For release: March 22 , 2012
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey, 901/678-2843

Dr. K.B. Turner

Dr. K.B. Turner of the University of Memphis has been selected to participate in the 2012 Maxine Smith Fellows Program of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), the governing body for 46 universities, community colleges, and technology centers throughout the state. Turner is an associate professor and graduate coordinator in the U of M’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The Maxine Smith Fellows program provides African-American employees of TBR schools the opportunity to participate in a working and learning environment that will enhance their career experience and development. It is intended to provide an introduction to administrative roles in system or upper-level administrative policy-making positions.

Each Fellow is assigned an administrative mentor at the TBR central office, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, or one of the TBR schools.  The Fellow works with a mentor to develop a Fellowship work plan.  Turner’s mentor will be Dr. Paula Short, TBR vice chancellor for academic affairs.

“I consider it a great honor to be chosen to represent the University of Memphis as a Maxine Smith Fellow,” said Turner. “Dr. Smith is a remarkable pioneer in the history of Memphis’ civil and human rights struggle. Her resolve in seeking equality for all is unmatched. I hope to live up to the expectations of this celebrated distinction.”

Turner earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His teaching interests are in the areas of theory, race and crime, and police issues. Turner’s current research agenda includes judicial decision making, capital punishment, and issues related to racial profiling. He has been an assistant trainer with the Memphis Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team, a police-based program that has become a nationally known model of pre-arrest jail diversion for those in a mental illness crisis.