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Ujima Education Office Records, 1995-2013

By Devon Graham and Natalia Fernández

Collection Overview

Title: Ujima Education Office Records, 1995-2013

ID: RG 266

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Ujima Education Office.

Extent: 5.75 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The Ujima Education Office Records consist of 4 series: 1. Campus Resources, 1997-2012; 2. Events and Publications, 1997-2013; Institutional Diversity, 1995-2012; 4. Newspapers, 2002-2013

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Ujima Education Office Records document the office’s administration, event programming, and student outreach efforts at Oregon State University. The collection contains documents collected by Earlean Wilson Huey during her time as coordinator of the Ujima Education Office. Established in 1997 to increase retention and recruitment of African American students at OSU, the office served as a mainstay of African American identity and community for nearly two decades.

Access to various materials in Series 1, 2, and 3 are restricted due to the presence of confidential information. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

Scope and Content Notes

The Ujima Education Office Records consist of materials documenting the office’s administration and budget, events and programming, interdepartmental communications and projects, outreach and research records, and student records. The collection is primarily made up of textual documents but also includes photographs, posters, and newspapers.

Series are broadly divided into four categories. The first series is all materials relating to students groups and outreach by Ujima that directly assisted students in their studies and adjustment to campus life. Series two is entirely devoted to programming, planning, and feedback about events held on campus by the Ujima office and collaborating organizations. A third series is devoted to materials relating to research on retention of African American students conducted by Ujima and their connected offices on campus. This series in particular contains large amounts of restricted material relating to student information. Finally, there are also a substantial number of Oregon newspapers including The OSU Barometer, The Portland Observer, and The Corvallis Gazette Times from various dates.

The Ujima Education Office Records were collected by Ms. Earlean Wilson Huey during her time as coordinator of the office. The office, devoted to assisting “African American students with cultural, educational and social development,” worked closely with many related office on the Oregon State University campus that are represented in this collection. These offices and organizations include Intercultural Student Services, Minority Education Office, the Black Student Union, and the Division of Student Affairs.

Intercultural Student Services (ISS) was an entity at Oregon State University that has since developed into the Center for Diversity and Cultural Engagement. ISS was founded to increase access and retention of underrepresented students by providing “facilities, cultural programs, activities, support services, and leadership development opportunities.” The ISS office worked closely with the Ujima Education Office and materials from these communications and projects make up a significant portion of this collection.

Access to various materials in Series 1, 2, and 3 are restricted due to the presence of confidential information. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Ujima Education Office opened at Oregon State University in 1997 to “assist African American students with cultural, educational and social development.” One of the office’s primary goals was to improve the retention and recruitment of African American students. Ujima is a Swahili word and one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It means “collective work and responsibility.”

The collection is from Earlean Wilson-Huey who served as the coordinator of the office starting in 2002. While she provided the materials that make up this collection, the collection contains materials from her predecessor Paul James’ time as coordinator. Her role as coordinator was to “be a liaison between students and faculty and staff, and provide advising and counseling support for African American students at OSU.” The office was located in the Kerr Administration Building, Room A200F, on the Oregon State Campus. The Ujima Education Office was run under the Minority Education umbrella office which answered to the Student Affairs Office. By the mid-2010s the office ceased to exist; many of the functions became a part of the Lonnie B Harris Black Cultural Center as well as Diversity and Cultural Engagement.



Author: Devon Graham

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 8 boxes, including 1 oversize box, 100 photos

Statement on Access: Access to various materials in Series 1, 2, and 3 are restricted due to the presence of confidential information. All other materials in this collection are open for research. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

Acquisition Note: The Ujima Education Office Records were transferred to the OSU Special Collections and Archives Research Center by Earlean Wilson Huey in 2013.

Related Materials: Special Collections and Archives Research Center's collections include the records of the Diversity Development Office Records (RG 228), Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center Records (RG 244), the Educational Opportunities Program Records (RG 230), Office of Multicultural Affairs Records (RG 225), and Minority Education Office Records (RG 229) also document services for non-traditional and minority students at OSU. All of these collections are components of the Oregon Multicultural Archives.

Preferred Citation: Ujima Education Office Records (RG 266), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

Oregon State University. Ujima Education Office.
Wilson Huey, Earlean

People, Places, and Topics

African American college students--Oregon--Corvallis.
College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
College student newspapers and periodicals--Oregon--Corvallis.
Corvallis (Or.)--Newspapers.
Corvallis (Or.)--Photographs.
Minority college students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Minority college students--Recruiting--Oregon.
Multicultural education--Oregon.
Multiculturalism--Oregon.
Oregon Multicultural Archives
Portland (Or.)--Newspapers.
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
University History

Forms of Material

Photographic prints.


Box and Folder Listing