The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has announced Dr. Shearon Roberts and Dr. Sharlene Sinegal-DeCuir as two of its HBCU Faculty Fellowship awardees. Drs. Roberts and Sinegal DeCuir are among eight fellows who will receive up to $50,000 each to support long-term engagement with a research project. Additionally, awardees will have access to networking and scholarly programming responsive to their academic goals and disciplinary and institutional contexts. 

“We are immensely proud of Dr. Roberts and Dr. Sinegal-DeCuir for their groundbreaking project concepts, which have earned them this fellowship,” said Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs Marguerite S. Giguette. “Drs. Roberts and Sinegal-DeCuir are shining examples of deeply dedicated scholars whose commitment to Xavier, and especially to our students, enhance the preparation of our students and the university as a whole." 

The ACLS HBCU Faculty Fellowship and Grant Program supports exceptional research by faculty in the humanities and interpretive social sciences at HBCUs. According to ACLS, this year’s awarded projects cover a wide range of disciplines, including African American studies, history, philosophy, political science, theater studies, and women’s studies. Dr. Roberts, Associate Dean for Exponential Honors Program and Associate Professor of Mass Communication, is working on a project titled “Black Press New Orleans: A Century of Pleading Our Own Cause.” Dr. Sinegal-DeCuir, Professor of History and Chair of African American and Diaspora Studies, is working on a project titled "Forging a Path: Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson and Louisiana State University Law School."

“ACLS is proud to support this vibrant group of scholars and celebrate their important contributions to the humanities and interpretive social sciences,” said Nike Nivar Ortiz, ACLS Program Officer in U.S. Programs, in a press release. “ACLS HBCU Faculty Fellows and Grantees exemplify the wealth of scholarship found across HBCU campuses, which is keenly attentive to underrepresented histories and voices, as well as timely social issues that intersect with their campus communities.”

According to its website, over the past century, ACLS has supported individual scholars and scholarly teams worldwide in their pursuit of research with the potential to advance knowledge in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.