In Conversation with Dr. Charles Payne, Director of the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies

What is the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University-Newark? The new director and distinguished professor of African-American Studies, Dr. Charles M. Payne, outlines the future direction of The Cornwall Center; and the overall mission that remains constant.

 Since its inception, The Cornwall Center has upheld Rutgers-Newark’s commitment as an anchor institution for Newark and the surrounding metropolitan area. A hub for research and innovation, The Cornwall Center aims to support urban populations through research and tangible outcomes.

 “I absolutely see one of the potential strengths of Cornwall is our ability to focus on the local, to bring in a coalition of stakeholders and help them work with one another which can sometimes be an issue in urban environments,” remarks Dr. Payne. He explains community stakeholders should be educated on research, which in turn, could reroute the flow of income back into the community among other benefits. Dr. Payne adds, “We want to train community folk to do research, partly so they’re not always dependent on people like us, partly because in some situations perhaps we can create small income flows into the community.”

With his interest in civil rights alongside education, Dr. Payne says his new position at the Cornwall Center integrates the two areas. He says, “The job here is attractive to me in part because it allows me to combine my civil rights interest with my educational change interest.”

To learn more about Dr. Payne and the Cornwall Center, visit the Center’s website: https://www.cornwall.rutgers.edu/