South Carolina and around the world.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
