09/09/2026
| Livingstone College is emerging as a powerful destination for Black intellectual thought, cultural expression and academic excellence — and this fall, one of the nation’s most recognizable public intellectuals will join that movement.
Renowned author, professor, scholar, activist and cultural critic Dr. Michael Eric Dyson will join Livingstone College as a Visiting Scholar in Residence, launching a four-part residency designed to place some of the most consequential conversations shaping Black America at the center of the collegiate experience.
Through a series of lectures, student engagement opportunities and academic experiences, Dyson will bring together urban education, faith, hip-hop, politics, culture and democracy — creating a dynamic intellectual space where scholarship meets lived experience and where students are challenged to examine not only the world around them, but their responsibility to shape it.
Dyson’s residency will begin during Livingstone College’s Opening Convocation on Friday, September 18, at 10 a.m. in Varick Auditorium.
His inaugural lecture, “Represent: The Unfinished Fight” will explore Black excellence, the enduring importance of HBCUs and the transformative power of an educated mind.
The moment will carry added significance as Livingstone welcomes one of the largest and most academically competitive incoming classes in its history. The Convocation will include the College’s First-Year Pinning Ceremony, formally welcoming nearly 500 first-year and new students into a student body of approximately 1300.
The academic profile of Livingstone’s student body reflects the College’s growing momentum. More than 40 percent of students currently hold a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and approximately 450 students have earned recognition as Presidential Scholars, maintaining a GPA of 3.7 or above.
Learn more by visiting Livingstone.edu/News
