Background
The establishment of the BSI fulfilled a commitment by the University of Windsor to the University's Strategic Mandate Agreement and purposefully move the institution into the future. The Institute is intended to enhance the University's research profile and establish the University as a centre of excellence for research, teaching, and scholarly practice in Windsor-Essex and the Detroit area - a region known for its historical importance for Black people in North America.
Purpose
The Black Scholars Institute is a community space dedicated to fostering belonging through opportunities for collaboration and access to resources, mentorship, and career development for Black scholars. The institute affirms Black scholarship by facilitating opportunities to elevate the work and brilliance of Black scholars in research, teaching, and scholarly practices. The institute serves as a beacon of Black leadership and a gathering of great minds that contribute to the impact of the University of Windsor in Canada and globally.
Vision
To establish the Black Scholars Institute (BSI) as a premier hub of excellence, advancing Black scholarship, research, and leadership in Canada, while fostering connections in the local and global community.
Mission
To facilitate the promotion and elevation of Black scholars and scholarship as well as provide advocacy, support, and mentorship that values the diverse knowledge systems and ways of learning in higher education, driving interdisciplinary research and creative work that address the needs of the Canadian and global society while building an inclusive academic culture at the University of Windsor.
Dr. Camisha Sibblis
Director-Black Scholars Institute
Message from the Director
The appointment of Camisha Sibblis as director of the Black Scholars Institute will help to advance its mission, says Shanthi Johnson, vice-president, research and innovation.
“I am excited to welcome Dr. Sibblis to this crucial role,” Dr. Johnson said. “Her remarkable expertise and extensive experience will be instrumental in ensuring that our Black students and scholars not only succeed but also lead in their respective fields.”
Sibblis joined the Department of Sociology and Criminology as an assistant professor in August 2023. Her research crosses disciplines to study identity, oppression, and anti-oppressive alternatives.
The Black Scholars Institute is a crucial part of fulfilling the University’s Strategic Mandate Agreement and moving the institution into the future, enhancing its research profile and establishing it as a centre of excellence in Windsor-Essex.
After suggestions from across its membership, the name Black Scholars Institute was adopted in place of the original Black Studies Institute to highlight the focus on community, Sibblis says.
“It suggests that this is not only a think tank to generate Black knowledge, but also a home to Black scholars, meaning any Black knowledge producer, irrespective of their subject of study,” she says. “This was a more inclusive shift.
“I see leading the new Black Scholars Institute as an opportunity to develop and amplify Black research excellence at the University of Windsor in ways that foster pride and belonging in the Black faculty and students on campus and in the broader community.”
