New scholarships support Black PhD students at Concordia
The School of Graduate Studies at Concordia has introduced new entrance awards for Black PhD candidates for the 2024–2025 academic year. The inaugural Black Student Excellence Doctoral Entrance Award will support five exceptional scholars this year.
“Providing these entrance awards is one of several ways that Concordia demonstrates its commitment to increasing the recruitment and enrolment of Black scholars. It also honours recommendations from the final report of the President's Task Force on Anti-Black Racism," says Anne Whitelaw, provost and vice-president, academic.
“This university-wide initiative aims to increase the intellectual contributions of Black scholars, support academic excellence and inspire future generations of students.”
The Black Student Excellence Doctoral Entrance Awards will be given to PhD candidates who self-identify as Black in the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Faculty of Fine Arts, the John Molson School of Business, and the School of Health. Meanwhile, the Indigenous and Black Engineering/Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowship is open to Black and Indigenous PhD candidates at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.
The recipients of the inaugural Black Student Excellence Doctoral Entrance Awards this year are:
- Badewa Ajibade (Humanities)
- Tristin Best (Psychology)
- Temple Marucci-Campbell (Art History)
- Alicia Wright (Kinesiology)
Hyacinthe Tchakounte (Electrical and Computer Science) will receive the inaugural IBET Momentum Fellowship, which also includes mentorship.
The awards will support the recipients’ research, which ranges from renewable energy to art historical discourse to neuropsychology.
Concordia has been working across the university to implement the 88 recommendations of the final report of the President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism since its release in fall 2022.
The process began with a historic apology for the university’s response to complaints of anti-Black racism at Sir George Williams University in 1969 and the subsequent student protest.
The work continues to reshape the university’s policies and practices — from hiring to research to teaching — to improve the experiences of Black faculty, staff and students at Concordia.
Mamoun Medraj, associate dean of recruitment and awards at the School of Graduate Studies, explains: "These awards honour academic excellence and will support the vital research that these scholars will undertake. We are so proud to support their academic journey, and we look forward to witnessing the lasting impact of their work.”
The application deadline for scholars entering the PhD program in 2025 coincides with the admissions deadline this December. Interested candidates should contact the program or faculty to which they are applying for further details.
For application details or to learn more, visit the Black Student Excellence Doctoral Entrance Award and Indigenous and Black Engineering/Technology Momentum Fellowship webpages.
Discover community resources, services and more for Black students, faculty and staff at Concordia’s new Black Presence Hub.
