Rodney Priestley Will Be the Next Dean of the Graduate School at Princeton University

Dr. Priestley joined the Princeton faculty as an assistant professor in 2009 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles in Paris. He became an associate professor in 2015 and a full professor in 2019.

A Snapshot of African American Enrollments in Graduate School After the Onset of the...

In the fall of 2020, 53,754 African Americans enrolled in graduate school for the first time. African Americans made up 12.3 percent of all first-time graduate enrollees from the United States in 2020. Of these, 69.4 percent were women.

Black Students in STEM and Health Graduate Programs Increase But a Large Racial Gap...

New data from the National Science Foundation show that in pre-pandemic America enrollments in graduate programs in science, engineering, and health fields at U.S. academic institutions were increasing. The increase in Black enrollments in these disciplines increased faster than the rate for enrollments as a whole.

The New Dean of the Graduate School at Vanderbilt University in Nashville

Dr. Christie-Mizell is a professor of sociology and had been serving as dean for undergraduate education in the College of Arts and Science at the university. He joined the faculty in 2010. Previously, he taught at the University of South Carolina, the University of Akron, and Kent State University.

The College Graduation Rates of African American Student Athletes

For Black student athletes who entered college in 2013 at NCAA Division I institutions, 59 percent earned their diplomas within six years. This is 11 percentage points higher than the rate for Black students as a whole at these institutions.

A Snapshot of Pre-Pandemic Black Enrollments in U.S. Graduate Schools

In the fall of 2019, Blacks were more than 18 percent of total first-time enrollments in graduate programs in public administration but only 4.5 percent of first-time graduate enrollments in physical sciences and 5.8 percent in engineering.

North Carolina A&T State University to Offer a New Master’s Degree in Health Psychology

The degree is a two-year program designed to provide the foundational knowledge and skills for students to work in the health psychology field. The first students are expected to enroll in the program during the Fall 2021 semester.

Examining the Racial Gap in Graduate School Enrollments in the United States

If we look at total enrollments in U.S. graduate schools, we find that in 2018, there were 1,869,845 students. Of these, 190,224, or 10.2 percent were African Americans. Women made up 69.5 percent of all African American graduate school enrollments.

Racial Inequities in the Financing of Graduate Education in the United States

The good news is that African Americans have greatly increased their percentage of graduate student enrollments. The bad news is that a large share of African American students are taking on debt to finance their graduate education.

Elizabeth City State University Offers New Online Master of Education Degree Program

The program will be 100 percent online and will offer two concentrations; one for teacher leaders, and another for initial certification. The total tuition will be less than $7,000, making it one of the most affordable online graduate teaching programs in North Carolina.

Purdue University’s College of Agriculture Aims to Boost Diversity in Graduate Programs

The Mentoring@Purdue program pairs students with faculty or staff members and includes a summer scholars program which brings undergraduate students from historically Black colleges and universities to Purdue's campus for a week-long program that teaches them how to start applying to graduate schools.

Examining the Data on Black Enrollments in U.S. Graduate Schools

In 2017, there were 188,838 Black students enrolled in graduate schools in the United States. They made up 12.6 percent of all enrollments. There were 56,765 Black men and 130,006 Black women enrolled in graduate school.

University of Massachusetts’ New Fellows Program Aims to Boost Diversity in Its Graduate School

The Spaulding-Smith STEM Fellowship Program is named for Major Franklin Spaulding, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, and Elizabeth Hight Smith, who in 1905, was the first woman to earn a graduate degree at the university.

Black Enrollments in Graduate School Remain Steady

Unlike African American enrollments in undergraduate programs which have dropped in recent years, Black graduate school enrollments have remained steady. In the 2016-17 academic year, 449,617 African Americans were enrolled in graduate programs.

University of Massachusetts Graduate School Launches Office of Inclusion and Engagement

The new office will develop initiatives designed to help students amplify the impact of their research, prepare for leadership positions, and broaden their career options. It will focus on recruitment, retention and success of graduate students from historically underrepresented populations.

Brown University Aims to Double the Number of Graduate Students From Underrepresented Groups

The 2016 Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan at Brown University called on the university to double the number of graduate students from historically underrepresented groups by 2022. It's off to a good start.

Examining the Data on Black Enrollments in U.S. Graduate Schools

According to a new report by the Council on Graduate Schools, in 2016, there were 184,235 Black students enrolled in graduate programs in the United States. They made up 10 percent of total enrollments. Women made up nearly 70 percent of all Black enrollments in graduate education.

Mark Smith Appointed Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Texas at...

Dr. Smith was a member of the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic team in the sport of fencing. He currently serves as dean of the Graduate School at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He has held that post since 2009.

The Heavyweight Champion of Black Doctoral Degree Awards

African Americans were awarded 682 doctoral degrees from Walden University between 2011 and 2015. This is almost double the number of doctoral degrees awarded by Howard University, which ranks in second place in doctoral degree awards to blacks from 2011 to 2015.

HBCU in North Carolina to Launch a New Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Biosciences

The Graduate College at historically Black North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro has announced that it will offer a professional science master’s (PSM) degree program in industrial biosciences, beginning this coming fall.

Biology Scholars Program at Cornell University Propels Black Students to Graduate School

Since 2010 there have been 120 Biology Scholars who have graduated from the university. More than 90 percent of those who applied to medical school were accepted and enrolled. Another 19 students are enrolled in Ph.D. programs and three are enrolled in M.D./Ph.D. programs.

The New President of Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio

Since 2015, Dr. Michael Joseph Brown has been serving as academic dean and interim president at the seminary. Previously, he was an associate professor of New Testament and Christian origins at Emory University in Atlanta.

New Fellowship to Aid Black Students at the Harvard Graduate School of Design

The Philip Freelon Fellowship Fund at the Harvard Graduate School of Design will be used to provide financial aid to African Americans and students from other underrepresented groups who are pursuing graduate degrees in design.

Survey Finds Large Percentage of Graduate Students of Color at Yale Face Bias

The Graduate and Professional Student Senate at Yale University released a new survey that found that more than 70 percent of all Black graduate or professional students reported incidents of bias, harassment or discrimination.

Howard University to Offer New Ph.D. Program in Educational Leadership

Students who are admitted to the new Ph.D. program will have the opportunity to be selected to work as graduate assistants for several organizations including the United Negro College Fund, The Education Trust, and the American Council of Education.

Large Racial Gaps Remain in Graduate School Enrollments in Some STEM Fields

Blacks made up nearly 18 percent of new graduate enrollments in public administration and 12 percent in education, business, and social and behavioral sciences. But Blacks were just 3.2 percent of all new graduate enrollments in the physical sciences.

The NFL Player Pursuing a Ph.D. in Mathematics at MIT

John Urschel, an offensive guard for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, recently completed his first semester in the mathematics Ph.D. program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He took four courses and had a 4.0 grade point average.

University of Cincinnati Program Aims to Increase Diversity in America’s Orchestras

Only 4 percent of the members of America's professional orchestra musicians are Black or Latino, according to the League of American Orchestras. A new fellows program at the University of Cincinnati, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, seeks to increase diversity in the field.

The New Dean of the Graduate School at Oregon State University

Before coming to Oregon State in 2015 as associate dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Jennifer Dennis served for 11 years on the faculty of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

New Opportunities for Minority Graduate Students at the University of Southern California

The Graduate Initiative for Diversity, Inclusion and Access aims to increase the diversity of the student body in the graduate school at the university and to broaden academic support for underrepresented minority students.

Brandeis University to Offer New Diversity Scholarships to Graduate Students

Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, has announced the establishment of the Diversity, Excellence, and Inclusion Scholarships. Recipients will receive full-tuition credits and a $10,000 stipend for master's degree programs in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts.

Study Finds Academic Coaching Helps Retain Minority Students in Ph.D. Programs

The Academy for Future Science Faculty consists of individual and group-based professional development activities, discussions with fellow students, and highly skilled mentors serving as coaches, many of them minorities themselves, trained in diversity issues.

Increasing the Number of African American Cancer Researchers

The Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research aims to encourage Black and other minority graduate students to pursue doctoral degrees and careers in research relating to cancer.

Summer Program Aims to Increase Black Students in Graduate Programs

The Leadership Alliance Mellon Initiative seeks to encourage students from underrepresented minority groups to pursue graduate studies in the humanities, education, and social sciences.

Four Black Men Earn Doctoral Degrees From One Department at Ohio State

Four Black men earned doctorates this spring in the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State under the mentorship of Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, the youngest full professor in the university's history.

Louisiana State University: A Leader in Black Male Doctoral Awards

Each year, only about 1,000 African Americans men earn doctoral degrees. Thus, it is noteworthy that this spring four African American men earned their doctoral degrees in one department at Louisiana State University.

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