Message from the Chair

Welcome to the webpage for the Department of Pan African Studies at Kent State.  We know you will enjoy browsing our website, which has lots of news about the department and life at Kent State, as well as a photo gallery with pictures of our students, faculty, and friends.

The Pan African Studies Department was created about forty years ago. From our humble and courageous beginnings, we have grown into a strong and vibrant department, always striving to meet the challenge of the dynamic learning environment created by our first Chair, Dr. Edward Crosby.  From that time, subsequent chairs have each added something special and critical to our department. The past chairs of Pan African Studies have been, after Dr. Crosby, Dr. George Garrison, Dr. Diedre Badejo, and Dr. Fran Dorsey. With our strong sense of community, we remember each of them for the efforts and expertise that they have brought to the development of the Department, or "DPAS" as it is known.

 Pan African Studies is located in Oscar Ritchie Hall, named for the first black university professor at Kent State and throughout the state of Ohio. It has a rich legacy of student support and participation. It's affectionately known as "the House that BUS built," meaning the institution that was created by the campus organization Black United Students, back in the early 1970s.  Today the department boasts a diverse community of students and continues to benefit from the presence of students who are bright, curious, and committed to learning and to become active agents for positive change in their communities.

In 2010 we were fortunate to receive a grant from the Ohio Council for the Humanities and with this support have launched a speakers' series devoted to exploring issues of cosmopolitanism and diversity among African and African-descended communities. We have also partnered with the West African Research Center to bring speakers and visiting scholars to the Kent campus.  We are proud and grateful to enjoy partnership with these two organizations. See our events calendar for more information on this!

We hope this won't be your only visit!  We post announcements of upcoming events, ranging from student –organized concerts to visits from nationally-known scholars and creative artists.  Most of our events are open to the public and free of charge. We also have information on grants for students, and campus organizations of interest.  We invite you to stop by Oscar Ritchie and get to know us in person. You can also get to know us better by visiting our Facebook page. 

Look forward to seeing you soon!

Wendy Wilson-Fall