A historical perspective
Staff Spotlight on Professor Michael Boston

-- Mike Earle

In 2003, new Metropolitan State University professor, Michael Boston, Ph.D., was in Niagara Falls, N.Y. He was working on collecting and recording information on the African-American history in the region for the Black Pioneers Club of Niagara Falls. He was researching family histories, jobs people performed, places people lived and how the communities in which they lived have changed over the decades.

Boston particularly treasured the time he spent with a 95-year-old man named George Hart. Hart shared a lifetime of wisdom with Boston during their talks. Boston was glad he was able to share this time with Hart before he died months later.

Boston started his career at Metropolitan State in Fall 2006. He was a visiting professor at the College of Wooster last school year. Boston got the job here the old fashioned way—he answered an ad.

"I answered an ad for a professor with a background in Africana," said Boston.

Boston felt like his background qualified him for the job and he sent in a résumé. He holds a doctorate in African-American history from the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB). He was hired at Metropolitan State as a tenure track professor.

Boston is not new to teaching. He has taught at the college and university level for eight years, including at Erie Community College, Niagara Community College, University of Memphis, Syracuse University and UB. He taught at the high school level for another eight years and was also a visiting professor at Iowa State University.

He is a member of many organizations including the Black Pioneers Club, the American Historical Association, the Journal of Afro-American Life and History in New York State and the Hutchinson-Midway Block Club.

He is eager to get involved with other local and university organizations as well.

Boston considers himself both a teacher and a historian. He approaches all of his teaching from a historical perspective. He taught "The Politics of Resistance and Protest Movements" and "Contemporary Perspectives in African-American Communities" courses in Fall 2006.

Boston intends to start a student/faculty journal that would be based around community interview projects, like the one he did in Niagara Falls. He wants to share some of his experiences with Metropolitan State students.

Boston said he already likes being at Metropolitan State.

"The students here are older and seem more focused," he said.

Boston will be teaching courses in Ethnic Studies and African American Studies. If students are interested in taking courses from him but are already signed up for next semester, they don’t need to worry. Boston joked that he plans to stay at Metropolitan State "until they kick me out."