New Department of African American and African Studies chair Cynthia Young excited about fresh opportunities at Ohio State
Despite growing up in Cleveland, new Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) chair Cynthia Young did not know much about Columbus prior to her appointment, which started on July 1.
However, after five years as the Department Head of African American Studies and an associate professor at Penn State University, Young saw an opportunity to come back to the Buckeye State and join a department that was investing in itself.
“Ohio State is in a moment of real growth, change and possibility,” she said. “Ohio State understands the importance of African American studies. There has been a lot of investment into faculty and grant-seeking opportunities, and I wanted to be a part of that.”
The university recently received nearly $3 million in grants to advance the mission of AAAS, including upgrades to its Community Extension Center in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood and hiring ten new tenure-track faculty, including Young, nearly tripling the number of AAAS’s faculty members.
“I have led departments similar to AAAS at three different institutions and in none of those places did I see the combination of a historic Black community and a Community Extension Center that is a bridge between Ohio State’s academic department and the larger community,” she said. “That to me is a unique and important opportunity because it takes us back to the roots of African American studies, which started in Black communities.”
In her new role, Young will be tasked with familiarizing herself with her new department, and identifying ways in which the department can continue to grow. She will be reviewing the curriculum, course development and continue to support faculty research. Young will also be teaching courses starting in the spring semester of 2024.
“For me, the next step will be making sure the new faculty that have been hired within the last few years, as well as faculty we will be hiring in the future, have courses that speak to their strengths,” she said. “Most importantly what I want to do is have a series of discussions with faculty – both old and new – about where the department has been, where it is now and where they see it going.”
Young also identified jumpstarting the PhD program within AAAS as one of her larger goals.
“The next step there is thinking about the PhD program in relation to all the new faculty and the established faculty,” she said. “I want us to ask ourselves, ‘What do we as AAAS bring to the national and international conversation? What does an Ohio State PhD in AAAS mean and how are we training our students?’
“Right now, we are seeing that the field of AAAS is exploding around the country,” she continued. “There are a lot of academic positions that are tenure track. That growth will allow us to position Ohio State not only in relationship to our peer institutions but also to the field in general.”
As for moving back to Ohio, Young said she is excited to explore Columbus and engage with the community.
“Columbus is incredible. I had no idea how much was going on in terms of arts, culture, fashion, and the health sciences,” she said. “It’s hard to believe I had not been to Columbus until now. I can’t wait to explore the city.”