Founded in 1959 as a U.S. National Resource Center, the James S. Coleman African Studies Center (ASC) engages a global network of students, scholars, educators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, artists, and activists committed to the imperatives of transformative research. As an Organized Research Unit (ORU) of the University of California, the ASC's mission is threefold: 1) promote and disseminate cutting-edge Africanist research and scholarship; 2) develop community outreach and service programs, including public diplomacy initiatives, international conferences, teacher-training workshops, and dialogues with the performing and visual arts; and 3) connect UCLA students and their counterparts in Africa with opportunities for academic and professional enrichment.