Kennesaw State University's African and African Diaspora Studies degree program could be cut due to lack of graduates, the school confirmed Friday.
African studies faculty met Thursday with university officials to discuss the program’s dire situation. In a statement, KSU said all at the meeting agreed to increase efforts to recruit students for the major.
In response, the school's NAACP chapter posted to Facebook on Friday its plan to march in protest of the potential deactivation.
“It’s far from over!!!!! Go out and show your support!!!!” according to the callout. The post had a single “like” more than two hours after being published.
And it appears a Facebook page has been started named "KSU Bring Black Back" in response to the news. It has more than 115 followers.
The program was approved by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents in 2004, but “has consistently failed to meet the minimum number of enrollees and graduates” recommended by the board for the past three years, KSU said. That number recommended by the board is a minimum of 10 such students a year.
The program describes itself on a school webpage this way: "Students will gain an appreciation for the diverse character of humanity, explore the complex historical and cultural relations between Africans on the continent and African-descended peoples in the Diaspora."
The university said the program will be reviewed again in spring 2018.
“KSU officials are hopeful enrollments will increase so that deactivation is not necessary,” the school said.
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