Orlando Taylor Elected COSSA’s Next President

            The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) has elected Orlando Taylor, Dean of the Howard University Graduate School, as its next President.  Taylor replaces former U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Janet Norwood, who will remain on the Board of Directors.  He will serve a two-year term beginning January 1, 2003.

            “We are delighted to have Orlando Taylor lead COSSA,” declared Howard Silver, COSSA’s Executive Director.  “The background he brings to the position reflects his outstanding career as both an academic and advisor to Federal agencies and non-profit organizations.”

            In addition to serving as Graduate Dean, Taylor also holds a faculty position at Howard as Professor in the School of Communications.  He is also a member of the Board of the U.S. Department of Education’s Jacob Javits Fellowship Program.  Prior to his appointment as Dean, he served in several posts at Howard, including as Executive Assistant to the President, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of the School of Communications, and Chair of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences.  Before coming to Howard in 1973, Taylor was a member of the faculty of Indiana University.  He has also served as a Visiting Professor at Stanford University.

            Taylor is a former President of the National Communication Association, a member of COSSA, and Immediate Past President of the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools.  He is a former member of the Advisory Committee of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and has served on an advisory council at the National Institutes of Health.  Dean Taylor is currently principal investigator on grants from NSF, the Lilly Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.  Much of his work focuses on increasing the number of minority Ph.D. recipients.  He has a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, a master’s degree from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

            COSSA advocates for the social and behavioral sciences, representing more than 100 professional associations, research institutes, think tanks, universities, and scientific societies.  It serves as a bridge between the academic research community and the Washington policymaking community.