About
the Center
APARC
at Boston University
Boston University
is an ideal setting for the Center for a number of reasons.
- APARC
has the active support of the Chancellor, President, and
Provost
- Boston University
has the second oldest African
Studies Center in the nation, having been established
in 1953. Over almost five decades, BU has established an
international reputation for excellence in teaching and
conducting research on Africa. The African Studies Center
has an active program, and is supported by publications,
African language instruction, and public outreach activities.
It is an ideal environment in which to incubate APARC.
- Given the multidisciplinary
approach envisioned for APARC, it is important that
it be located within, and able to call upon the resources
of, a major research university with strengths in law,
medicine, public
health, art and
literature, history,
international relations,
and economics.
- The University
has deep and broad experience in collaborating with institutions
in Africa. BU has a long-standing study
abroad program with the University of Abdou Moumouni
in Niger,
a faculty exchange program with an Ethiopian University,
and has in the past operated a successful USAID-sponsored
public health initiative in twenty West African countries.
- Boston University's
history of careful study of both Anglophone and Francophone
Africa, and its internationally focused special programs
such as the World Leaders Forum, provide a synergistic environment
in which the Center can flourish.
- Given that
a core component of the Center is the African Presidential
Archives, Boston University's commitment to expanding its
already impressive collection of 20th/21st Century archival
material would ensure that the materials receive the quality
of care, availability, and dissemination consistent with
the Center's goals.
Beyond the assets
and resources of Boston University, the city of Boston is
an ideal context for such an endeavor. Boston is one of the
intellectual capitals of the world, thus thousands of scholars,
students and future leaders would enjoy access to the Center
and its research. This would mean exposing a new generation
engaged in scholarly study to current realities and fresh
insights about Africa. Boston is also a desirable site for
such a Center because it is one of the world's major financial
centers. This makes it an excellent venue for African leaders
to advance ideas that might move Africa from the margins to
the mainstream of the global community.
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The Work of APARC
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APARC