PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (July 30, 2020) – While William T. Hoston, Ph.D., only joined Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) last fall, he has wasted no time immersing himself in the community.
William T. Hoston, Ph.D.
Currently a professor of political science, director of the Mellon Center for Faculty Excellence, and interim associate dean of the Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences, Hoston returned to his HBCU roots when he came to PVAMU.
“I have family members who attended Albany State University and Fort Valley State University,” Hoston said. “Earlier in my teaching career, I taught at Florida A&M University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Dillard University.”
At PVAMU, Hoston teaches American government, urban politics, state and local government, and the Black male. He focuses his research interests in the areas of minority voting behavior, political behavior of Black politicians, race and minority group behavior, Black masculinity, sexualities and gender, race and crime, and theories and dynamics of racism and oppression.
“The classroom is a sanctuary for learning,” he said. “There is nothing more sacred than helping students fulfill their educational potential. My goal is to teach them residual knowledge to help with both academic and career success. I want them to be able to apply the materials taught in the classroom to real-life experiences.”
Hoston draws from his own experience to help college students become active learners. His book, “Listen to Me Now, or Listen to Me Later: A Memoir of Academic Success for College Students,” provides key strategies and methods for achieving academic success. It also advises students on how to gain self-awareness and approach and handle trials and tribulations.
“An open discussion that connects the academic literature to real-world experiences is the teaching method that renders the best results for me,” Hoston said. “I have employed dozens of teaching methods in the classroom, and the synergy created from class discussions is bar none.”
Hoston’s teaching accomplishments have resulted in many awards, including the National Society of Leadership and Success Excellence in Teaching Award. At the university level, he has received the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award, which recognizes superior teaching at Texas higher education institutions.
An author and editor of 19 books, Hoston’s written work spans multiple genres, including editorials, essays, fiction, and poetry. He has written six academic books, including “New Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity: Critical Readings About the Black Experience in Trump’s America” and “Toxic Silence: Race, Black Gender Identity, and Addressing the Violence against Black Transgender Women in Houston.”
Outside of his classroom, Hoston seeks to support faculty development in the social sciences and humanities as the inaugural director of the Mellon Center for Faculty Excellence.
“Leading the center has been an amazing experience,” he said. “We launched a summer series titled, ‘A Series on Race, Black Lives, and Protests,’ in which we hosted prominent humanities scholars to engage in discussions about current events. We have also invited two book publishers from the University of Illinois Press and Palgrave Macmillan to speak to faculty about research endeavors.”
Hoston earned a Bachelor of General Studies from the University of New Orleans, a Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Florida State University, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of New Orleans. Prior to joining PVAMU, he held professorships at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and Wichita State University.
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By Kendall Hebert