'Community in the Academy': A'Lelia Bundles Community Scholars Speak at Renowned Education Conference

On May 28, members of the A'Lelia Bundles Community Scholars program, including A'Lelia Bundles herself, participated in a panel discussion as part of the NCORE Conference, the leading national forum advancing access and opportunity in higher education. Approximately 6,000 administrators, faculty, staff, and student leaders attended the conference.

The filmed panel discussion on the program features A'Lelia Bundles and three distinguished Bundles Community Scholars: Harlem historian John Reddick, historian and author Eric K. Washington, and Hip-Hop educator Martha Diaz. The panel was moderated by George Calderaro of Columbia's School of Professional Studies.

The A'Lelia Bundles Community Scholars at Columbia University are members of the Upper Manhattan/Harlem community who receive a three-year affiliation with Columbia and access to campus resources while they work on a project or skill that relates to or benefits their community. You can learn more about the program and scholars' projects here.

The program was created in 2012 to enable independent scholars in the community to pursue their academic aspirations through access to Columbia courses and resources. Bundles Scholars join an intellectual community with the other participants in the program and can connect with life and learning across the University. 

In 2020, the Community Scholars Program was renamed the A’Lelia Bundles Community Scholars Program in honor of A’Lelia Bundles, a longtime University trustee, author, journalist, and great-great-granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, recognized as America’s first female self-made millionaire.

The Bundles Scholars program is a joint initiative of Columbia University’s Office of Government and Community Affairs, Office of the Provost, School of Professional Studies, and the Incite Institute.

The Bundles Community Scholars Lecture Series was created in 2016 by the School of Professional Studies to provide a forum for Scholars to share their work and research with the community and the greater public.  Since 2016, the School of Professional Studies has presented seventeen Bundles Community Scholars Lectures and Discussions on a wide array of topics, most of which are available to view online here.