Robert Michael Franklin Jr. (born February 22, 1954) is an American author, theologian, ordained minister, and academic administrator who served as the tenth president of Morehouse College from 2007 to 2012. Franklin is a visiting scholar in residence at Stanford University's Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. In January 2014, he became director of the religion program at the

Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Established in 1874, the ...

Early life and education

A native of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Franklin graduated from

Morgan Park High School Morgan Park High School is a 4–year public high school and middle school located in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the far south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1916, Morgan Park is a part of the Chicago Public Schools dis ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College, Master of Divinity from

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

, and a Ph.D. from the

University of Chicago Divinity School The University of Chicago Divinity School is a private graduate institution at the University of Chicago dedicated to the training of academics and clergy across religious boundaries. Formed under Baptist auspices, the school today lacks any s ...

. In 1973, he received an English Speaking Union scholarship to study abroad at Durham University during his undergraduate studies. He is also the recipient of honorary degrees from

Bethune–Cookman University Bethune–Cookman University (BCU or Bethune–Cookman) is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune–Cookman University is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The primary administration building, Wh ...

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

, and Swarthmore College.

Career

Franklin became 10th president of Morehouse College on July 1, 2007. Prior to coming to Morehouse, he was presidential distinguished professor of social ethics at the

Candler School of Theology Candler School of Theology is one of seven graduate schools at Emory University, located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. A university-based school of theology, Candler educates ministers, scholars of religion and other leaders. It is also o ...

and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, both at

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

. Franklin is also former president of the

Interdenominational Theological Center The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest ...

in Atlanta. He was a program officer in the Human Rights and Social Justice Program at the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

and served as Theologian in Residence for the

, both in New York.

President of Morehouse College

Franklin took office as the 10th president of Morehouse College on July 1, 2007. In 2009, the college received reaffirmation of its accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In a project initiated by his predecessor, Walter Massey, Franklin oversaw the completion and opening of the $20 million Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and Music Academic Building, a 75,000 square foot facility named after the musician. Franklin led and supported cultivation efforts such as establishing the Renaissance Commission, a group of 150 volunteer stakeholders, that increased the total number of new donors by an average of 1,000 per year. The college generated in excess of $128 million (grants and contracts, private fundraising and federal appropriations) during Franklin's tenure.

Civic engagement

Franklin is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and the Kappa Boule of

Sigma Pi Phi Sigma Pi Phi (), also known as The Boulé, founded in 1904, is the oldest fraternity for African Americans among those named with Greek letters. The fraternity does not have collegiate chapters and is designed for professionals at mid-career or o ...

fraternity. He serves on numerous boards, including the

Character Education Partnership Character.org is a nonprofit organization that encourages people of all ages to practice good ethical values. Formerly known as the Character Education Partnership, it was founded in 1993. Today, Character.org creates and shares resources that s ...

and Public Broadcasting of Atlanta ( WABE radio and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

). Franklin is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; the executive committee of the

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is the chamber of commerce for the Atlanta metropolitan area. It was founded in 1859. History The first Atlanta Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1859, and was chiefly concerned with fighting railroad rate d ...

; the

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center. History Though earlier organizations bearing the same name date b ...

(executive committee); the HBCU Capital Financing Advisory Board; and the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

Board of Advisors.

Publications and commentary

Franklin is the author of four books, ''Moral Leadership: Integrity, Courage, Imagination'' (2020), ''Crisis in the Village: Restoring Hope in African American Communities'' (2007), ''Another Day's Journey: Black Churches Confronting the American Crisis'' (1997), and ''Liberating Visions: Human Fulfillment and Social Justice in African American Thought'' (1989). Franklin has appeared on the

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

program ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'' and provided televised commentary for Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasting. Franklin worked to produce an official congregational study guide for the 1998 animated film ''

The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The first feature film from DreamWorks to be traditionally animated, it is an adaptation of the Bo ...

''. He also worked as an advisor on the production of ''The Bible'', a

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

miniseries.

2020 Georgia special election

In 2020, Franklin announced his candidacy for

2020 Georgia's 5th congressional district special election A special election filled the remainder of the term in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district in the 116th United States Congress. Incumbent Representative John Lewis, who was diagnosed with pancreati ...

to succeed

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

. Franklin is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Franklin placed second in the September 29, 2020 general election. As no candidate earned 50 percent of votes cast, Franklin and the first-place finisher,

Kwanza Hall Kwanza Hall (born May 1, 1971) is an American politician and businessman who briefly served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district. He previously served as a member of the Atlanta City C ...

, advanced to a December runoff election. He lost the election on December 2, 2020.

Personal life

Franklin is married to Cheryl Goffney Franklin, an

OB-GYN Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and ...

physician. He has three children and two grandchildren. Franklin holds ordination in two Christian denominations: the American Baptist Churches USA and the Church of God in Christ.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Robert Michael Jr. 1954 births African-American educators Alumni of Durham University American Pentecostals Church of God in Christ pastors Emory University faculty Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Harvard Divinity School alumni Harvard Divinity School faculty Living people Morehouse College alumni Presidents of Morehouse College University of Chicago Divinity School alumni University of Chicago faculty Writers from Atlanta Writers from Chicago