Rico Devara Chapman

Rico Devara Chapman is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and a Professor of History at Jackson State University, currently on leave during Spring 2024. Previously, he served as Professor of History at Clark Atlanta University, where he also held administrative roles as Assistant Dean for the School of Arts and Sciences and Director of the Humanities Ph.D. Program. He holds a B.S. (1997) and M.A. (2000) from Jackson State University, and a Ph.D. (2008) from Howard University.

His research focuses on student movements, public history, and digital humanities. He founded the Center for Africana Digital Humanities and has authored the book Student Resistance to Apartheid at the University of Fort Hare: Freedom Now, A Degree Tomorrow alongside multiple articles and book chapters.

Dr. Chapman has secured over $3 million in grants from prestigious institutions including:

• National Endowment for the Humanities
• Institute for Museum and Library Services
• National Park Service
• Microsoft Corporation
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

He received the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for research in South Africa. As founding director of the Center for Africana Digital Humanities, he leads initiatives at the intersection of technology and humanities scholarship.