Redefining Scholarship Through Community Partnership: Joey Bada$$ Scholar-in-Residence
Redefining Scholarship Through Community Partnership: Joey Bada$$ Scholar-in-Residence
In June 2024, we revolutionized traditional academic residency models by welcoming multi-hyphenate artist Joey Bada$$ as Scholar-in-Residence, while launching the Impact Summit in partnership with the Gordon Institute. This collaboration vividly illustrates our core principle: community engagement is scholarship of the highest order.
Joey’s recurring mentorship series for young men of color provides more than just guidance — it creates an intentional space where self-discovery, leadership cultivation, and educational excellence flourish through cultural connection.
His residency represents our ongoing commitment to challenging narrow conceptions of intellectualism while establishing a new paradigm: cultural figures deeply rooted in community work are legitimate scholars, mentors, and architects of meaningful change.
As Joey shared in a Billboard interview regarding his work with the Gordon Institute, “I’m just excited to expand...to create a new norm for people like me.”
This partnership serves as a replicable model for institutions seeking to authentically engage with cultural figures who hold community wisdom that enriches academic discourse.