Survey Documents the State of Black Studies at U.S. Colleges and Universities

BlackStudiesSurvey-1A new report from the department of African American studies at the University of Illinois finds that the academic discipline of Black studies is thriving at U.S. colleges and universities. A survey of 1,777 colleges and universities found that 76 percent of these institutions had Black studies programs to some degree. Some 20 percent of responding institutions had formal academic units, either departments or programs, dedicated to African American studies. Of these, official African American studies programs, 35 percent are free-standing Black studies departments.

The survey also found that 46 percent of the academic units in Black studies were headed by women. Another key finding is that 53 percent of the colleges and universities that had official programs in Black studies, also had Latino studies units.

rwbaileyRonald Bailey, chair of the department of African American studies at the University of Illinois, stated, “Many people assume that Black studies was simply a political response to the turmoil of the 1960s. What is not fully appreciated is that Black studies also spurred and inspired many significant transformations in higher education. For instance, it produced one of the first big discussions of interdisciplinary scholarship, and of what is now known as service learning. It is a discipline and field connected by countless threads to communities and to other disciplines and arenas of scholarship in higher education, both in the U.S. and around the world.”

The survey, entitled African American Studies 2013: A National Web-Based Survey, can be accessed here.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

New Report Sets the Baseline for Future Studies on the Effect of Texas’ DEI Ban on College Campuses

"Ensuring all Texas students have the opportunity to succeed will directly strengthen our workforce and economy," write the report's authors. "While it’s too early to assess the impact of SB 17, continuous monitoring of student outcomes is critical to improving efficiency and maximizing the potential of our future workforce."

Robert Jones Named the First Black President of the University of Washington

Dr. Jones is slated to become the University of Washington's first Black president on August 1. He comes to his new role from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he has served as the institution's first Black chancellor for the past nine years.

Study Uncovers More Evidence That Black Students Are Overrepresented in School Discipline

In an examination of six different kinds of school discipline and punishment, three comparison groups, and 16 subpopulations, a new study has found that "no matter how you slice it, Black students are overrepresented among those punished and excluded."

Jermaine Whirl Selected to Lead Savannah State University in Georgia

“Savannah State has a rich history of producing world class artists, educators, scientists, military leaders, corporate executives and public policy advocates," said Dr. Whirl. "I look forward to working with the students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater Savannah community to continue the legacy of the state’s first public HBCU.”

Featured Jobs