Athens, Ohio. . . Vibert C. Cambridge, an associate professor in Ohio University's School of Telecommunications, has been named interim chair of the university's African American Studies Department. He will serve a two-year term and replaces Vatel Rose who is retiring.

Cambridge plans to build on the strengths of the current program by developing closer links to other departments that offer courses that address African American issues. "I see the African American Studies Department reaffirming its interdisciplinary foundations and re-energizing its role as an essential element in the intellectual life of Ohio University," Cambridge said. "The department will seek strategic alliances across campus."

Cambridge received both his master's degree in international relations and his doctorate in mass communications from Ohio University. He has taught at the university since 1989 and has held a number of administrative posts at the university and with professional organizations. For five years before accepting the chair's position, he served as director of Communication and Development Studies in the Center for International Studies. He also served on the African American Studies Planning Committee during the past school year.

"Dr. Cambridge is a respected scholar, teacher and administrator," said Leslie A. Flemming, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "He's thoroughly familiar with the department's proud history. I have every confidence that with his energy, enthusiasm and knowledge, he will build from the past and set a course that will make the program one of the leading centers for African American Studies in the state."

One of Cambridge's goal's is to develop a two-year project titled "African American Studies and the Disciplines: Views from Ohio University." The project is designed to engage the university in an on-going conversation on the continuing relevance of African American Studies to scholarship and American life in the 21st century.

The department also is likely to grow in the next few years. Cambridge expects to hire two new faculty members and a permanent chair in the next two years. The permanent chair will hire two new faculty members after that.