Afro-American studies program receives NCBS institutional award

By Erik Novak

The Department of Afro-American Studies at Indiana University Bloomington has been awarded the 1996 Sankore Institutional Award by the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS).

John McCluskey Jr. (pictured) represented IU at the NCBS annual conference Nov. 16 at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

The NCBS bestows the Sankore Award annually to an institution or organization whose work and leadership have contributed significantly to the development and institutionalization of black/Africana studies in the United States and internationally.

IU was selected for its commitment to black/Africana studies, its development of a strong African American studies department and Black Culture Center, and ongoing faculty research and scholarship on African world people.

"This award is a major marker for ongoing excellence in our department and for the publishing efforts at the IU Press for the Blacks in the Diaspora series," said McCluskey, chair of the winning department.

"The award also reflects the cordial relations between IU and NCBS," he added, noting that IU was the institutional home of the organization from its inception to 1990, when the national office moved to Ohio State University.

"Recognition of IU's efforts in this area reflects the emphasis on substance and scholarship which has characterized the Department of Afro-American Studies since its inception," said Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis, vice president for academic affairs and Bloomington chancellor. "From founder Herman Hudson, through chairs Portia Maultsby to John McCluskey today, the department has distinguished itself. This award is a well-deserved acknowledgement of their efforts and what those efforts have meant to the life of this campus."

The first black studies department was developed at San Francisco State University 30 years ago. NCBS is celebrating more than two decades of leadership since the establishment of the discipline as a field of study, and is also honoring IU for its inspiration to a new generation of scholars.

"The support of the university for past and current initiatives within the department is also embodied in this award, which bodes well for the future," said McCluskey.

"I'm extremely pleased that IU's national reputation and performance in this critical area have been recognized by this prestigious organization, which has provided such strong and decisive leadership in the field of black studies," said IU President Myles Brand. "We are determined to meet the challenges and responsibilities facing public higher education in the 21st century."

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