Oluwatoyin B. Oduntan

“When I received my Ph.D., I was convinced that I could change the world,” explains Oluwatoyin B. Oduntan. “One way to do that was to teach history.” Oduntan began his teaching career in his native Nigeria and was recommended by a colleague for a faculty position at Towson University.

Since joining TU’s history faculty, Oduntan has brought new ways of teaching African history to TU courses. “Africa is a voice that needs to be heard,” says Oduntan. “I do not highlight our differences; I focus on what Africa shares with the rest of the world’s communities. My approach is different than how students have previously been exposed to history.”

Oduntan draws on his experience creating local government reforms in Nigeria and serving as a lead expert in the social and human sciences sector of the National Nigeria Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He has also provided expert consultation to UNESCO on Nigerian policies. “I am able to think outside the box and apply that kind of thinking to the policymaking environment.”

“ I do not highlight our differences; I focus on what Africa shares with the rest of the world’s communities. My approach is different than how students have previously been exposed to history. ”

He believes in the power of what he calls “collective humanity.” “We must rethink our global strategies to overcome racial exclusion. We must find alliances across races and countries,” says Oduntan, who is eager to create more positive expressions of change.

Closer to home, Oduntan contributed to an institutional history celebrating the 150th anniversary of TU. “Even though there is an abundance of material on the history of Towson University, it has not been collected and documented in a scholarly way. It is clear to see that Towson has so much potential.”