Black Faculty Association Unites with the African American Alumni Affiliate to Fund New Study Abroad Scholarship

The Black Faculty Association provided $1,000 in funding to the African American Alumni Affiliate(4A) in their first joint venture to help fund the Kusafiri Scholarship Fund.

Named for the Swahili word meaning journey or travel, the scholarship will fund a study abroad experience for a UC student from a diverse background. A recipient for the scholarship will be chosen through an application process starting in November. 

“This partnership is integral to helping us move forward as a university,” said Littisha Bates, UC associate professor in sociology and co-founder of the Black Faculty Association. “By partnering with the African American Alumni Affiliate we have taken one more step towards making UC a truly diverse and inclusive place.”

The fund was presented as part of the African American Alumni Association State of Black UC Forum event held on Oct. 21 in the UC African American Cultural Resource Center. "I think that the future is very bright,” said James Mack, UC associate dean of the Graduate School and co-founder of the Black Faculty Association.

“There are certainly a lot of steps to take on this long road, but through the partnerships that we have already started to build with UC students and by extending that partnership to UC alumni, a more diverse and inclusive UC doesn’t feel as far away.” 

Recently, the university’s Division of Student Affairs, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and UC International also established a diversity study abroad scholarship. The Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship (D&I Scholarship) is currently a one-time scholarship fund offering 11 scholarships in the amount of $1,000. The goal of the scholarship is to assist underrepresented students with funding to support their service learning and study aboard experiences. The application can be found at the UC International website and the deadline to apply is Nov. 1, 2016.

The UC African American Alumni Affiliate of the UC Alumni Association has worked to serve the university’s Black alumni community for more than 20 years. Through their activities, they work to reconnect UC alumni with one another, engage them with current UC scholars and provide a venue for personal and professional growth. The University of Cincinnati Black Faculty Association is an organization dedicated to providing support, guidance and advocacy for UC’s Black faculty. By combining the diverse research expertise and resources of the university’s award winning faculty, they aim to support and promote the success of the university’s Black faculty and maintain a valuable support network for UC’s graduate and undergraduate students and staff.