Release

UAlbany’s Africana Studies Program Ranked Second in the Nation
Undergraduate and graduate programs both rank in top 10

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980

Leonard A. Slade Jr.

ALBANY, N.Y. (June 13, 2005) -- The University at Albany’s Africana Studies programs both ranked in the top-10 in the nation according to Black Issues in Higher Education magazine, with the graduate program ranking second behind Columbia University, and the undergraduate program ranking 10th.

Other schools in the top 10 included Temple University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Louisville, The Ohio State University, the University of Iowa, the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of California-Berkeley, New York University, Florida International University and Cornell University.

“I am elated over this good news for UAlbany,” 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 1969 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.