UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The RAND Corp. has announced that Ray Block, associate professor of political science and African American studies and the Laurence and Lynne Brown-McCourtney Career Development Professor in Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy, will join the organization as its inaugural Michael D. Rich Chair for Countering Truth Decay, effective Feb. 27.
Block will remain a member of Penn State’s faculty once his appointment with RAND begins.
RAND is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that seeks to make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. The Rich Chair for Countering Truth Decay was established in 2022 to honor Michael D. Rich, RAND’s former president and CEO, who initiated the organization’s work to study and restore the role of facts and analysis in public life.
As the inaugural Rich Chair, Block will continue building RAND’s truth decay agenda, develop new research streams, and expand the impact and reach of its research.
“Ray’s vast experience studying civic involvement and the formation of public opinion makes him an excellent choice to take the helm of RAND’s seminal truth decay work,” said current RAND President and CEO Jason Mathen in the organization’s release announcing Block’s appointment. “With the country divided, countering truth decay and restoring the role of facts and analysis in public life is critical. I look forward to working with Ray to drive this important work forward.”
“I am thrilled that Ray has been selected to assume this seminal role with RAND while remaining a vital member of the Penn State community,” said Penn State Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Justin Schwartz. “Partnerships such as these expand Penn State’s reach and profile and provide innovative opportunities for our scholars to make lasting and significant contributions to society.”
Block’s research examines how nondominant demographic groups translate their psychological attachments into political action, and with what consequences. He specializes in the areas of racial and ethnic group politics, voting behavior, and public opinion.
Block currently serves as a member of the executive council for the National Conference of Black Political Scientists and is part of the African American Research Collaborative — a team of pollsters, scholars, researchers and commentators committed to bringing an accurate understanding of African American civic engagement to the public discourse. He also is a member of the American Political Science Association and the Scholars Strategy Network.
“I strongly believe in civic involvement and am passionate about promoting a more equitable and inclusive environment for underrepresented groups,” Block said. “These are key underpinnings of RAND’s truth decay mission, and I believe that our work in this area is essential to helping preserve and strengthen our democracy.”
“Ray is a gifted educator and scholar whose work on social identity and its role in informing and shaping one’s political involvement is already influencing efforts to strengthen democracy and promote civic engagement,” said Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts. “He has also been an outstanding mentor and coach to underrepresented faculty in the college and at the University in the short time he has been at Penn State. I hope that Ray’s appointment with RAND is the first of many undertakings between the organization and the college and University.”
Block has been a member of the Penn State faculty since 2019 and previously held faculty positions at the University of Kentucky, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and Florida State University. He received his bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and political science from Howard University, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from Ohio State University.