Robert Prentiss Daniel (November 2, 1902 – January 5, 1968) was an
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
psychologist, scholar, and college president. Born in
Ettrick, Virginia
Ettrick is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 7,241. The town is home to Virginia State University and the Petersburg Amtrak train station.
Most of Ettrick h ...
to Charles James and Carrie Daniel, he was the sixth of eight children.
Personal life
In September 1929, Daniel married Blanche Ardell Taylor of Richmond. Taylor died before her husband, and in December 1966, Daniel remarried to North Carolina socialite Marie Plummer Orsot.
Academic career
Robert P. Daniel graduated ''
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
'' from
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.
History
The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Richm ...
with a Bachelor of Arts in 1924. He was valedictorian and his class secretary. Upon graduation, he worked as an instructor of mathematics and freshman English for two years, and in 1926 he worked as an assistant professor of education. Daniel attended
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
for his graduate schooling, receiving a master's degree in education in 1928 and a Ph.D. in
educational psychology
Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences i ...
in 1932. Concurrently and until 1936, he worked as a professor of education and psychology and Director of the Extension Division at Virginia Union University.Guthrie, R. V., & Grier, W. H. (2003). ''Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology'' (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. p. 173 Between 1932 and 1936, Daniel worked at Virginia Union University as Director of the Division of Educational Psychology and Philosophy. During the summers of 1935 and 1936, Daniel worked as a visiting professor of education at
Hampton Institute
Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...
in Virginia.
In 1936, at 33 years old, Daniel became President of
Shaw University
Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...
in North Carolina.
In 1950, the
Virginia State Board of Education The Virginia State Board of Education is an independent board established by the state of Virginia in the United States which helps set state elementary and secondary educational policy, advocates within state government for elementary and secondar ...
elected Daniel as president of
Virginia State College
Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of high ...
, where he worked until his death in 1968.
Notable scholarship
Robert P. Daniel made significant contributions to educational psychology and Black psychology throughout his career. His premier scholarship A Psychological Study of Delinquent Negro Boys was published in 1932 in ''
The Journal of Negro Education
''The Journal of Negro Education'' was a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Howard University, established in 1932 by Charles Henry Thompson, who was its editor-in-chief for more than 30 years. and "non-problem" Black boys. He administered seven tests which measured mental ability, neurotic instability, personality, personal aptitudes, moral knowledge, and trustworthiness. By comparing the results of the aforementioned tests between the problems and non-problem boys, he concludes that the two groups exhibited differences in the things they do and the degree they feel. Daniel's aimed for his work to be a foundation in the field of Black youth delinquency and personality traits.
Daniel coauthored the article The Curriculum of the Negro College " with his brother Walter G. Daniel. They review Black education and discuss an inconsistency apparent in Black schools: as a group, they are ten to thirty years behind American educational norms, but their courses are almost identical to those offered at White colleges. Daniel and Daniel argue that the college accreditation process prevents Black higher education from experimenting with different methods and course structure for Black students. Daniel and Daniel fault America's racial caste system for hindering Black students' success and argue for the need for differentiation from White educational norms in Black college education. They suggest increased financial support, institutional resources and professional leadership in Black colleges to achieve the highest quality of work, learning, and scholarship.
In 1960, as President of Virginia State College, Daniel published Relationship of the Negro Public College and the Negro Private and Church- Related College " which describes the status of Black higher education . Private and college-related colleges, first established by White missionaries during
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
, preceded publicly funded Black institutions. Publicly funded colleges, while having a slower establishment, became the choice higher education option for the majority of Blacks by the mid-1940s. In examining this change, Daniel explains that lower cost, more extensive curricula, and better faculties and facilities than specialized private- or church-related colleges explain the rise in enrollment at publicly funded Black colleges. Daniel concludes that despite the different routes Black youth take in attaining higher education, their success in life is dependent on an individual's ability to make their lives "count for good." He charges Black institutions with being adept at handling a nation and world that is constantly changing and work to excel in all academic fields.
Robert P. Daniel was affiliated with a number of professional organizations, including the
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...
, National Association for the Study of Negro Life,
American Association of School Administrators
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA), founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 14,000 educational leaders across the United States. AASA's members are chief executive officers and senior-level administrato ...
,
American Teachers Association
The American Teachers Association (1937-1966), formerly National Colored Teachers Association (1906–1907) and National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (1907–1937), was a professional association and teachers' union representing tea ...
, and the
National Education Association
The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...
. Between 1936 and 1950, he served as a member of the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Inter-Racial Commission. In 1948, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in Education from the
National Urban League
The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...
.
In 1953, Daniel was nominated as president of the Conference of Presidents of Negro Land Grant Colleges.
As an ordained Baptist minister, Daniel served on various church governing boards. He served as a member commission on Interracial Activities National council for Boy Scouts of America. He was also an active member of the YMCA.