Monthly Archives: June 2013
Sonja Harris-Haywood Named Director of the Partnership for Urban Health
The goal of the partnership is to encourage students to pursue undergraduate studies at Cleveland State and medical degrees at Northeast Ohio Medical University with the hope that the students will stay and practice medicine in Northeast Ohio.
Howard University College of Medicine’s My Garden Project
The 50 families participating in the project to promote healthy eating habits receive lumber to fence in their backyard garden, a few plants, soil, and gardening advice. Families are asked to keep a diary tracking plant growth, infestation, and watering.
Three Black Scholars Named to New Teaching Positions
Carlyle Brewster was promoted to full professor of entomology at Virginia Tech. Allan Boesak was named to a joint professorship at Butler University and the Christian Theological Seminary and Keith N. Hylton of Boston University Law School was named a Distinguished Professor at the university.
Former Professor Endows Scholarship Fund for Music Students at Norfolk State University
Composer and educator Adolphus Hailstork has established an endowed scholarship fund at historically Black Norfolk State University in Virginia. The fund will support undergraduate music students at the university, where Hailstork taught from 1977 to 2000.
Seven African Americans in New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
The new appointees are Tyvi Small at the University of Tennessee, Camisha Duffy at Murray State, Michael Leo Owens of Emory University, Ashley Robinson at Prairie View A&M, Valandra German at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Clayton Steen at Bowie State, and Natasha Billie at Langston University.
Grambling State University Looks to Enlist Retirees to Help Out
Frank G. Pogue, president of Grambling State University in Louisiana, has announced the establishment of the Grambling State University Association for Retired Faculty and Staff to provide former employees an organized way to stay involved with the university.
In Memoriam: Martin Gardiner Bernal, 1937-2013
Professor Bernal and Professor Mary Lefkowitz of Wellesley College engaged in a scholarly give and take in the pages of JBHE in the mid-1990s on Dr. Bernal's thesis that Africans had a major influence on Greek thought and culture.
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.
13 Blacks Receive Honorary Degrees From Ivy League Schools
The eight Ivy League universities gave out 52 honorary degrees this commencement season. Of the 52 honorary degrees awarded this year at Ivy League schools, 13, or 25 percent, went to Blacks.
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.
Racist Prank at the University of Chicago
An African American mail carrier was asked to bring 79 packaging boxes to "Reggin Toggaf" (spelled backwards it's "Faggot Nigger") at a fraternity at the University of Chicago. The carrier made six or seven trips up the stairs to the fraternity carrying the boxes.
Phoebe Haddon to Step Down as Dean of the University of Maryland School of Law
Haddon was selected as dean of the nation's third-oldest law school in 2009 after serving for 25 years on the faculty of the Temple University School of law in Philadelphia. After a one-year sabbatical, she will return to serve on the law school's faculty.
African Americans Make Up a Tiny Percentage of Applicants to Princeton’s Graduate Programs
There were 1,264 American applicants from minority groups, but more than half of these were Asian Americans. There were 214 African American applicants to Princeton's graduate programs. They made up 1.9 percent of all applicants and 4.1 percent of all applicants from the United States.
New Initiative Looks to Boost the Number of Blacks in Graduate-Level Computer Science
Seven universities have been chosen by the National Science Foundation for participation in the Institute for African American Mentoring in Computing Sciences (iAAMCS, pronounced "I am CS"). The $5 million program is being led by computer scientists at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Anita Allen Appointed Vice Provost for Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania
Anita L. Allen holds an endowed chair at the law school and is a professor of philosophy. She is an international expert in privacy law and contemporary ethics and the author of seven books and more than 100 academic articles.
Natasha Trethewey Appointed to a Second Term as Poet Laureate of the United States
She is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University in Atlanta. In addition to a second one-year term as Poet Laureate of the United States, she is also serving a four-year term as the poet laureate of the state of Mississippi.
The Top Undergraduate Feeder Institutions for Blacks Who Earn Scientific Doctorates
The National Science Foundation reports that between 2002 and 2011, 9,202 Blacks received doctorates in science and engineering fields. Howard University in Washington, D.C., was the leading undergraduate feeder institution for Blacks who earned doctorate in these fields.
Sylvester James Gates Awarded the Mendel Medal From Villanova University
Sylvester James Gates, the John S. Toll Professor of Physics and director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland in College Park, was named the winner of the Mendel Medal, given out by Villanova University.
Public Support for Affirmative Action in College Admissions Appears to Be Slipping
A new poll finds that more than three-quarters of American adults believe race should not be considered in the college admissions process. And there was little racial division in opposition to the practice. Black, Whites, Republicans, and Democrats all opposed race-sensitive admissions.
Fast-Food Restaurants Near Schools Affects Weight of Black Students More Than Whites
A new study, co-authored by Sonya A. Grier of American University, find that Black and Hispanic adolescents who attend schools located near fast food restaurants are more likely to be overweight than White or Asian students in the same schools.
Monica Shealey to Lead the College of Education at Rowan University in New Jersey
When she takes office on July 1, she will be the first African American to hold the post. She has been serving as associate dean for teacher education at the School of Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
HBCUs Hit Hard by NCAA Sanctions
Eighteen teams were penalized for the poor academic performance of their student athletes by being declared ineligible for postseason competition in the 2013-14 academic year. Of these 18 teams, 15 were teams at historically Black colleges and universities.
ACLU Report Finds Huge Racial Disparity in Arrests for Marijuana Possession
The impact of the large racial disparity in marijuana arrests can impact access to higher education for African Americans. Students with criminal records may have a more difficult time gaining admission to college or securing financing to pay for college.
Two African American Men Named Interim Vice Chancellors at the University of Arkansas Little Rock
Logan Hampton was named interim vice chancellor for educational, student services, and student life and Nathan Nolen was appointed interim vice chancellor for information technology services.
North Carolina A&T State University to Field a Motor Sports Race Team
North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro began a motor sports program in 2010. Now to aid its students in the motor sports program, the university plans to field an actual racing team.
Three African American Scholars in New Faculty Roles
Gregory H. Robinson was named the UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor in Chemistry at the University of Georgia, Donna-Dale Marcano was named director of the Human Rights Program at Trinity College and Melissa Nobles was named chair of the political science department at MIT.
New Academic Developments at Morgan State University
Historically Black Morgan State University in Baltimore is beginning a new Ph.D. in transportation and urban infrastructure systems. The university is also planning to hold a second commencement ceremony in December in addition to the regular event in May.
Four African Americans Taking on New Roles in Higher Education
The new appointees are Jameca W. Falconer at the Logan College of Chiropractic in Missouri, Lori S. Gentles at California State University, Fullerton, P. Kevin Williamson at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, and Ralph Amos at the University of Maryland.
Jazz Studies Pioneer to Retire
Nathan Davis, professor of music and director of the jazz studies program at the University of Pittsburgh, has announced that he will retire. Professor Davis, now 76 years old, founded the jazz program at the university in 1969. At that time, there were only two other jazz studies programs in the nation.
Grambling University Student Wins the Toyota Green Initiative
Corban Bell, who recently graduated with a 3.66 grade point average, was honored for this efforts to initiate a university-wide recycling effort on the Grambling campus. Bell campaigned for the student body to accept a $1 fee per semester to fund the recycling effort.
In Memoriam: Homer Eli Favor, 1925-2013
Homer Favor joined the faculty at Morgan State University in 1956 as an assistant professor of economics. In 1963, he founded the Urban Studies Institute at Morgan State.
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.
The New President of Wayne State University
M. Roy Wilson has been selected as the 12th president of Wayne State University in Detroit. He will take office on August 1. Dr. Wilson has been serving as deputy director for strategic scientific planning and program coordination at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Two New Deans at Florida A&M University
Florida A&M University in Tallahassee has announced that Maurice D. Edington was appointed dean of the College of Science and Technology and Victor M. Ibeanusi was named dean of the School of the Environment.
A Changing of the Guard for the University Honors Program at Tennessee State University
Sandra Holt is retiring after 40 years on the faculty and staff at Tennessee State University. For 20 years she has led the University Honors Program. Taking over for Dr. Holt is Coreen Dawkins Jackson, an associate professor of mass communication.
