Pomona College, the high-ranking liberal arts institution in Claremont, California, has announced the establishment of a five-year Africa Initiative. The initiative will include a wide range of guest speakers, performances, and a visiting African scholar during the spring semester each year.
Pierre Englebert, professor of African politics and coordinator of Pomona’s international relations program, states, “Whichever way you look at it, Africa is of growing importance to the United States and the world. If we are to train the leaders of tomorrow, it’s essential to prepare them better to deal with Africa, its politics and political economy. It takes a lot more than a few hours of classroom exposure to these topics to begin being able to make a difference, and to get competitive for graduate programs and work opportunities in the field.”
Pomona College President David Oxtoby added, “In the modern interconnected world, we need to have ties to every continent. I am excited to see the increasing numbers of students coming to Pomona from Africa, the growth of study abroad and internship opportunities there, and the number of speakers and visitors who work in or come from the region. Pomona’s Africa Initiative will help to further these connections in many ways.”
