Monthly Archives: May 2013
Researchers Publish a Collection of Poems That Supported Black Troops in the Civil War
During the Civil War thousands of poems in support of African American troops were published in newspapers across the nation. Researchers at the University of Nebraska and the University of Cambridge have collected and published a sample of these poems online.
Book by Rita Dove Being Made Into a Feature-Length Documentary Film
Professor Dove's book on George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower, a nineteenth-century Afro-European violin virtuoso is being made into a documentary film by Stone Soup Productions of Washington, D.C.
NAACP Chapter Reactivated at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
The NAACP chapter at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore plans to work on voter registration and to increase student involvement with community organizations near the Princess Anne campus.
University of Pennsylvania Study Examines the Health of Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa
The study found that a 45-year-old women in rural Malawi could be expected to spend 58 percent of their remaining life with functional limitations. For 45-year-old men, 41 percent of their remaining years would include functional limitations.
Two Women Named to Leadership Posts at Albany Technical College
Albany Technical College in Albany, Georgia, has announced the appointment of Kimberly Lee as vice president of institutional effectiveness and Troycia Webb was named dean of academic technology.
The First Graduate of the UConn Medical School from the Rowe Health Scholars Program
The program, funded by the Aetna Foundation, is aimed at increasing the number of undergraduate students from underrepresented groups who pursue careers in the healthcare field.
Bethune-Cookman University Teams Up With the League of Black Women
Under the partnership Bethune-Cookman University, the historically Black educational institution in Daytona Beach, Florida, will become the research arm of the League of Black Women Global Leadership Research Institute.
African American Scholar Honored by the Council for the Study of Community Colleges
J. Luke Wood, an assistant professor of administration, rehabilitation, and postsecondary education at San Diego State University, was honored for vast scholarship pertaining to community colleges, particularly in relation to African American men.
Two African Americans in New Higher Education Administrative Positions
Tonjanita Johnson was appointed vice president for communication and marketing for the University of Tennessee system and Fashaad Crawford is the new assistant provost for accreditation, assessment, and learning at Kent State University in Ohio.
In Memoriam: Laura Marie Leary Elliott, 1945-2013
Elliott enrolled at East Carolina University in 1962 at the age of 17 after being the valedictorian at Pitt County Training School in Calico, North Carolina. She was the first African American graduate of the university.
Danita Brown Named Dean of Students at the University of Minnesota
Dr. Brown has been serving as the dean of students at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She has been serving as the dean of students at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She will assume her new post on July 31.
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.
Willie Gilchrist Is Stepping Down as President of Elizabeth City State University
Dr. Gilchrist has served as president since March 2007. From 1994 to 2006 he was the superintendent of the Halifax County school system in North Carolina. His resignation comes on the heels of an investigation by state authorities of the campus police department.
Frances Henderson Is the First African American Woman Granted Tenure at Maryville College
She is the first African American woman to be granted tenure at the college in its 194-year history. Dr. Henderson has been teaching political science at the college for the past six years and she is now the only African American on the college's faculty.
Emory University Acquires the Papers of Ophelia DeVore Mitchell
Ophelia DeVore Mitchell was the founder of one of the first modeling agencies for African Americans and a pioneer in the "Black Is Beautiful" movement. Now over 90 years of age, she continues to own and help run an African American newspaper.
Wesleyan University’s Anthony Braxton Wins $225,000 Doris Duke Artist Award
The award program, established in 2011, supports performing artists in contemporary dance, theatre, jazz, and related interdisciplinary work. The award comes with a $225,000 honorarium. Braxton is the John Spencer Camp Professor of Music at Wesleyan.
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.
Columbia University Seeking to Remove “Caucasian Only” Clause From a Fellowship
In 1920 a woman donated $500,000 to Columbia University for an endowed fellowship that was restricted to students from Iowa of "the Caucasian race." The university is asking a Manhattan court to remove the restriction.
Stanford University Creates Fellowships for African MBA Students
Fellows will receive full tuition scholarships and must agree to return to Africa within two years of graduating from the Stanford business school and work for a business, government agency, or nonprofit organization for a least two consecutive years.
Tennessee State University Administration Announces a Group of New Leaders
Among the new leadership team are Mark Hardy, vice president of academic affairs, Gloria Johnson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Millicent Lownes-Jackson, dean of the College of Business, Alicia Mosley, associate vice president for academic affairs, and Stephanie Bailey, director of public health initiatives.
Huge Digital Archive of Civil Rights History Being Created in North Carolina
The entire project includes 38 manuscript collections and archival record groups held by libraries at Duke University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that make up the Triangle Research Libraries Network.
New Study Documents Huge Racial Disparity in School Suspensions
The study by researchers at the Civil Rights Project at the University of California at Los Angeles found that up to 40 percent of all Black students in schools in Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, and St. Louis were suspended at least once during the school year.
Howard University Awards 96 Ph.D.s
This year, 16 Ph.D.s were awarded in engineering or the physical sciences. There were 31 Ph.D.s awarded in the arts and humanities, 25 in the biological and life sciences, and 24 in the social sciences.
African American Student at the UC-Irvine Finds Racist Note in Her Backpack
An African American student at the University of California at Irvine found a racist note in her backpack while she was in the science library on campus. The note read, "Go back 2 Africa, slave."
Berkeley Study Shows Blacks Disproportionately Live in Danger Zones for Excessive Heat
Using satellite imagery, researchers identified areas where there were no trees and where more than half the land area is covered by heat-absorbing hard services such as pavement or concrete. African Americans were more than 50 percent more likely than Whites to live in heat-prone neighborhoods.
Panel Recommends Major Changes at Coppin State University
The panel recommended that Coppin consider increasing standards for admission to the university, focus on attracting transfer students, and retaining those students who enroll.
Robert Hill Retiring as Vice Chanellor for Public Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh
Robert Hill, vice chancellor for public affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, announced that he will retire from the university at the end of this month. He has held his present post since 1999.
University of Pennsylvania Researchers Issue New Report on HBCUs
The report is a good compilation of data taken mostly from statistics available on the websites of the Department of Education. There is not really a lot new here but the data pulled together in one place gives us a valuable overview of the current state of HBCUs.
North Carolina Central University Awards a Record Number of Degrees
At this spring's commencement ceremonies, North Carolina Central University in Durham awarded 712 bachelor's degrees, 246 master's degrees, and 162 law degrees. The total was the most in the university's history.
Three Black Scholars in New Faculty Posts
The scholars in new teaching roles are Sheretta Butler-Barnes at Washington University in St. Louis, Hilton Kelly at Davidson College in North Carolina, and William Nganje at North Dakota State University.
Xavier University Reports Success in Its “Out the Door in 4” Campaign
Of the 24 students that joined the program in 2009, seven graduated this May, another six are on pace to graduate in December or next May and five others are enrolled in the university's College of Pharmacy.
Notable Awards for Black Scholars
The honorees are Janice R. Franklin of Alabama State University, Jack Thomas of Western Illinois University, civil rights icon Myrlie Evers-Williams, Gladius Lewis of the University of Memphis, and Isaac Crumbly of Fort Valley State University.
Virginia State University Joins the Bonner Leaders Program
Beginning this fall, Virginia State students who are accepted into the program will spend 8 to 10 hours a week performing community service. In return they will receive a stipend from the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation to support their education.
Five African Americans Taking on New Administrative Roles in Higher Education
The new appointees are Julie Graves at the University of Memphis, Martino Harmon at Iowa State University, Lonnie Brown Jr. at the University of Georgia School of Law, LaVelle Hendricks of Texas A&M University Commerce, and Deidre McRoy at Florida A&M University.
In Memoriam: Richard Iton, 1961-2013
A professor of African American studies and political science at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Dr. Iton died late last month after a 11-year battle with leukemia. He was 51 years old.
