The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education

Xavier University of Louisiana’s New Medical School Receives Preliminary Accreditation

With this designation, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine — the country's fifth medical school located at an HBCU — can begin recruiting students for its inaugural class of 2027.

Two Black Americans Appointed to Dean Positions in Academia

Breaking News
Tina Jackson is dean of workforce education and public service at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Dennis J. Perkins Jr. is dean of students at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin

Hilary Beckles Named a Distinguished Scholar by New York University

Breaking News
New York University's Center for the Study of Africa and African Diaspora has named Hilary Beckles, vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies, a 2026–2027 Distinguished Scholar. Dr. Beckles previously conducted research at NYU more than three decades ago.

Betty Whitted Holley to Assume the Presidency of Payne Theological Seminary in Ohio

Breaking News
In November, Dr. Holley will be installed as the eighteenth president of Payne Theological Seminary in Ohio. She previously served as the seminary's interim president, academic dean, and director of the Alternative Theological Extension Program.

Research & Studies

The Universities That Awarded the Most Doctorates to African Americans From 2021 to 2025

Walden University, headquartered in Minneapolis but conducts most of its business online, awarded 1,476 doctorates to African Americans from 2021 to 2025. This was 10.8 percent of all doctorates awarded to Black Americans during the five-year period.

How Eligibility Requirements Limit Black Families’ Access to the Child Tax Credit

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” enacted new eligibility requirements and earnings-based restrictions on the Child Tax Credit. According to a new analysis from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, these legislative changes limit access to critical financial support for Black families and caregivers.

Study Finds Persistent Racial Bias in Historic “Sundown Towns”

Racism
“This growing area of research has shown that biased people build biased institutions, enact biased laws, and create cultures of bias,” said author Jimmy Calanchini. “Those structural forces persist long after the people who built them are gone. They continue to shape the biases of people who live and work in them, and also attract more biased people to those places, which further perpetuates the cycle of bias in places.”

Black Law School Graduates of the Class of 2025 Reported the Lowest Rate of Employment

Racial Gap
Among law school graduates of the Class of 2025, Black graduates were the least likely racial group to secure employment. They were also significantly less likely than their peers to secure a bar admission required/anticipated position.

Why Increasing Black Homeownership Is Not Enough to Improve the Racial Wealth Gap

Racial Gap
A new report authored by Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana of the University at Albany argues that historical financial disparities and systemic racism embedded within the housing market makes homeownership a risky investment for Black Americas.

Specific Fields Where No African Americans Earned Doctorates in 2025

Degree Attainments
In 2025, 1,784 doctoral degrees were awarded in 18 specific disciplines. None of these 1,784 doctorates were awarded to African Americans.

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Quote of the Week

“We are not simply opening the doors of a new medical school; we are expanding who will have the opportunity to become a physician.”

Reynold Verret,
president of Xavier University of Louisiana
(see JBHE post)
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Features

Features

HBCU Enrollments Are Surging

Features

The HBCU Rush

Features

How the Divine Nine Can Help Undergraduate Black Men at Predominantly White Institutions

Features

Commencement Tradition vs Cultural Celebration: Are There Limits to the Integration?

African-American History

HBCUs Have Played a Major Role in Our Reaching for the Stars

Features

When March Madness Benched Jim Crow: Texas Western College and the Transformation of Collegiate Sports

Statistic of the Week

$1,351
Median weekly earnings of White Americans over the age of 25
$1,056
Median weekly earnings of Black Americans over the age of 25

source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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JBHE Archives

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HBCUs

Spelman College Opens New Cybersecurity Clinic

Funded by a $1 million grant from Google, the new clinic will provide cybersecurity services to local organizations. Students will participate in the clinic's operations, which will introduce them to real-world experiences in cybersecurity.
Appointments & Awards

Two Black Scientists Appointed Assistant Professors at Liberal Arts Colleges

Courtney Marshall is a new assistant professor of neuroscience at Haverford College in suburban Philadelphia. Akachukwu Obi is a new assistant professor of Integrated Sciences at Claremont McKenna College in California
HBCUs

North Carolina A&T State University Launches the Aggie Media Streaming App

Developed by NCA&T's department of journalism and mass communication, Aggie Media aims to increase the visibility of student and faculty work. The app features news, entertainment shows, documentaries, podcasts, radio station content, and more.
Appointments & Awards

Professor Cynthia Oliver Awarded for Her Career in Choreography

Cynthia Oliver has been a professor of dance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for more than 25 years. As a choreographer, she creates experimental dance-theater works that explore Blackness, feminism, Black masculinity, and Afro-Caribbean cultures.
HBCUs

Albany State University Creates New Pathway to Nursing Careers for Working Adults

Albany State University has partnered with Phoebe Putney Health System to provide a direct career pathway for students in the HBCU's associate of science in nursing evening-track program.
Appointments & Awards

Four African Americans Appointed to Administrative Roles at Universities

Adriel Hilton is senior advisor to the chancellor at Indiana University Northwest, and Jasmine Gurley is senior director of public relations at Howard University. Lauren D. Myers is chief human resources officer at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, and Damon L. Williams, Jr. is vice president of university relations and chief of staff to the president at Adler University.
African-American History

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Resignations

Charles R. Drew University’s Medical School Dean Announces Her Retirement

Deborah Prothrow Stith was recruited to CDU in 2016 with two key responsibilities; restart residency training in South Los Angeles and establish the HBCU's own independent medical school. She met both those expectations.
Enrollments

Less Than Five Percent of First-Year Students at the University of Virginia Are Black

Black students represent just 4.8 percent of the University of Virginia's Class of 2030. This is a notable decline from Black students' representation of 6.1 percent in the Class of 2029 and 8.2 percent in the Class of 2027.
In Memoriam

In Memoriam: James Millette, 1933–2026

Dr. Millette, former dean at the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies, taught Caribbean, African, African American, and imperial history at Oberlin College in Ohio for nearly two decades.
Resignations

Polk State College Senior Vice President Reggie Webb Announces Retirement

Webb's career at Polk State began in 1990 as an academic advisor. Over the next three decades, he went on to hold several key leadership roles, ultimately serving as senior vice president for student services and campus operations.
African-American History

University of Delaware Launches the Leland Ware Special Collection on Civil Rights and Social Justice

Professor Ware, who passed away in April, was known for his scholarship on civil rights and civil liberties law, employment law, and constitutional law. A collection of his work is now on display at the University of Delaware Morris Library.
In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Nancy Duckrey Washington, 1939–2026

Dr. Washington taught psychology at the University of Pittsburgh for more than two decades. During her tenure, she helped to establish the university's Center for Minority Health.
Articles

Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers

Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.
Books

Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.
Degree Attainments

The Universities That Awarded the Most Doctorates to African Americans From 2021 to 2025

Walden University, headquartered in Minneapolis but conducts most of its business online, awarded 1,476 doctorates to African Americans from 2021 to 2025. This was 10.8 percent of all doctorates awarded to Black Americans during the five-year period.
Breaking News

Xavier University of Louisiana’s New Medical School Receives Preliminary Accreditation

With this designation, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine — the country's fifth medical school located at an HBCU — can begin recruiting students for its inaugural class of 2027.
Research & Studies

How Eligibility Requirements Limit Black Families’ Access to the Child Tax Credit

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” enacted new eligibility requirements and earnings-based restrictions on the Child Tax Credit. According to a new analysis from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, these legislative changes limit access to critical financial support for Black families and caregivers.
Breaking News

Two Black Americans Appointed to Dean Positions in Academia

Tina Jackson is dean of workforce education and public service at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Dennis J. Perkins Jr. is dean of students at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin
Racism

Study Finds Persistent Racial Bias in Historic “Sundown Towns”

“This growing area of research has shown that biased people build biased institutions, enact biased laws, and create cultures of bias,” said author Jimmy Calanchini. “Those structural forces persist long after the people who built them are gone. They continue to shape the biases of people who live and work in them, and also attract more biased people to those places, which further perpetuates the cycle of bias in places.”
Breaking News

Hilary Beckles Named a Distinguished Scholar by New York University

New York University's Center for the Study of Africa and African Diaspora has named Hilary Beckles, vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies, a 2026–2027 Distinguished Scholar. Dr. Beckles previously conducted research at NYU more than three decades ago.
Graduate Schools

A Green Light for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Veterinary Medicine

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore has received the go-ahead to recruit students for its inaugural doctor of veterinary medicine class. Once launched, the university's veterinary program will be the first physically located in Maryland and the second at an HBCU.
Appointments & Awards

Two Black Scholars Selected for Academic Appointments at Universities

Trevor A. Dawes was named the 2026–2027 Follett Chair in Library and Information Science at the School of Information Studies at Dominican University in Illinois. Keithen Mathis has been selected to serve as interim director of the Florida State University Civil Rights Institute.
HBCUs

South Carolina State University Announces Three New Scholarship Programs

“College has to be accessible, and it has to be affordable,” said Alexander Conyers, president of South Carolina State University. “We want our high-achieving students and young leaders across South Carolina to know there is a place for them at SC State.”
Appointments & Awards

Yale’s David Knight Wins Early Career Award in Sociology

The American Sociological Association has presented its inaugural Early Career Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship to Yale's David Knight in recognition of “his visionary leadership in documenting the history of political mobilization within U.S. prisons.”
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HBCUs

Spelman College Opens New Cybersecurity Clinic

Funded by a $1 million grant from Google, the new clinic will provide cybersecurity services to local organizations. Students will participate in the clinic's operations, which will introduce them to real-world experiences in cybersecurity.
Appointments & Awards

Two Black Scientists Appointed Assistant Professors at Liberal Arts Colleges

Courtney Marshall is a new assistant professor of neuroscience at Haverford College in suburban Philadelphia. Akachukwu Obi is a new assistant professor of Integrated Sciences at Claremont McKenna College in California
HBCUs

North Carolina A&T State University Launches the Aggie Media Streaming App

Developed by NCA&T's department of journalism and mass communication, Aggie Media aims to increase the visibility of student and faculty work. The app features news, entertainment shows, documentaries, podcasts, radio station content, and more.
Appointments & Awards

Professor Cynthia Oliver Awarded for Her Career in Choreography

Cynthia Oliver has been a professor of dance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for more than 25 years. As a choreographer, she creates experimental dance-theater works that explore Blackness, feminism, Black masculinity, and Afro-Caribbean cultures.
HBCUs

Albany State University Creates New Pathway to Nursing Careers for Working Adults

Albany State University has partnered with Phoebe Putney Health System to provide a direct career pathway for students in the HBCU's associate of science in nursing evening-track program.
Appointments & Awards

Four African Americans Appointed to Administrative Roles at Universities

Adriel Hilton is senior advisor to the chancellor at Indiana University Northwest, and Jasmine Gurley is senior director of public relations at Howard University. Lauren D. Myers is chief human resources officer at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, and Damon L. Williams, Jr. is vice president of university relations and chief of staff to the president at Adler University.
African-American History

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Resignations

Charles R. Drew University’s Medical School Dean Announces Her Retirement

Deborah Prothrow Stith was recruited to CDU in 2016 with two key responsibilities; restart residency training in South Los Angeles and establish the HBCU's own independent medical school. She met both those expectations.
Enrollments

Less Than Five Percent of First-Year Students at the University of Virginia Are Black

Black students represent just 4.8 percent of the University of Virginia's Class of 2030. This is a notable decline from Black students' representation of 6.1 percent in the Class of 2029 and 8.2 percent in the Class of 2027.
In Memoriam

In Memoriam: James Millette, 1933–2026

Dr. Millette, former dean at the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies, taught Caribbean, African, African American, and imperial history at Oberlin College in Ohio for nearly two decades.
Resignations

Polk State College Senior Vice President Reggie Webb Announces Retirement

Webb's career at Polk State began in 1990 as an academic advisor. Over the next three decades, he went on to hold several key leadership roles, ultimately serving as senior vice president for student services and campus operations.
African-American History

University of Delaware Launches the Leland Ware Special Collection on Civil Rights and Social Justice

Professor Ware, who passed away in April, was known for his scholarship on civil rights and civil liberties law, employment law, and constitutional law. A collection of his work is now on display at the University of Delaware Morris Library.
In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Nancy Duckrey Washington, 1939–2026

Dr. Washington taught psychology at the University of Pittsburgh for more than two decades. During her tenure, she helped to establish the university's Center for Minority Health.
Articles

Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers

Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.
Books

Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.
Degree Attainments

The Universities That Awarded the Most Doctorates to African Americans From 2021 to 2025

Walden University, headquartered in Minneapolis but conducts most of its business online, awarded 1,476 doctorates to African Americans from 2021 to 2025. This was 10.8 percent of all doctorates awarded to Black Americans during the five-year period.
Breaking News

Xavier University of Louisiana’s New Medical School Receives Preliminary Accreditation

With this designation, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine — the country's fifth medical school located at an HBCU — can begin recruiting students for its inaugural class of 2027.
Research & Studies

How Eligibility Requirements Limit Black Families’ Access to the Child Tax Credit

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” enacted new eligibility requirements and earnings-based restrictions on the Child Tax Credit. According to a new analysis from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, these legislative changes limit access to critical financial support for Black families and caregivers.
Breaking News

Two Black Americans Appointed to Dean Positions in Academia

Tina Jackson is dean of workforce education and public service at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Dennis J. Perkins Jr. is dean of students at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin
Racism

Study Finds Persistent Racial Bias in Historic “Sundown Towns”

“This growing area of research has shown that biased people build biased institutions, enact biased laws, and create cultures of bias,” said author Jimmy Calanchini. “Those structural forces persist long after the people who built them are gone. They continue to shape the biases of people who live and work in them, and also attract more biased people to those places, which further perpetuates the cycle of bias in places.”
Load more

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