The LSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) will begin the process of elevating its African and African American Studies (AAAS) program to department status, the HSS dean announced in a statement released Tuesday morning. 
“In the coming months, I will partner with the leadership of our African & African American Studies (AAAS) program to raise the profile of this important program and seek the creation of an independent degree program and department,” Dean Troy Blanchard wrote.” It has been a longstanding desire of the program to become an independent department and degree program.” 
Blanchard’s statement was a collaborative effort, written in concert with black HSS faculty.
Presently, students can only minor in AAAS or make it their concentration of a liberal arts degree. If promoted to a department, AAAS would then become a major, and its budget would increase dramatically. 
“AAAS provides everyone, but particularly our Black students and Black faculty,” the statement read, “with a defined presence on campus…AAAS is not only an important academic unit where faculty teach critical courses about race and produce new knowledge, but it is also a catalyst for social justice and central to the campuswide recruitment and retention of Black faculty, staff, and students.” 
The LSU Student Senate recently passed a resolution, calling for AAAS to be promoted. AAAS Director Stephen Finley recently said that he, other faculty members and previous directors have pushed for AAAS to be promoted. He said it could not be done without student support. 
“I am optimistic, but cautious,” Finley said. “A lot of work still has to be done to make it a reality. I’m really proud, super proud, of the students who pushed for this. It doesn’t happen without them. I’m also proud of the dean for taking this big step and for having the courage to make this commitment. This is really a big deal.”