Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center
Mission The mission of Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center is to provide a network of programs and support services promoting the individual, social, cultural and academic well-being of Illinois’ African American students. It develops sustainable initiatives that examine the Black experience in the United States and throughout the African Diaspora via critical dialogue, heritage exploration and the performing arts. Furthermore, BNAAC challengesv all Illinois students to critically assess their role as global citizens and to consciously advocate for a respectful campus environment and community.
100 STRONG The 100 STRONG Program was initiated with the belief that students who engage in activities that support their personal and organizational growth in a culturally relevant way, are more likely to persist and graduate. Thus, in the summer of 2006 the “Freshman Focus: Retention and Recruitment” program was established. The 100 STRONG program enables the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center and other campus units to share knowledge with students on how to learn together and how to build a sense of community. This program initiative is designed to link experiences, encourage mutual respect, and strengthen academics and organizational leadership. The program design was created with these outcomes in mind: • To aid freshman in achieving high academic goals by connecting them to campus resources and offices. • To expose freshmen to future leadership opportunities on campus boards, organizations, and committees. • To establish peer-to-peer programmatic outlets that address students’ academic, cultural, and social support systems on campus. • To connect students with career development activities. • To give students experiential knowledge of their civil rights past and how it relates to personal and group development. The 100 STRONG Program is assessed via quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure BNAACC staff members are continually finding ways to improve the initiative. Additionally, 100 STRONG has a student executive board which aids professional staff in student outreach and programmatic efforts.
Goals a. To serve as a vehicle for self-expression and leadership enhancement to students of African descent through the vehicles of workshops, seminars, and performing arts groups. b. To promote campus-wide understanding of the unique contributions of African Americans to the life and culture of the campus, the nation and indeed the world. c. To encourage within African American students a growing sense of pride and dignity based on their rightful cultural heritage, and to assist them in acquiring a growing cultural awareness.
d. To provide assistance to African American student organizations on the Urbana campus. e. To provide opportunities for all students to engage in the vital cultural and social experience of meeting, interacting with, and learning from students of diverse backgrounds. f. To facilitate meaningful relationships and networking opportunities between African American students and Illinois alumni.
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