Paula D. McClain facts for kids

Paula Denice McClain was born in 1950. She is an American political scientist. A political scientist studies how governments work and how people interact with them.

Paula McClain is a professor at Duke University. She teaches about political science, public policy, and African and African American Studies. She is known as an expert on racism and how different groups of people get along. Her work often looks at how racial minority-groups are involved in politics and how cities are governed.

She helps lead Duke's Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Gender. She also directs a special summer program called the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute. This program helps students learn more about political science.

In 2007, Professor McClain was chosen to lead Duke's Academic Council. This is a group of professors who help make important decisions for the university. In 2012, she became the dean of the graduate school. This was a big step, as she was the first African-American dean of a school at Duke University.

Her Journey in Education

Paula McClain started her college journey at Howard University. She earned her first degree in political science in 1972. She continued her studies there, getting her master's degree in 1974 and her Ph.D. in 1977. A Ph.D. is the highest degree you can get in a field of study.

After finishing her studies, she became a professor. From 1977 to 1982, she taught at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She also worked with the Afro-American Studies department there. She then spent time at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

From 1982 to 1990, she was a professor at Arizona State University. She became a full professor there in 1990.

Teaching at Other Universities

From 1991 to 2000, Professor McClain taught at the University of Virginia. She was even the head of the Government and Foreign Affairs department for a few years. During this time, she also directed the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute. This is a program that helps students learn about political science.

Since 2000, she has been a professor at Duke University. She teaches in the political science department and also in the public policy and African and African American Studies departments. In 2012, she became the Dean of The Graduate School at Duke. She also became the Vice Provost for Graduate Education.

Thoughts on Race Issues

Paula McClain is often asked to share her ideas about race in America. She is a respected voice on these important topics.

In 2009, she was quoted in an article about presidency of Barack Obama. She said that Obama talked about race in a quiet way. She noted that he created a very diverse team without making a big show of it.

She also spoke on NPR in 2009. The discussion was about whether America was still divided by race. Professor McClain said yes, it was. She believes that we need to work on fixing the unfair differences that still exist. She wants to see real action taken to make things more equal.

In 2010, some public comments were made that were seen as insensitive about race. Professor McClain told the Singapore Straits Times that it was "disheartening" that these issues were still happening. She felt sad that society was still dealing with such problems.

Her Family Life

Paula McClain is married. She and her husband have two daughters.