The Department of Africana Studies invites you to join with us in honoring Professor Willie B. Lamousé-Smith on the occasion of his retirement from the University at the end of this academic year. The reception honoring his 33 years of service to the UMBC community will take place on Friday, May 16, at 3:30 p.m. in the UC Ballroom. RSVP by May 12 to Wanda Soares Nottingham (wsoares@umbc.edu, ext. 5-2158).

Lamousé-Smith received the Doctoral Degree in Political Science (Cum Laude) in 1966 from the University of Muenster (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). Following faculty positions at the Free University of Berlin, Makerere University (Ghana), and Syracuse University, he joined the UMBC faculty in 1975 as a tenured professor and director of the African American Studies Program (1975-1977) and served as department chair from 1977-1981, and from 1997-2000.

During the 33 years that he has been at UMBC, Lamousé-Smith has been a tireless supporter and advocate for the department and its students, and his contributions on our behalf have been invaluable. He also has maintained a vigorous research agenda, having made significant contributions to the study of politics, leadership, demography and health in Africa and its Diaspora. He developed affiliations and collaborations with many illustrious scholars and educators in Africa and America and has published papers on these topics in numerous academic and governmental publications.

Lamousé-Smith provided expert testimony to the U. S. House of Representatives as well as the United Nations and Organization of African Unity committees on these topics and has co-authored an informative and authoritative map series, Africa Interactive Maps. He currently serves on the advisory boards for two of Maryland’s prestigious museums, the Maryland Museum of African Art and the Maryland African American Museum Corporation.