History

Founded in 2005 and drawing on decades of scholarship, the African Studies Center is a national leader in research and teaching in African Studies.

ASC is positioned to improve knowledge of Africa, create access, and facilitate sustainable change that benefits Africans and non-Africans. Serving as a connector, ASC is the campus hub for interdisciplinary inquiry and communication on Africa, including the sponsorship of a wide variety of activities that bring together interested faculty and students from a large number of academic disciplines, focusing on the interconnected issues of political change, expressive culture, gender, sustainability, health, and religion.

ASC’s Purpose

• To serve as an interdisciplinary inquiry and communication hub
• A source for knowledge and ideas – a diffusion point
• To foster an inclusive center, bringing together a wide range of individuals and groups who share a keen interest in Africa – an aggregation node
• To lead as a major contributor to the formation of actions and discussions, leading to the growth of the African region