Contact the Think Tank
Venise Berry
Coordinator, Midwest Cultural Think Tank
514 Jefferson Building
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242-1408
Phone: 319-335-2765
Mission
The Midwest Cultural Think Tank serves as a prominent resource for interdisciplinary research on the University of Iowa Campus to educate, engage and empower. The Think Tank will involve a variety of efforts to connect research with practical application and public advocacy. It will bring diverse perspectives together through a number of avenues such as discussion groups, conferences, seminars, a newsletter, media oriented projects or other opportunities.
Goals
- To identify research opportunities, explore educational possibilities and assist with community development initiatives.
- To increase and improve diversity on the UI campus and in the surrounding communities by assisting in the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, staff and student body.
- Cultivating a distinguished and diverse community of scholars that actively involve graduate and undergraduates.
- To follow the UI strategic plan to strengthen relationships and build bridges across cultural, interdisciplinary and individual difference.
- To contribute to the body of knowledge documenting African American Life and Culture in the Midwest.
- To examine and explore African American Life and Culture by bringing together scholars and professionals from a variety of areas.
- To improve the University's diversity recruiting efforts through enhanced visibility and more effective strategic planning.
Speakers Series
This series is organized each year with a combination of seminars, presentations, conferences or other forums. It will bring outstanding scholars and/or other professionals to the campus in relevant fields. The purpose will be to showcase and enrich African American Studies faculty based on their research in African American Life and Culture.
Outreach
The Midwest Cultural Think Tank will develop and disseminate research and creative projects that promote a holistic understanding of African American Life and Culture in the Midwest from rural and inner-city areas to middle and upper class experiences. Iowa populations, plus Midwestern cities with established African American populations are within the vision of strategic opportunities.
In many cities in Iowa African American communities are growing (Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Waterloo, Davenport, etc.). Also, geographically, the University of Iowa sits in the middle of a number of prominent Midwest cities with large African American populations (Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, Milwaukee, etc.) offering easy access to viable research and creative opportunities.
updated March 1, 2013
