From the Director's Desk:

In March 2003, The Citadel Conference on the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina significantly enhanced the reputation of The Citadel within the academic community and attracted what appears to be, for an academic event, an unprecedented amount of newspaper coverage and public attention within the state of South Carolina.

We believe that the success of that conference, the growing popularity of courses offered on the modern civil rights movement, African American history, and African American military history, in addition to Charleston's unique African American cultural heritage provides a foundation to launch a related initiative that has great potential. The Citadel African American Studies program seeks to underscore the contributions of people of African descent to American history and emphasize the importance of diversity to the Corps of Cadets while promoting excellence in teaching, research, and community service.

As founding Director, it gives me great pleasure to announce the inauguration of this program to the community, the state, and nation. The Citadel is making great strides in numerous areas and the African American Studies program is an example of that progress. In addition to providing a series of courses highlighting the contributions of African Americans to American history, the program will also sponsor community meetings, symposiums, and a speaker's bureau. These efforts will promote an ongoing dialogue between The Citadel and the community and strengthen The Citadel's reputation as an institution charged with building principled leaders. Please join us in achieving this momentous task.

Sincerely yours,

Marcus Cox, Ph.D.
Founding Director,
The Citadel African American Studies Program