Welcome to the MSU African Studies Center website! 

I am honored and thrilled to become the Director of our globally renowned African Studies Center. I extend my gratitude to those involved in the search process, the many supporters across MSU, and the outstanding staff of the African Studies Center (ASC). Serving as Interim Director for the past two years has been enriching and inspired me to fully embrace this role. I look forward to building on our progress to advance knowledge of Africa’s challenges and opportunities in science, business, culture, languages and other spheres. By catalyzing and supporting research, teaching, and outreach, we will pursue MSU and International Studies & Programs' goals of innovating global solutions, creating global citizens, and generating global investment, extending the best of the land-grant tradition in our equitable partnerships with African institutions.

I am committed to advancing ASC’s mission of nurturing the next generation of African experts in academia, policy, and practice. Together, we will elevate academic excellence by expanding and enriching our Africa-focused curricula and integrating innovative interdisciplinary teaching, including education abroad and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). We will foster research, collaborations, and exchanges, as well as continue offering instruction in 30 African languages to fulfil the Center’s dedication to creating new knowledge. Strengthening engagement with local, Michigan-based, and national organizations, and promoting cultural awareness through diverse outreach activities is another ASC role.

Over the past two years, the number of ASC core faculty has grown back to over 100 across MSU departments and units, enhancing our multidisciplinary perspectives on Africa. In addition, we have seen significant increases in the number of U.S. students supported with Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships, African students enrolled and earning degrees, and those supported with fellowships. Our communications, including the newsletter, social media, and digital outreach, have improved in both reach and quality. We restarted the co-production and hosting of the popular Africa Past & Present Podcast (Afripod), in partnership with Professor Peter Alegi from the History Department and Matrix: Center for Digital Humanities & Social Sciences.

Notably, we co-founded the Institute of Ubuntu Thought and Practice (IUTP) with the College of Arts and Letters, transitioning from the successful Ubuntu Dialogues Project supported by the Andrew Mellon Foundation. We co-hosted a major conference, integrating African and Western philosophies, and honored the late Pan-Africanist scholar Micere Mugo with a symposium in April 2024. Under the leadership of the ASC Advisory Committee, we updated the 2008 ASC bylaws in December 2023.

In short, my vision for the African Studies Center (ASC) is to create a forward-thinking, dynamic, and adaptable institution that advances MSU and ISP goals by responding to Africa’s ever-changing landscape. I adopt a big-tent, Africa@MSU approach by consolidating and expanding the Center’s core strengths in the humanities and social sciences to more fields including STEM disciplines, business and management, and law & legal studies through interdisciplinarity collaboration across ISP, MSU, and institutions globally. Priorities include:

• Building on ASC’s strong reputation to ensure the successful implementation of the Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) programs and striving for a successful 2026 application to maintain our standing as a top African studies center globally. In addition, we seek to diversify and expand funding sources beyond US Department of Education Title VI and FLAS federal grants to support ASC initiatives, increasing efforts with foundations.
• Expanding support, engagement, and membership for our core faculty and staff while recognizing and championing their contributions and internationalizing new faculty to Africa is a major focus. I will also advocate for strategies to increase Africa-focused faculty at MSU, including cluster hires.
• Supporting mini-workshops on faculty-driven themes hosted at MSU. My priority is to maximize cross-unit synergies by expanding interdisciplinary collaborations within and across ISP, MSU, and beyond, enhancing research, teaching, engagement, and impact in Africa.
• Building on initial gains in collaborations with the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) and Tanzania Partnership Program (TPP), including shared projects, student and faculty fellowships, programming, and events.
• Strengthening the Institute of Ubuntu Thought and Practice (IUTP) and supporting resource mobilization to establish MSU as a leader in Ubuntu scholarship and practice.
• Advancing trans-regional studies by fostering theme-based synergies and partnerships for research, teaching, and outreach across Africa, Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and MENA regions.

As we celebrate 65 years of engagement in Africa from 1960 to 2025, I invite you to join our year-long celebration starting in Spring 2025. Please look for announcements about special themed events and activities each month, showcasing our rich history in research, teaching, and outreach in Africa, culminating in a symposium in early October 2025.

I look forward to collaborating with and learning from faculty, staff, students and the broader community to enhance the Center's impact in research, teaching, and outreach in Africa. As I meet with many of you over the next few months, my goal is to understand how the Center can better serve and support your efforts.

With best wishes for a successful 2024/25 academic year.

And if you are in East Lansing, stop by and say hello to us in the African Studies Center! 

Leo Zulu

July 2024