The Legacy of Oscar Ritchie

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  • Oscar Ritchie came to Kent State University in 1942 and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology in 1946.
  • Ritchie began his graduate study in 1946 and soon filled a teaching vacancy in the department of Sociology. Although he was a graduate student, Ritchie held a position usually held by a full time faculty member.
  •  In the fall of 1947, Ritchie was appointed as a full time faculty member. This appointment made him the first African American to serve on the faculty of any predominantly white university in Ohio, a distinct honor.
  • The building that we call Oscar Ritchie Hall was named in his honor on November 10, 1977.
  • In 1985, the members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity joined with the Department of Pan-African Studies to establish the Oscar Ritchie Freshman textbook loan program, today known as the Oscar Ritchie Memorial Scholarship. The program continues today by providing academic scholarships to over 300 incoming African American, Latino American and Native American students enrolled at the Kent Campus.

 

Check out Oscar Ritchie Hall today to learn more!