William T Trent

William T Trent is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an additional affiliation as Professor Emeritus in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership. His joint appointment focuses on diversifying scholars in education research and the sociology of education through administrative leadership and academic contributions.

His research centers on three interconnected domains:

• Educational Inequality, examining school desegregation effects (K-12 to post-secondary), social organization of schools, status attainment, and co-curricular activities;
• Race and Ethnicity, analyzing social stratification, mobility, and equality of opportunity;
• Complex Organizations, Social Change, and Education Policy, investigating institutional dynamics and policy impacts.

This work critically addresses systemic barriers at the intersection of race, education, and social structures.

Recent publications (2018-2020) reveal sustained emphasis on race in education, diversity initiatives, and STEM access for underrepresented populations. His scholarship bridges sociological theory and education policy, prioritizing institutional transformation and the experiences of marginalized student groups through empirical studies of programs like the Gates Millennium Scholars.

Dr. Trent served as Principal Investigator for the Summer Research Opportunity Program study in the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) and an NSF-funded STEM project focused on broadening participation and successful completion pathways. His teaching includes foundational courses in Sociology of Education and specialized seminars on educational access, stratification, and policy.