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As the new dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of sociology, Hilton Kelly brings curiosity and an interdisciplinary approach to every endeavor. A well-traveled scholar, foodie and expert on the lives and legacies of Black educators, he’s leading the College into a new era.

What book is on your nightstand?

Currently, I have two books on my nightstand. There’s always a leadership book of some kind. Mary Dana Hinton’s “Leading from the Margins: College Leadership from Unexpected Places” challenges ideas of who and what is a leader. She argues that people with marginal identities bring unique strengths to institutions, producing effective, equitable and inclusive leadership, because of their social location in the world.

The second is Noliwe Rooks’ “A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune.”  Throughout my decades-long scholarship of education in African American life and history, Bethune has existed in the shadows. We know she is an important figure in Black history who contributed to a national “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” philosophy of racial progress. Rooks shows that Bethune was much more radical than previously thought and that her impact spans education, international relations, philanthropy and institution building.

What is your favorite phone app?

Waze. I almost never drive without using it.

If the TV is on, what show makes you stop and watch?

“Downton Abbey.” My friends call me an Anglophile. I imagine they’re correct. Most folk I know would prefer to celebrate their 50th birthday on a tropical island. I chose London, and basically ate my way through the city and attended shows every night. Truthfully, my love for “Downton Abbey” probably has more to do with my undergraduate history major. The show gets it right historically — social life, clothing, etiquette and politics.

What is your favorite place on campus?

The Oak House. I love coffee shops. I spent an inordinate amount of time in graduate school in coffee shops. It’s my natural habitat.

If you could invite someone from history to dinner, who would it be?

I love this question. W.E.B. Du Bois. I proposed a seminar on Du Bois before I left Davidson College but never got to teach it. Du Bois was the quintessential scholar who knew so much about so many things. He was a sociologist’s sociologist, and he influenced me and so many others in the fields of sociology, education, economics and Africana studies. We can’t write anything without citing or thinking about his work.

[BONUS] You’re a self-described foodie. What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten?

It depends upon the city, town or village. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Shanghai, Beijing, Moscow, St. Petersburg, London, Paris, Mannheim, Gunzenhausen, Athens, Playa Del Carmen, Isla Mujeres, San Juan, Toronto, Montreal and throughout the United States. The first that comes to mind was a meal I had at DaiLo in Toronto. It’s an Asian brasserie with French-inspired Chinese small plates. If you love food and you’re in Toronto, run to DaiLo.