Kenyan-Born Scholar Prof. Ombati Manyibe Elected Chairman of Langston University Faculty Senate

Prof. Edward Ombati Manyibe, a Kenyan-born scholar has been elected as the new chairman of Langston University Faculty Senate, an influential position in the governance and management of the institution.

The faculty senate is the highest decision-making body of Langston University, the first and the only historically ‘black university' in the US state of Oklahoma.

Ombati, who hails from Kisii, is the first Kenyan immigrant to head the faculty senate in the US.

In his new role, Prof. Ombati will preside over the meetings of the institution’s senate and council, and act as the official spokesperson for Langston University Faculty Senate.

The role of the senate is to review university-wide policies, propose changes in university practices and structure, and ensure that academic programs are of high quality. 

Prof. Ombati also serves as the Capacity Building Director and research associate professor at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities, Langston University.

The scholar holds a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation from the University of Arizona, a Master’s of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Literature from the University of Nairobi.

He is currently a co-principal investigator of many federally-sponsored research projects and technical assistance efforts focused on research capacity building for minority entities and empowering traditionally underserved populations.

“My areas of research include research capacity building, research mentorship, disability policy in developing countries, and rehabilitation outcomes,” says Prof. Ombati.

Ombati won the 2018 Bobbie Atkins Research Award from the National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC).