About the African American Cultural Center
Mission
The African American Cultural Center promotes awareness of and appreciation for African American and other African descent experiences through activities and events that enhance academic excellence and strengthen cultural competence for the campus and surrounding communities.
The African American Cultural Center stays actively engaged in the academic life of NCSU with programs, resources and services that facilitate the cultural, intellectual and social growth of the entire university community. As an integral academic unit that operates under the auspices of the Provost’s Office, the AACC is an indispensable component of NCSU’s mission of “building a diverse and inclusive campus community, fostering demographic and intellectual diversity, fostering internal and external partnerships and adopting an operational model that embraces efficiency and accountability.”
In support of its mission, the AACC maintains an African American Cultural Library and a Cultural Art Gallery.
Values
As we work to fulfill our mission, we strive to remain focused on the values that live at the heart of everything we do and everything that the African American Cultural Center represents. In all of our relationships, projects, activities and events, we value:
- TRUTH AND INTEGRITY: We seek the truth and promote honesty and integrity in all matters, from the information that we disseminate about the African American experience to the way that we handle the day-to-day business of the AACC.
- CREATIVITY AND RESOURCEFULNESS: Our constant search for fresh ideas and innovative ways of doing things enables us to make full and productive use of the resources that are available to us. We work to develop new resources as needed.
- RESPECT AND ACCEPTANCE: The AACC is enriched by people who have different ways of seeing the world. We respect these differences and strive to embrace them as we celebrate the vast diversity of the African American experience.
Facility
The AACC is housed in the Witherspoon Student Center Building, a facility that is funded by student fees and is operated by NCSU’s Student Affairs Division through the University Student Union. The AACC shares the Witherspoon Building with Student Government, the Student Media Authority and the Student Center Cinema. The AACC occupies approximately 1/3 of the total square footage of the Witherspoon Building (12,000 square feet distributed over three floors). The administrative office suite and 2 classroom/meeting rooms are on the third floor. The library and gallery are housed on the second floor, and there is a large multi-purpose room on the first floor.
The AACC’s multi-purpose room and meeting rooms are available for use by student organizations, faculty, staff and other members of the campus community. The AACC manages reservations and set-up services for these spaces.
Several African American student organizations have office space in the AACC’s administrative suite and are considered Resident Organization.
Want to reserve a room for your program? Please fill out the appropriate Room Reservation form.
Programs
Educational and cultural programs are the heart of the AACC. By sponsoring high quality activities and events, the AACC strives to accomplish its mission of promoting awareness of and appreciation for the African American experience.
The AACC sponsors the African American Heritage Series and Clark Lecture. The AACC hosts a variety of other programs that are presented by student organizations, faculty, staff and members of the broader community.
