 in biology from Oberlin College in 1977 and his PhD from Wayne State University in 1988.Before his appointment to North Carolina A & T State University, he held positions at the University of California, Irvine; at the West campus of Arizona State University, with a joint appointment in African American Studies at the main campus of Arizona State University in Tempe; and as University Core Director at Fairleigh Dickinson University.Childhood experiences shaped Graves' interest in race and racism