Jeffrey Kentor to serve as chair of Wayne State University's Department of Sociology

Wayne M. Raskind, dean of Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, recently announced that Jeffrey Kentor, Ph.D., will serve as chair of the Department of Sociology.

Kentor comes to Wayne State from Eastern Michigan University, where he served as professor of sociology, associate provost and associate vice-president for graduate studies and research. Prior to that, he served as professor of sociology, chair of the Department of Sociology, and senior associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Utah. He previously held a research professorship at the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies, and is founding co-editor of Sociology of Development, published by University of California Press.

Kentor's research focuses on long-term macro-level social change, from an international political economy perspective. His work explores the economic and military dynamics that shape relationships between countries, and how these processes impact economic development, income inequality, migration, health, and the environment.

"I'm delighted to join the faculty, students, and staff of the Wayne State Sociology department," said Kentor. "The very real and rapidly changing urban landscape of Detroit provides a singular opportunity for our students and faculty to explore core concepts of our discipline from a unique vantage. I'm thrilled to be a part of it."