PEMBROKE – UNC Pembroke Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings announced Monday evening that Dr. Kevin Freeman, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, has been named Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR). 

The FAR serves as the liaison between the university and the athletics department on issues regarding rules compliance, developments at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and activities related to Peach Belt Conference (PBC) membership. The position was previously held by Dr. W. Stewart Thomas who stepped down over the summer to focus on his new duties as vice chancellor for Finance and Administration.

"I appreciate Dr. Freeman's willingness to serve our university in this important role," Cummings said. "The work of Faculty Athletics Representative is central to advancing our institution-wide focus on maximizing student success."

Freeman has served as a faculty member in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration since 2004, and has twice been nominated for the Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award. The 2010 and 2014 recipient of UNCP's Outstanding Teaching Award, he received tenure and was promoted to associate professor in August 2011.

"I am very excited and humbled that Chancellor Cummings has given me the opportunity to serve as the next FAR at UNCP," Freeman said. "Student-athletes have unique challenges, and I hope that I can serve as a bridge between academics and athletics for the entire campus community with the energy and passion that my predecessors did."

In addition to his duties as an instructor, Freeman also serves as the advisor for UNCP's Model United Nations team and previously served as the advisor for UNCP's Model Arab League. He has also taught courses in Berlin, Germany, and Tokyo, Japan as part of the institution's study abroad programming. Freeman has been included on numerous committees at UNCP, including the search committee that was tasked with hiring UNCP's Director of International Programs in 2015. He also served on UNCP's Athletics Hall of Fame Committee from 2013-15.

Freeman earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics with minors in German and European studies from Vanderbilt in 1992, and earned his master's degree in international relations from Baylor in 1994. He earned his doctorate in political science from Alabama in 2000 while serving as a graduate instructor in UA's Department of Political Science. His educational training also includes a three-month stint in Istanbul, Turkey, for dissertation research and language acquisition.

Prior to his time in Pembroke, Freeman was a faculty member in UAB's Department of Government and Public Service from 2000-04. He is the author of several refereed and peer-reviewed publications, including "Sport as Swaggering: Utilizing Sport as Soft Power" which was published in Sport in Society, as well as "Water Wars? Inequalities in the Tigris-Euphrates River Basin" which was published in Geopolitics. He is currently working on two book manuscripts including "The Science of Politics: A Comparative Introduction" which has a tentative publication run in 2018.

An extremely active participant in community service as well, Freeman has served as the public address announcer for UNCP football home games since 2008, and has previous experience serving as a faculty associate for UNCP's soccer and baseball programs as well.

Freeman, who is fluent in two languages, is married to Carole Graham, JD, an assistant professor and pre-law advisor in UNCP's Department of Political Science and Public Administration. The couple has one son, Carter.


Dick Christy, Director of Athletics
"Dr. Freeman has a long history of supporting our student-athletes and teams in various roles. I'm excited about the energy and enthusiasm that he brings to this leadership role for our program."