The Ivy League school with the highest percentage of black students in the Class of 2009 makes a bigger commitment
By: Hilary Parker
Princeton University the Ivy League school with the highest percentage of black students in the Class of 2009, according to the September issue of "Black Enterprise" magazine has announced the establishment of the university’s new Center for African American Studies.
"Of all the challenges that confront America, none is more profound than the struggle to achieve racial equality and understand the impact of race on the life and institutions of the United States," university President Shirley Tilghman said in a written release.
"As a university dedicated to ‘the nation’s service and the service of all nations,’ Princeton must be in a position to contribute to this quest through research that yields valuable insights into the nature of racial identity and social justice, and through education that trains new generations of leaders to solve problems that have persisted too long, both in this country and abroad," the president’s statement added.
The center will build on Princeton’s existing Program in African American Studies, founded in 1970, and is an outgrowth of recommendations made by an Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on the Future of African American studies at Princeton. Chaired by K. Anthony Appiah, professor of philosophy and acting director of the University Center for Human Values, the committee met over the course of the past year to consider the future of the program.
In 2007, after renovations to Stanhope Hall are complete, the center will take up permanent residence in the historic building, the university announced.
"The committee recommended that we become a center rather than a department because we felt that a center could do everything that departments do and more," said Professor of English Valerie Smith, the director of African American Studies, in a written release. "We wanted to be able to appoint faculty solely in AAS, as a department would be able to do, but we also imagined ourselves having a broad impact on the university curriculum and supporting new African American studies research."
Though the center will not have a permanent home for another year, its formation is effective immediately. Efforts to raise resources will begin at once, said Princeton spokeswoman Cass Cliatt, to fund the growth of the African American studies faculty from five to 11 full-time-equivalent positions. Ultimately, the university said, the center will be able to support 11 to 22 faculty members, some with joint appointments to other departments.
With the growth in faculty will come the opportunity for a number of new courses, Ms. Cliatt said. Current African American studies courses include "Introduction to the Study of African-American Cultural Practices," taught by Professor Cornel West, and "Black Power and Its Theology of Liberation," a course cross-referenced with the religion department and taught by Professor Eddie Glaude. Both Professor West and Professor Glaude served on the advisory committee.
At a time when many institutions are struggling to support their black studies departments, Professor Glaude lauded the university’s recognition of the field as crucial for understanding the United States as a whole especially when black studies programs at many other institutions are desperately wanting for funds.
"What excites me most is the university’s firm commitment to avoid the trap of thinking of African American studies as a place where a select group of students goes to feel good about themselves, but instead to understand it as a viable field of inquiry critical to understanding the American experiment," he said in a written release.
The program currently offers an undergraduate certificate, akin to an undergraduate minor, in African American studies and some graduate students pursuing doctorates also study with the faculty members in African American studies. In 2006, 33 students graduated with certificates in the field, an increase over past years.
Despite this growth, the university said students in the program have faced some logistical difficulties because courses taken in a number of departments are needed to fulfill certificate requirements. To remedy this situation, the university said, the establishment of the new center includes the appointment of a director of undergraduate studies.
For the time being, the certificate program will be thematically organized into race and ethnicity, African American culture and life, and African Americans and public policy. After the faculty and course offerings have grown, a major in the field will be offered, said Professor Smith. The advisory committee proposed a five-year time frame for this enlargement to take place.
"By committing now to the future of this important field, Princeton can not only make it a source of strength on our own campus, but help the field more generally to achieve its highest aspirations," President Tilghman said. "That is exactly the sort of leadership initiative that Princeton is almost uniquely capable of undertaking and that can enable us to make a transformative contribution to higher education and the world."

