History

In 1989, a group of Black graduate students at the University of Michigan decided to coordinate and host a conference with other Black graduate students.  They titled the conference, “Social Science Research on Black America.”  This conference allowed social science graduate students the opportunity to discuss issues of academic research and its influence on the Black American community.  The Association considers members of this planning committee as the founders of our annual National Black Graduate Student Conference (NBGSC).  He planning committee members were:  Robert Sellers, Todd Shaw, Robert Brown, Daria Kirby, Lisa Brown and Thomas LaVeist.

 

Because of the success of this three-day conference, the planning committee decided to make good on the words of empowerment shared during the meeting and form a national organization dedicated to the needs and concerns of Black graduate students nationwide.  The conference participants elected five people to serve as officers of this newly established National Black Graduate Student Association, Inc. (NBGSA):

Todd Shaw, President
Jacqueline Davis, Vice President
Donna Cochran, Recording Secretary
Barbara Gates, Corresponding Secretary
Minora Sharpe, Treasurer

During the 1990 NBGSC, conference participants voted to incorporate the Association in the State of Mississippi.  Dr. Phyllis Gray-Ray served as the first and only National Advisory Chair to the Association.  She would later become the first Executive Director of NBGSA.  In 1999-2000, she resigned as Executive Director and the Executive Council bestowed the title of Executive Director Emeritus o her at the 2000 NBGSC.

In 1994, the Executive Board of the NBGSA embarked on a search for a national headquarters.  The Board selected Mississippi State University and served as the location for the Executive Office for three years.  In 1997, Dr. Gray-Ray accepted a visiting professorship at North Carolina Central University and the Executive Board voted to move the Executive Office temporarily to North Carolina.  Dr. Gray-Ray subsequently accepted a position at Jackson State University.  The Executive Board voted to move the Executive Office to Jackson State where it operated until 1999.

Although the Association has only been in existence for thirteen years, we have accomplished a great deal.  The Association is recognized as the only student organization addressing the need of Black graduate students in this country.  Additionally, the Association sponsors a national conference in which graduate students attend to foster a network of growing Black scholars and present their research.  The NBGSC attracts approximately 400 attendees each year.

In addition to the annual conference, the Association is a national voice on issues that affect Black graduate students.  The Association is developing a partnership program that will enable companies, academic and philanthropic institutions and foundations access to a database of Black graduate students across the nation for possible employment opportunities and academic advancement in graduate programs.  These programs will assist NBGSA with its annual operation costs.

The Association also fosters relationships with other like-minded organizations as a means of mobilizing efforts for graduate student concerns.  Some of these organizations include: The Patterson Institute of the United Negro College Fund, Alliance of Black Student Professionals, and The Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools.