THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR THE STUDY OF KENTUCKY AFRICAN AMERICANS The Center of Excellence for the Study of Kentucky African Americans (CESKAA) was established, in accordance with the University mission, to serve as the primary vehicle for researching, collecting, preserving, and distributing information and materials about Kentucky African Americans and African heritage.
CESKAA exists as a repository and living community of memory to stress the diversity, richness, and complexity of both the University’s history and heritage and that of Kentucky African Americans. Its programs of research and service are designed to enhance the liberal studies mission of the University. Through public education, service, and outreach, CESKAA plays an important role for the University, local community, and the state in shaping dialogue and policy regarding historical, social and heritage preservation projects across the Commonwealth.
CESKAA’s African Art Collection, considered one of the best in the region, contains more than 200 artifacts used for the study of social and cultural history of various regions in Africa. Students and scholars across the Commonwealth take advantage of the resource guides to the collections and images of the University’s early history on the Kentucky Virtual Library Web site.
The Center is located in historic Jackson Hall, the first permanent building on the KSU campus. It maintains archival resources in Blazer Library and museum quality exhibits in the Jackson Hall Gallery. CESKAA exists so that researchers, scholars, teachers, students, and others interested in African-American history, culture, social institutions, and public policy have a place to come and use materials about African Americans, ranging from agriculture and farm life to African-American heritage sites and urban life.
In the broadest sense, CESKAA exists so that all the people of Kentucky can learn and be informed about the important contributions African-American citizens make to the development of the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
In Fall 1987, a Research Center for Public and International Policy was established within the School of Public Administration to emphasize applied social science research. The chairperson of the School of Public Administration concurrently serves as the Director of the Research Center for Public and International Policy, which seeks both external and internal funds to carry out applied social science research. Faculty and graduate assistants in the School of Public Administration gain hands-on experience in these research programs.
The Institute for Liberal Studies provides leadership in the continuous development and implementation of a comprehensive program in liberal studies. It seeks to enhance the mission of the University through academic and scholarly activities, focusing on the intellectual enrichment of faculty and students.
The numerous functions of the Institute for Liberal Studies include the production of an annual interdisciplinary conference attracting scholars from all over the nation and the world. The Institute publishes selected lectures which are made available to a broad readership that participates in the ongoing national debate on liberal studies. Finally, the Institute sponsors a summer institute designed to improve teaching in liberal studies areas. The Institute for Liberal Studies was created to provide opportunities for developing activities which are of direct interest to the interdisciplinary community of scholars at Kentucky State University, in the nation, and worldwide.
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