James Campbell, professor of Africana studies and chair of the University's Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, is leaving Brown for Stanford University at the end of this academic year, citing family reasons for the move. Campbell will hold an appointment in the department of history and will also work for Stanford's Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity.
"I am going with great regret and reluctance, but the totality of my personal and family circumstances leads me to believe this is the right decision for me right now," Campbell said.
Campbell, who received his doctorate from Stanford in 1989, said that his decision to move was largely impacted by affection for his alma mater.
"If it were any other institution inviting me, I wouldn't even consider (leaving) but I took my degree at Stanford, and I have an opportunity to help rebuild the program in which I was trained," he said. "That is pretty enticing."
Campbell shrugged off any suggestion that he was leaving because of resentment or dissatisfaction with the University.
"It is the nature of universities that faculty come and go ... There is nothing unusual about this," he said, calling the move "bittersweet."
"Brown has been such a wonderful place for me. I revere our president, and I absolutely adore my colleagues," Campbell said, adding, "Brown students are, I think, truly unique."
Campbell's departure comes close to the start of the University's response to last year's report by the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, which he chaired. That response has included a new scholarship fund for African students and an effort to raise $10 million for Providence public schools.
"It is in some ways time for me to be going because so many of the recommendations of the slavery and justice committee are just beginning to bear fruit." Campbell said. "My name was in the paper a lot, but I was one of 17 people on the slavery and justice committee," adding that many others on campus "are more than able to carry those forward."
Though he is relocating, Campbell said he would continue to work with his current graduate students until they receive their degrees. Having advisers at different universities is a common practice for humanities graduate students, he said.
Professor of Africana Studies Barrymore Bogues, chair of the department, praised Campbell's impact on the department, citing his work with the slavery and justice committee as "very important for the University."
Finding a replacement for Campbell "is not an instant business," Bogues said, adding that Campbell's joint appointments in Africana studies, American civilization and history mean that departments must cooperate in finding Campbell's replacement.
"You have to wait until someone actually leaves before you start talking about what to do next," Bogues said. "You have to have a full discussion."
"It's definitely a loss for Brown," said Evan Pulvers '10, who has taken a class with Campbell and worked on a documentary about civil rights tourism under his guidance. Pulvers said that Campbell is a dedicated teacher and "a great advocate for students."
"I've been at almost every office hour he's held since I've been at Brown," Pulvers said.
