Overview

The Detroit Center for Black Studies at Wayne State University was created with a vision to advance interdisciplinary scholarship, public engagement and community connection while grounding the study of the Black experience in Detroit’s unique history, culture and intellectual traditions.

As the Center entered a pivotal new phase with the appointment of its inaugural director, Dr. Richard D. Benson II, Wayne State needed to do more than announce a leadership transition. It needed to build shared understanding of the Center’s purpose, clarify its role within the university’s broader academic ecosystem and establish a foundation of trust with the faculty, students, community leaders, philanthropic partners and the stakeholders invested in its future.

VVK PR + Creative developed a strategic communications approach designed to introduce the Center’s next chapter with clarity and intention. Through stakeholder engagement, message development, media strategy and thought leadership planning, VVK helped position the Detroit Center for Black Studies as a nationally relevant model for interdisciplinary, place-based scholarship rooted in Detroit.

The Challenge

Wayne State was entering an important new phase in the evolution of the Detroit Center for Black Studies. Since announcing the Center in 2023, with funding support from the Mellon Foundation, the university had focused largely on foundational work — recruiting faculty, shaping its interdisciplinary framework and building the infrastructure needed to support its long-term goals. During that relatively quiet period, questions had emerged among community members and stakeholders about the Center’s direction, its relationship to the existing Department of African American Studies and how those with a meaningful stake in its success would be involved.

As the Center prepared to name its inaugural director, Wayne State had an opportunity to address that interest thoughtfully, demonstrate the progress underway and create a more visible and inclusive path forward. The university needed to:

• Introduce the Center’s new leader in a way that established confidence, credibility and meaningful connection with the community
• Clarify the Center’s relationship to the Department of African American Studies as well its interdisciplinary approach to faculty appointments
• Demonstrate that community perspectives would help inform the Center’s growth while establishing clear and realistic expectations for engagement
• Build trust among faculty, students, alumni, funders, civic leaders, cultural institutions and community partners — many of whom had a personal stake in the Center’s direction and success
• Use the leadership announcement as the beginning of a sustained communications and engagement effort that would strengthen the Center’s visibility and credibility over time

A strategic communications strategy would help Wayne State respond to stakeholder interest with clarity and openness, connect the Center’s academic vision more meaningfully to the broader Detroit community and establish a strong foundation for its next chapter.

The Strategy

VVK built a communications approach centered on transparency, trust and a clear long-term narrative. Key elements included:

• Stakeholder-first engagement: A phased outreach strategy ensured university leadership, faculty, students, alumni, funders, civic leaders, cultural institutions and community partners were informed and aligned before the public announcement, reducing confusion around the Center’s evolution
• Strategic messaging development: Core messaging was developed to define the Center’s identity, including its complementary, but distinct, purpose in relation to the Department of African American Studies and its interdisciplinary faculty model, which included faculty appointments funded by the Center, grounded in Black studies but placed across university fields such as studio art, public health, medicine and more
• Leadership positioning: VVK developed messaging and a thought leadership platform to introduce Dr. Richard D. Benson II as both a national academic voice and a community-centered leader, connecting his scholarship on Black intellectual traditions, education, activism and social movements to Detroit’s history and future
• Long-term media strategy: Rather than optimizing only for announcement-day coverage, VVK built a roadmap for sustained visibility through media engagement, editorial relationships, thought leadership opportunities and future storytelling around programming, research, faculty collaboration and community impact

The Impact

• Successfully introduced Dr. Richard D. Benson II as the inaugural director of the Center, marking a significant milestone in the Wayne State’s development
• Established a clear, unified narrative around the Center’s mission, interdisciplinary approach and role within Wayne State University
• Built a communications framework to support long-term stakeholder engagement, public programming positioning and future visibility opportunities
• Positioned the Center for sustained visibility as a national model for scholarship connecting academic research with public life and community impact
• Created the foundation for future media and thought leadership opportunities that will elevate Detroit’s role in shaping conversations around Black scholarship, culture and intellectual traditions