Niara Sudarkasa
Encyclopedia
Niara Sudarkasa is an American scholar, educator, Africanist
and anthropologist who holds thirteen honorary degrees, and is the recipient of nearly 100 civic and professional awards. In 1989 Essence
magazine named her "Educator for the '90s", and in 2001 she became the first African American to be installed as a Chief in the historic Ife
Kingdom of the Yoruba
of Nigeria
.
. Niara was a gifted student who skipped several grades in primary school. She graduated from high school and accepted early admission to Fisk University
on a Ford Foundation
scholarship when she was fifteen years old. She left Fisk and transferred to Oberlin, earning an associates degree in anthropology
and English from Oberlin in 1957. She received her masters degree in anthropology from Columbia University
. While completing her Ph.D. she taught at Columbia University, becoming the first African American
woman to teach there when she earned her Ph.D.
in 1964.
Soon after earning her Ph.D., Sudarkasa was appointed assistant professor of anthropology at New York University
, the first black woman to hold that position. She was also the first African American to be appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan
in 1969. While at Michigan, she became involved in civil rights and student issues. When she left Michigan in 1986, Sudarkasa became the first female to serve as president of Lincoln University
in Pennsylvania
.
During Surdarkasa's presidency at Lincoln University the school increased enrollment, strengthened its undergraduate and international programs and put into place an ambitious minority recruitment effort. She stepped down from her post as president at Lincoln in 1998. Currently she is the Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, and sits on the board of directors
for several organizations including the Academy for Educational Development
.
Africanist
Africanist may refer to:*A specialist in African studies*A strand of African nationalism during the activism against apartheid in South Africa particularly associated with the Pan Africanist Congress...
and anthropologist who holds thirteen honorary degrees, and is the recipient of nearly 100 civic and professional awards. In 1989 Essence
Essence (magazine)
Essence is a monthly magazine for African-American women between the ages of 18 and 49. The magazine covers fashion, lifestyle and beauty with an intimate girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.-History:...
magazine named her "Educator for the '90s", and in 2001 she became the first African American to be installed as a Chief in the historic Ife
Ife
Ife is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. Evidence of inhabitation at the site has been discovered to date back to roughly 560 BC...
Kingdom of the Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Biography
Niara Sudarkasa was born Gloria Albertha Marshall on August 14, 1938 in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Niara was a gifted student who skipped several grades in primary school. She graduated from high school and accepted early admission to Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
on a Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
scholarship when she was fifteen years old. She left Fisk and transferred to Oberlin, earning an associates degree in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and English from Oberlin in 1957. She received her masters degree in anthropology from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. While completing her Ph.D. she taught at Columbia University, becoming the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman to teach there when she earned her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1964.
Soon after earning her Ph.D., Sudarkasa was appointed assistant professor of anthropology at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, the first black woman to hold that position. She was also the first African American to be appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1969. While at Michigan, she became involved in civil rights and student issues. When she left Michigan in 1986, Sudarkasa became the first female to serve as president of Lincoln University
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. It is located near the town of Oxford in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university also hosts a Center for Graduate Studies in the City of Philadelphia. Lincoln University provides...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
During Surdarkasa's presidency at Lincoln University the school increased enrollment, strengthened its undergraduate and international programs and put into place an ambitious minority recruitment effort. She stepped down from her post as president at Lincoln in 1998. Currently she is the Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, and sits on the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
for several organizations including the Academy for Educational Development
Academy for Educational Development
AED, formerly the Academy for Educational Development, is a 501 nonprofit organization that focuses on education, health and economic development for the "least advantaged in the United States and developing countries throughout the world." AED currently operates more than 250 programs in the...
.