Campus News

UAlbany�s Africana Studies Program Ranked Third in the Nation

(August 24, 2004)
By Lisa James Goldsberry

The master�s degree program in Africana Studies at the University at Albany has been recognized as one of the top five in the nation by Black Issues in Higher Education magazine.

UAlbany�s program is ranked third in the nation, up from eighth last year. Other schools in the top 10 included Columbia University, Cornell, Indiana University, Ohio State, Yale, and UCLA. The undergraduate Africana Studies program was ranked number six in the nation.

�I am elated over this good news for the University,� said Leonard A. Slade, Jr., professor and chair of Africana Studies. �Departmental faculty and students deserve the credit for this accolade.�

UAlbany is the only school in the SUNY system that offers a master�s degree in Africana Studies. The department was created in the 1970s as a result of the civil rights movement, and the master�s degree program, which has approximately 25 students, has attracted a growing number of international students. Graduates of the program can be found working as lawyers, government officials, and foreign service employees.

The top-10 ranking is based on an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data and an on-site evaluation by outside professors. The magazine also looked at the number of graduating students, diversity of the program and quality of faculty.

Black Issues in Higher Education is the nation's only news magazine dedicated exclusively to minority issues in higher education. Published bi-weekly, Black Issues carries in-depth and up-to-date coverage of the diverse education community, including African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans, as well as Americans with disabilities and women.