The Department of Afro-American Studies -- one of the oldest continuing African American studies departments in the country -- is observing its 40th anniversary this year.
Year-long events, capped by a symposium in April, mark years of achievement.
Graduates of the Afro-American Studies program have gone on to a variety of careers.
The program teaches aspects of black history, culture, and society in interdisciplinary models that reconstruct Afro-American life. Students are challenged to critically examine facts and issues that are historically and contemporaneously relevant to the Afro-American experience.
Some of the program's noted alumni with masters degrees include authors Ed Pavlic and Danielle McGuire, both distinguished in the humanities and social sciences.