N E W S Compton College | Community Relations 1111 E Artesia Boulevard, Compton, CA 90221 310-900-1600, Ext 2968 | communityrelations@compton.edu For Immediate Release February 27, 2020 Shaun R Harper, Executive Director of USC Race and Equity Center, to Deliver 2020 Commencement Address at Compton College Compton College will hold its 2020 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, June 12, 2020, at 11:00 a.m in the Football Stadium The keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Shaun Harper, founder and executive director of the University of Southern California (USC) Race and Equity Center This will be Compton College’s first commencement ceremony since the conclusion of the collaborative partnership between Compton Community College District and El Camino Community College District A Board of Trustees meeting held at 11:59 p.m on June 7, 2019, commemorated the moment that Compton College began to operate as an independent college Courses are now offered under the authority of the Compton Community College District, and all students earning degrees or certificates at Compton College will be issued a Compton College diploma In addition to spearheading the Race and Equity Center, Dr Harper is a provost professor in the Rossier School of Education and the Marshall School of Business at USC He also is the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership, a past president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, and president-elect of the American Educational Research Association Dr Harper’s research focuses primarily on race, gender, and other dimensions of equity in an array of organizational contexts, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporations He is especially well known for his pioneering studies on Black student success in high school and in higher education He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and other academic publications Johns Hopkins University Press is publishing Race Matters in College, the thirteenth book Dr Harper has authored The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and many other news outlets have quoted Professor Harper and featured his research He has testified to the U.S House of Representatives and presented his research at various White House and U.S Department of Education convenings Dr Harper was appointed to President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper advisory council in 2015 and recognized in Education Week as one of the 10 most influential professors in the field of education in 2017 He earned his doctorate degree from Indiana University and he is a graduate of Albany State, a public Historically Black University in Georgia Photo available online: http://www.compton.edu/campusinformation/currentnews/Photos/2020/Shaun-Harper-Headshot.jpg Caption: Dr Shaun Harper, founder and executive director of the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center, will be the keynote speaker at Compton College’s June 12, 2020 commencement ceremony ### About Compton College Compton College is the community’s education solution offering a full complement of transfer and degree courses, as well as career and technical education Students may earn an associate degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year university or train for a career Compton College is located at 1111 E Artesia Boulevard, Compton, CA 90221