Professor Jervette R. Ward, chair of Black Studies, welcomes the reestablishment of the Department.
Within 11 months of hiring Professor Jervette R. Ward to lead the Black Studies Department at The City College of New York, the goal of reestablishing the program as a department has been accomplished. That is just one in a long list of goals that under her leadership have been met and exceeded. After a national search at CCNY, Ward was appointed as director of the Black Studies Program in August 2023 in the Division of Humanities and the Arts, and she now serves as the chair of the new Department.
Black Studies organized and led the 45th Annual Langston Hughes Festival honoring Colson Whitehead, as well as the “Legacy Igniting the Movement: The 55th Anniversary of the CCNY Student Takeover.” Ward shared that these efforts were supported by the Black Studies Chief of Staff Jodi-Ann Francis, the guidance of the Black Studies Executive Committee and the direction of the Langston Hughes Festival Advisory Committee.
In her role as president of The College Language Association (CLA), Ward continues to manage the historic organization, which includes overseeing the annual convention, the peer-reviewed academic journal, and the entire leadership team. Recognizing the importance of HBCU’s in the narrative of Black Studies, she is leading strategic partnerships like establishing the new CLA Headquarters on the campus of LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, T.N.), a private HBCU and the founding location of CLA in 1937 and strengthening ties with the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library (Atlanta, G.A.).
This role has allowed Ward to continue to facilitate partnerships for Black Studies with the Modern Language Association (MLA) and, other major academic organizations, through work on a joint task force addressing AI concerns in higher education. One of the major goals of the new Department is to help prepare students for future careers and educational advancement.
In Spring 2024, the Department General Fund was launched to help support Departmental goals.
Goals for the upcoming academic year include, establishing an office suite in historic Shepard Hall; hiring new tenure-line faculty to meet the required number of faculty lines; updating curriculum, bylaws, mission, and vision; drafting a Strategic Plan in alignment with the College’s Plan; supporting faculty research, teaching, and service innovations; revamping the cross-listing course structure; continuing strategic partnerships; and hosting the 46th Annual Langston Hughes Festival honoring Roxane Gay.
Ward recently appeared on an episode of Black America, the award-winning CUNY TV show that profiles prominent Black people in the community. The episode focuses on the reestablishment of the Black Studies Department, how Five Demands led to change at CCNY, and the documentary, “The Five Demands,” which made its PBS debut.
Ward came to CCNY from Mississippi State University (MSU) as a tenured English professor, and she earned her Ph.D. from The University of Memphis. She writes, teaches, and speaks on the power of language and popular culture as avenues for social change.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Thea Klapwald
e:
tklapwald@ccny.cuny.edu