700.00 to help offset the costs of the event, “Remembering the Legacy of W. Ofuatey-Kodjoe and Celebrating Diversity at CUNY” (described below) Project Description In March 2009, while communities across the United States celebrated the successful presidency of the first U.S. president of African descent, The CUNY Graduate Center mourned the loss of one of its longest serving Executive Officers of African descent. This event aims to bring together the CUNY Africanist community from The CUNY Graduate Center as well as from the Senior CUNY Colleges to reflect on the scholarship, leadership, and mentorship, and commemorate the life of the late Dr. Ofuatey-Kodjoe, a celebrated Pan-Africanist scholar and the first and only Executive Officer of African descent of the Department of Political Science at The City University Graduate Center. The objective of this event is to showcase the study of Africa and international studies at The City University of New York through the celebration of the work of one of its distinguished African and Africanist scholars. A native born Ghanaian, Dr. Ofuatey-Kodjoe was appointed to the doctoral faculty of the Ph.D./M.A. Program in Political Science in 1972, served with great distinction as Executive Officer of the program from 1994 to 2003, and retired from Queens College in September 2005. Professor Ofuatey-Kodjoe earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1970. His interests lay in international politics, international law, Pan-Africanism, and human rights. His books included The State of the United Nations, 1992 (co-authored with Albert Legault and Craig Murphy); the edited volume, Pan-Africanism: New Directions in Strategy (University Press of America, 1986); and The Principle of Self-Determination in International Law (Nellen, 1977). Professor Ofuatey-Kodjoe not only built the International Relations program at The Graduate Center by recruiting world-renowned international relations faculty like Thomas G. Weiss, but helped support the study of Africa at CUNY by initiating and sponsoring the long-running CUNY Africa Seminar—a CUNY-wide seminar on African politics, history, and culture; the Africa Research Group—the only multi-disciplinary student organization at The Graduate Center dedicated to supporting students engaged in the study of Africa; and the Global Studies Collective—the oldest student-of-color organization at The Graduate CUNY Graduate Center. While all eyes are on U.S.-Africa relations, and as area studies are being redefined in the American social sciences and humanities, this event will commemorate Professor Ofuatey-Kodjoe’s life’s achievements in these areas, while celebrating diversity at The CUNY Graduate Center. This event will do this through an evening of reflection, music, and discussion by guests like GC President Bill Kelly, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations, distinguished Africanists drawn from throughout the U.S., and key CUNY GC alumni, faculty, and students. This grant would help offset the costs of this event—particularly to cover the costs of having Ghanaian food at the reception, thus allowing a greater percentage of solicited contributions to be applied to an annual Graduate Center student award in African, African-American, and International Studies, that has been set up in Professor Ofuatey-Kodjoe’s honor.