The Purpose of the AACRC

AACRC advises and provides a safe and affirming environment for students by listening, assisting, supporting and collaborating with the university community.

AACRC has a serious commitment to intercede on behalf of the students and to speak for them in areas where they are not heard.

AACRC challenges students to enhance their educational experience through campus organization involvement and community service. The center believes that today's students are tomorrow's leaders who are in-tune with their communities.

The AACRC has many sources and benefits to offer students while academically excelling. Each Tuesday, the center offers study tables. During these sessions, students are provided with free tutors from various areas of study. And throughout the academic year, the Center accommodates study groups. In addition, the Center remains open 24 hrs during finals so that students may benefit from a non-stop, quiet and inviting study environment.

The AACRC helps students excel by addressing the academic, social, spiritual, personal and cultural needs of black students at the university. It is our goal to assist in building a positive, well-developed and balanced environment.

With our changing society, the AACRC has accepted the challenge to increase our students’ knowledge of the technological world in which they live. The Center is housed with the most up to date sources of performance, educational and program implementation needs.

The AACRC has a commitment to connect the campus, community and the continent.

In 1968, African American students at the University of Cincinnati, led by members of the United Black Student Association (formally United Black Association) petitioned the University Board of Trustees and the UC president to commit to making campus more conducive to African American students, faculty and staff.

In 1989, UBSA submitted a proposal stating that African American students wanted to create a more positive environment on campus in which their presence on campus and history would be more accurately represented. During the spring of 1990, the University Board of Trustees requested that the president establish a committee to study the feasibility of implementing a center. As a result of this study, the university's students, staff, the president's office, faculty senate and Board of Trustees and made the commitment and support necessary to open the African American Cultural & Resource Center (African American Cultural and Research Center). Officially, the AACRC opened its doors on September 24, 1991.

On July 1, 2010, the African American Cultural and Resource Center was re-named, the African American Cultural and Resource Center.

The African American Cultural & Resource Center (AACRC) supports the university's mission by recruiting and retaining students of diverse identities at the University of Cincinnati. The AACRC's primary focus is to address the Black student population's academic, social, spiritual, and cultural needs.

A fundamental element of the university community is a pledge to civility, thus, the AACRC strives to create a learning and working environment which promotes justice and fairness. The Center challenges systematic forms of oppression which have historically inhibited the personal and professional development of individuals who attend predominately white colleges and universities.

The AACRC encourages the ever-increasing diversity of our university, and acknowledges the importance of such at an urban educational institution. We actively participate, along all spectrums, in the education of diversity while encouraging the university community to become more enlightened about the African American experience, and cultures of and relating to Modern African Diaspora. We take great pride in our collaborations and rich relationships with various stakeholders beyond our primary constituencies, while promoting relationships with our prestigious faculty, staff and administration.

We set high standards for our programming and services, and are committed to meeting the educational and service needs of students, as well as the university community. The AACRC values each contact and interaction as an opportunity to encourage positive relationships, personal growth, and cultural awareness.

The AACRC is committed to placing students at the core of our service through empowerment and opportunity, as well as access to premier resources. We value our greater campus impact and commitment to the growth and personal development of every student at the University of Cincinnati. The Center values the robust collaboration within the division, in addition to an array or partnerships within academic affairs. The influence of the AACRC does not stop at the perimeter of the campus, but touches the Greater Cincinnati community, as well as many communities across the United States.

The African American Cultural & Resource Center covers over six thousand square feet of space dedicated to the personal, cultural, and professional development of University of Cincinnati students. Our space exists as a Safe Space for Black students at the university to find community, develop as leaders, and host programs and events that are anchored in the Black experience. The African American Cultural & Resource Center is welcome to all students, staff and faculty no matter their racial identity and prides itself as a place where all can engage, educate themselves, and challenge their various privileged identities.

Our office hosts hundreds of events for a variety of student organizations, university offices, visiting schools, and community partners throughout the year. We invite you to explore the links below and connect with us for an upcoming event!