African American Research and Service Institute

Our Mission

The African American Research and Service Institute is housed in the African American Studies Department at Ohio University, one of the oldest African American Studies departments in the nation.

The mission of AARSI is:

1. Encourage interdisciplinary and community-based research related to experiences of people of African descent
2. Strategic partnerships across the campus, institutions, and global community
3. Primary research focus on African American experiences in rural America, especially the Ohio River Valley

Our Vision

We envision a student-centered resource where students may make an appointment on an individual basis to use materials for their papers. We also plan to host small upper-level classes in the Reading Room for short lectures, with a portion dedicated to an introduction to archived documents. The institute’s finding aids will show students how to develop their projects beyond the archive, and AARSI will become a repository for their final outcomes. External scholars, community members and regional residents also will be encouraged to peruse in-house resources as well as primary sources in the surrounding Southeast Ohio communities. We also aim to encourage heritage tourism for Athens, Washington, Morgan and Hocking Counties.

Eventually, and in support of Ohio University’s R1 status, the institute will host scholars from outside of the university for short-term residencies, vetted by an Institute Advisory Board. The institute will pursue external and grant support for hosting scholars, making archival materials accessible, develop a colloquia series, sponsor research fellowships, and more. 

History of the Institute

The institute was established in 2003 as an extension of the Black Studies Institute, which began in 1970. It is housed in the Department of African American Studies, one of the oldest such departments in the country. Former African American Studies Chair Dr. Vibert Cambridge began the Institute, and Dr. Déanda Johnson ran it full-time until 2010. 

Meet the Director

Andrea Frohne’s directorship of the Institute signals an essential collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts, as the appointment brings together Arts and Humanities students, faculty, and staff from across Ohio University.

Dr. Andrea Frohne
Professor of African Art History
Director of the African American Research and Service Institute and of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts 
frohne@ohio.edu

About the image atop this page: This postcard portrays Carbon Hill, Ohio, circa 1922. Carbon Hill was seven miles away from the historically Black cemetery and community known as Payne's Crossing.