Black Scholars Institute

We are pleased to announce an inaugural Black Scholars Institute (BSI) at the University of Windsor.  

We believe that the inclusion of Black peoples, ways of learning and knowledge systems are integral to the growth of our community. The establishment of the BSI is a crucial part of fulfilling the University’s Strategic Mandate Agreement (ontario.ca) and purposefully moving the institution into the future. The Institute will enhance the University’s research profile and will also establish the University as a centre of excellence in Windsor-Essex and the Detroit area - a region known for its historic importance for Black people in North America. 

The establishment of this initiative was approved by the University of Windsor’s Senate (.pdf format) on 7 October, 2022. The initiative is in alignment with the University’s commitment to the Scarborough Charter (utoronto.ca) on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. In November 2022, the BSI launched a recruitment effort to hire 13 Black scholars who will enhance research, creative, and scholarly work, and community collaboration.

The Black Scholars Institute will:

• Build and support a program in Black Studies within the new Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies Academic Administrative Unit;
• Attract external research grant funding in Black Studies that include, but are not limited to: 
  1. Black literature
  2. Black history
  3. Black health
  4. Black education
  5. Black business
  6. Black culture
• Attract faculty with research that is adjacent to Black Studies from across the institution to affiliate with the Black Scholars Institute;
• Collaborate with Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies as a department for joint appointments and future hires;
• Host an interdisciplinary Black speakers’ series to increase the visibility of Black scholarship from across Canada;
• Sponsor study abroad opportunities, in the United States and Caribbean;
• Lead mentorship programs for Black faculty and students;
• Support institutional initiatives to address anti-Black racism;
• Scaffold interconnections across faculties and with government agencies, regional partners, community agencies, and corporations;
• Support co-op placements, internships, and pathways for Black graduates after convocation;
• Build alumni networks to facilitate student career placements, the building of an institute endowment, and a national presence.

The BSI is poised to play a significant role in joining the Canadian Black diaspora to that of the Caribbean, the United States, and Latin America. It will be launched in 2024.

For more information on the University of Windsor’s Black Scholars Institute, please contact BSI@uwindsor.ca