Monthly Archives: April 2013
Higher Education Grants of Interest to African-Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Gracie Lawson-Borders Named Dean of the School of Communications at Howard University
She is the former associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wyoming, where she also was professor of communication and journalism. Earlier she was the director of the African American and Diaspora Studies program at the University of Wyoming.
Study Finds That Brain Impulses Can Indicate Implicit Racial Bias
Research by scholars at New York University and the University of Geneva examined differences in brain activity when test subjects were shown photographs of Black and White faces.
Blacks Still Struggling Gaining Admittance to the University of California
The University of California has admitted 60,089 in-state students to its nine undergraduate campuses for the class entering in the fall of 2013. Of the total admits, 2,518 students, or 4.2 percent, are African Americans, down from 4.4 percent a year ago.
Researchers Find That Lack of Exercise Is Not a Major Contributor to the Racial Health Gap
The study examined the daily routines of more than 80,000 people and found that both Whites and Blacks spent at least 60 percent of their waking day in sedentary activities.
Professor Tricia Rose to Lead the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown
She is a professor of Africana studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and the author of the award-winning book, Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America.
Soledad O’Brien Named Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Harvard for the 2013-14 Academic Year
Emmy Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien was named a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she will explore a wide variety of topics related to public education in America.
University Study Examines Why Blacks Pay More for Housing Than Whites
The study of more than 2 million home sales from 1990 to 2008 in four major metropolitan areas studied prices by Blacks and Whites of comparable homes in the same neighborhoods. Blacks, on average, paid 3.5 percent more.
In Memoriam: Huel Davis Perkins, 1924-2013
Dr. Perkins was professor emeritus of the humanities at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He served as assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs, executive assistant to the chancellor, and special assistant to the chancellor at the university.
Two Emory University Faculty Members Earn Important New Assignments
Leon Haley Jr., associate professor of emergency medicine, was named to an advisory council of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Michael Leo Owens, associate professor of political science, was chosen as chair of the governing board of the Urban Affairs Association.
Texas Tech To Host Up to 250 Nigerian Students Each Year
Under the agreement students from Nigeria will be able to study at home for two years and then complete their degree at a campus of the Texas Tech system. The plan is for 250 Nigerian students to study on Texas Tech campuses each academic year.
Team From North Carolina A&T State University Wins the ACC Clean Energy Challenge
A team from North Carolina A&T State University took the $100,000 grand prize for developing a bio-based adhesive from swine manure for potential use as a substitute for petroleum-based asphalt binder.
Two African Americans in New Faculty Roles
The Black scholars in new teaching positions are Eric Bing at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Jonathan Holloway at Yale.
William Henry Caldwell, the Longtime Director of Central State University Chorus, Retires
During his 34 years of service to Central State University, the chorus has appeared throughout the world including performances in England, France, Italy, Germany, and China.
Harris-Stowe State University Partners With Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Under the agreement the two universities will participate in faculty and student exchanges. Graduates of Harris-Stowe State University will be eligible for in-state tuition rate if they are accepted into graduate programs at Southern Illinois University.
Two Black Scholars Honored With Prestigious Awards
This October, Ngugi wa Thiong'o will be presented with the University of California Irvine Medal for his service to the university. Velma McBride Murry of Vanderbilt University was honored by the Society for Research in Child Development.
Grambling State University Opens Two Help Centers for Students
The department of English and foreign languages has opened up two new facilities to help students with their communications skills. The Enhancement Writing Laboratory and the English Instructional Computer Classroom are available for students majoring in any discipline.
Three African American Scholars Named to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Paquita Davis-Friday was named executive director of graduate programs at the business school of Baruch College in New York. Martin McCrory was named associate vice president and vice provost at Indiana University in Bloomington and Anthony Troy Adams was named interim dean at Alabama State University.
In Memoriam: Ora-Mae Williams Cheaney, 1912-2013
She was an alumna of Kentucky State University and served on the faculty there for nearly two decades teaching courses on food and nutrition.
Ten Black Students Awarded Truman Scholarships
The Truman Scholarship Foundation, established by Congress in 1975, has announced 62 winners of Truman Scholarships for 2013. This year it appears that 10 of the 62 winners are African Americans.
Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers
From time to time, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week's selections.
Recent Books That May Be 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. Here are the latest selections.
Four Men Charged With Hazing in Virginia State University Drowning
Two Virginia State University students, participating in an initiation rite for a group not affiliated with the university, were swept away by currents in the Appomattox River. Late Monday, police found the body of the one of the men. Another body believed to be the second student was found on Wednesday.
Petition Calls on UCLA to Establish the Jackie Robinson Institute of Sports Business
An online petition calls on the University of California to establish an institute of sports business to honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson. The petition also seeks to rename a portion of a street adjacent to the UCLA campus, Jackie Robinson Way.
Regent University Launches New Program to Further Increase Student Diversity
Under the new "Take 2 Through College" initiative, Regent University in Virginia Beach will partner with churches and community groups to mentor and sponsor Black and Latino students. Currently, African Americans make up about one quarter of the undergraduate student body.
New Hip-Hop Collection Established at the College of William and Mary
The effort will assemble oral histories, audio and video recordings, publications, posters, and memorabilia by Virginia-based hip-hop artists and businesses.
Higher Education Grants of Interest to African-Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Faculty Senate at the University of Michigan Calls for Greater Student Diversity
In a resolution passed by a vote of 28-9, the faculty senate at the University of Michigan called on the administration to focus on increasing the diversity of the student body. Today, Blacks make up 5 percent of the student body, compared to 8.8 percent in 2001.
Study Finds Blacks Are More Willing Than Whites to Participate in Medical Research
The conventional wisdom is that African Americans have major trust issues with the American medical establishment due to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the huge racial gap in medical professionals. But new research suggests this is not the case.
HBCUs Showing the Biggest Improvements in Black Student Graduation Rates
In 1998 the Black student graduation rate at Howard University in Washington, D.C., was 47 percent. Today, the latest graduation rate figures shows that 64 percent of entering students at Howard earn their degree within six years. This is an impressive 17 percentage point gain.
Vice Admiral Mel Williams Jr. Named Senior Associate Dean at George Washington University
Williams is a retired vice admiral of the U.S. Navy where he was a nuclear submarine commander. The former associate deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Emergy will oversee military and veterans initiatives at George Washington University in the nation's capital.
Group Size May Determine the Likelihood of Interracial Friendships
In a study of more than 4,700 high school students, researchers at the University of Michigan found school size had a major impact on the likelihood of students forming interracial friendships.
Carl Wright Named Provost at the Pueblo Campus of Colorado State University
Dr. Wright joined Grambling State University in Louisiana in 2009 as dean of the College of Business. Previously, he was chair of the department of accounting and finance and vice president of business and finance at Virginia State University.
Rutgers University Sociologist Challenges Theories on Racial Differences in Mental Health
Dawne Mouzon, an assistant professor at Rutgers University, has conducted research which disputes the commonly held belief that the lower level of mental health problems among African Americans is the result of stronger family and church ties.
The Nation’s Newest HBCU
American Baptist College in Nashville has applied for designation and been accepted by the U.S. Department of education as a historically Black college and university. It is now the 106th institution of higher education to hold the label as an HBCU.
New Book Examines Conservatism in the African American Community
Research by Angela Lewis, an associate professor of government at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, finds that one third of African Americans view themselves as conservative but their rightward leanings reflect moral and religious values and not the politics of the Republican Party.
