Darius Prier is the 2013 Outstanding Master of Public Administration Alumnus. Darius completed a bachelor's in Political Science with a minor in African American Studies in 1999, and then he continued his education, completing a MPA degree in 2001.
As a student at Wright State, Darius advocated in the classroom and among faculty and students for social justice. After graduation he worked in student affairs for Miami University and received a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Miami University in 2009. He is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership at Duquesne University. In 2012 he published a book titled Culturally Relevant Teaching: Hip Hop Pedagogy in Urban Schools. Darius' book demonstrates that educators can learn about race, class, gender and community from hip hop music and that will make them better teachers. He has also introduced social justice criteria for Duquesne's Professional Doctorate in Educational Leadership program.
Recently, Darius was selected to become an Education Policy Fellow, which is a nationally recognized program that brings scholars, practitioners and policy advocates together to work for youth, families and schools. For his part, Darius is developing a "cradle to college" program at a local church in an underserved Pittsburgh community.
