[Cas-allemps] Black Studies Director Announcement

[CAS Dean]

Dear colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce that Professor Charise Cheney of the Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies department will be the new Director of the Black Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1.

Professor Cheney is well positioned to lead this program. Her current scholarship examines Black social and political movements in a wide variety of contexts, from educational policies to music and dance. She led the Umoja<https://housing.uoregon.edu/communities/umoja-black-scholars?utm_sournce=immersive&utm_medium=resourcelist&utm_campaign=bhm2021&utm_content=resourcelist> Academic Residential Community as its first faculty director from 2016 through 2018. And her distinguished record of teaching was recognized with the Tykeson Distinguished Teaching Award in 2018.

I want to thank the Black Faculty Collective, a group of UO faculty members who organized last fall to discuss the future of Black Studies on our campus. They initiated an internal recruitment process for the director of Black Studies, consulting broadly with Black Studies stakeholders. I am deeply appreciative of the time and energy they have given to this important appointment.

I acknowledge that the creation of the Black Studies program on our campus has been difficult and fraught with a number of missteps and setbacks that created pain for some in our campus community.  Not ignoring but learning from that past enables us to move forward with a surer step. I am grateful for Professor Cheney's leadership as we continue to build toward a robust and vibrant Black Studies program.

Finally, I want to thank Avinnash Tiwari, who has been serving as acting director of the Black Studies program for more than a year. Through his dedication to the field and commitment to Black Studies students, a Black Studies minor was formally established last year that has already drawn nearly 20 declared minors. In this role, he has advised and mentored many students, organized public talks and lectures, and been a tireless advocate and ambassador for the program.

Please join me in congratulating Professor Cheney for this appointment and thanking all those who have helped us develop this important program.

Sincerely,

Bruce


Bruce Blonigen
Tykeson Dean
Philip H. Knight Professor of Social Science
College of Arts and Sciences
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
Ph: 541-346-4680




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