Robert Prentiss Daniel was an African-American psychologist, scholar, and college administrator. Born in Ettrick, Virginia to Charles James and Carrie Daniel, he was the sixth of eight children.
Personal life
In September 1929, Daniel married Blanche Ardell Taylor of Richmond. Taylor died before her husband, and in December 1966, Daniel remarried to North Carolina socialite Marie Plummer Orsot.
Academic career
Robert P. Daniel graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Union University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1924. He was valedictorian and his class secretary. Upon graduation, he worked as an instructor of mathematics and freshman English for two years, and in 1926 he worked as an assistant professor of education. Daniel attended Columbia University for his graduate schooling, receiving a master's degree in education in 1928 and a Ph.D. in educational psychology in 1932. Concurrently and until 1936, he worked as a professor of education and psychology and Director of the Extension Division at Virginia Union University. Between 1932 and 1936, Daniel worked at Virginia Union University as Director of the Division of Educational Psychology and Philosophy. During the summers of 1935 and 1936, Daniel worked as a visiting professor of education at Hampton Institute in Virginia. In 1936, at 33 years old, Daniel became President of Shaw University in North Carolina. In 1950, the Virginia State Board of Education elected Daniel as president of Virginia State College, where he worked until his death in 1968.
Notable scholarship
Robert P. Daniel made significant contributions to educational psychology and Black psychology throughout his career. His premier scholarship "" was published in 1932 in The Journal of Negro Education. The first contribution in its field, Daniel's discusses perceived differences in character and personality traits of "behavior-problem" and "non-problem" Black boys. He administered seven tests which measured mental ability, neurotic instability, personality, personal aptitudes, moral knowledge, and trustworthiness. By comparing the results of the aforementioned tests between the problems and non-problem boys, he concludes that the two groups exhibited differences in the things they do and the degree they feel. Daniel's aimed for his work to be a foundation in the field of Black youth delinquency and personality traits. Daniel coauthored the article "," with his brother Walter G. Daniel. They review Black education and discuss an inconsistency apparent in Black schools: as a group, they are ten to thirty years behind American educational norms, but their courses are almost identical to those offered at White colleges. Daniel and Daniel argue that the college accreditation process prevents Black higher education from experimenting with different methods and course structure for Black students. Daniel and Daniel fault America's racial caste system for hindering Black students' success and argue for the need for differentiation from White educational norms in Black college education. They suggest increased financial support, institutional resources and professional leadership in Black colleges to achieve the highest quality of work, learning, and scholarship. In 1960, as President of Virginia State College, Daniel published "," which describes the status of Black higher education. Private and college-related colleges, first established by White missionaries during Reconstruction, preceded publicly funded Black institutions. Publicly funded colleges, while having a slower establishment, became the choice higher education option for the majority of Blacks by the mid-1940s. In examining this change, Daniel explains that lower cost, more extensive curricula, and better faculties and facilities than specialized private- or church-related colleges explain the rise in enrollment at publicly funded Black colleges. Daniel concludes that despite the different routes Black youth take in attaining higher education, their success in life is dependent on an individual's ability to make their lives "count for good." He charges Black institutions with being adept at handling a nation and world that is constantly changing and work to excel in all academic fields.
