About
Mission and Goals
Who We Are
The Institute on Black Life (IBL) is a research institute in the College of Arts and Sciences and is open to all members of the USF community. It provides physical and intellectual space for all who are interested in questions and projects that explore the ways the specificity of Black people's diverse lived experiences illuminate the meanings, challenges, and possibilities of human life in the modern world.
Mission
The Institute on Black Life fosters understanding and appreciation of African and African diaspora history and culture and encourages student success by serving as a nexus of cultural and intellectual community, supporting research initiatives among students and faculty, and engaging with community partners.
Goals
The IBL has the following goals :
- Goal 1: To facilitate and support knowledge production through research and scholarly exchange on a broad range of topics that explore how the lives of Black people in the U.S.,
Africa, and across the African Diaspora illuminate important lessons about the human
experience.
- Goal 2: To facilitate local and global community engagement, interdisciplinary research and service projects, sustainable solutions to systemically
induced economic, environmental and sociocultural problems related to the Institute’s
mission.
- Goal 3: To support USF student retention, academic success, and creativity through cultural enrichment, informal training, mentorship, study abroad, internship placement, and community-engaged research and service opportunities that support the IBL mission.