Athens - A committee convened by Leslie A. Flemming, dean of Ohio University's College of Arts & Sciences, has tabulated results from a survey designed to determine the extent of campus-wide support for the African American Studies program.

The African American Studies Planning Committee sent surveys to faculty members in all the university's academic departments. One purpose of the survey was to assess interest in African American Studies outside the African American Studies Department. The results showed that 14 departments in six of the university's eight colleges surveyed offer courses that address issues in African American Studies.

"The committee was really pleased to see how much interest there was campus-wide in African American Studies," said Dean Flemming, chair of the committee. "The results also confirmed our original thought that we should have, in addition to core faculty within the department, a group of associated faculty who are in other departments."

Dean Flemming used as an example Crystal Anderson, who holds a master's degree in English and a doctorate in American Studies. Her teaching interests include Asian American literature and history, African American literature and history and Latino literature and history. She has been hired by the English Department and will teach African American literature beginning next fall. The survey results showed there are many possible faculty members who could be associated with the African American Studies Department who currently are teaching in other departments or colleges.

Faculty are not the only untapped resource, according to Dean Flemming. "We have awarded an Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship to Kristen Hood who has an extensive background in race, gender and Black feminist thought," Dean Flemming said. "She will be a tremendous resource for students interested in African American Studies from gender perspectives."

In addition to the potential for broader participation by current faculty, Dean Flemming said two faculty positions will be added to the department, bringing the total number of core faculty in African American Studies to five.

The nine-member African American Studies Planning Committee was convened in October to reassess the program and review its mission and curriculum. Future leadership for the program has been uncertain since Vattel Rose, chair of the African American Studies Department, announced his retirement two years ago. Two national searches failed to yield a candidate who met the full criteria for the chair's position and Rose postponed his retirement until the end of this academic year.

The chair's position is difficult to fill, according to Erek Perry, a committee member and assistant dean for Student Recruitment and Retention in the College of Arts and Sciences. "The changing American demographic has underscored the importance for greater depth and understanding of diversity and for scholarship in African American Studies, and individuals with strong scholarship in African American Studies are in high demand."

Perry said he thinks strengthening the department will help attract a number of highly qualified candidates to the chair's position. "A strong candidate is more likely to make a commitment to us if he or she sees we are making a commitment to the program," Perry said.

In the meantime, an interim chair will be named. The committee has been discussing interim leadership and an announcement is expected soon, according to Dean Flemming.

Committee members are Vibert Cambridge, associate professor in Telecommunications; Francine Childs, professor of African American Studies; Glenn Doston, associate dean, College of Education; Leslie Flemming, dean and committee chair; Stephen Howard, director of African Studies; Erek Perry, assistant dean for Recruitment and Retention, Arts and Sciences; Vattel Rose, associate professor and chair of African American Studies; Charles Smith, associate professor of Theater; and Michael Spencer, an undergraduate student.