Monthly Archives: September 2013
Winthrop University Scholar Discovers the Identity of an Early Black Woman Novelist
Gregg Hecimovich, chair of the English department at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has discovered new evidence on the identity of the author who is believe to have written the earliest novel by an African American woman.
University of South Carolina Exhibit Documents Early Black History on Campus
Included in the exhibit are documents that show how slaves were used on campus during the antebellum period and photographs and other materials on a brief period during Reconstruction when Blacks students and faculty were on campus.
Slave Cabin Reopens for Visitors on the Campus of Sweet Briar College
The cabin is one of about two dozen structures that housed slaves on the Sweet Briar Plantation in the pre-Civil War period. It is the only one that remains.
Checking Up on Black Enrollments at Louisiana State University
Blacks are 32.4 percent of the Louisiana population so the Black undergraduate student population of 11.1 percent at Louisiana State University is about one third the percentage of Blacks in the state's population.
Federal Government Issues New Guidance on Race-Sensitive Admissions
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education issued a new guidance letter that stated colleges and universities may continue to use race as one factor in their admissions processes.
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.
A Small Decrease This Year, But the Racial Gap in SAT Scores Remains Huge
The mean score for Blacks on the combined critical reading and mathematical portions of the SAT was 860. This was a four-point increase from a year ago. But the mean score for Whites on these sections was 201 points higher.
Virginia Commonwealth University Research Finds New Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease
The new treatment, now scheduled for clinical trials, was developed by scientists at the Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, a joint effort of the School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dorothy Yancy to Step Down From Presidency of Shaw University
Dr. Yancy, who has served as leader of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, will stay on until a successor is found. Earlier in her career she served for 14 years as president of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
University of Rochester Study Finds Racial Bias Is Strongest in the Cotton Belt
The study found that White southerners who live in the Cotton Belt of the Deep South where slavery was most entrenched continue to hold stronger negative attitudes toward African Americans than Whites in other parts of the South.
The Persisting Racial Gap in Median Household Income in the United States
In 2012, the median Black household income was only 58 percent of the median income of White households. This significant racial gap in median household income in the United States has remained virtually unchanged for the past 40 years.
Research Discovers a Brain Drain of Physicians From Sub-Saharan Africa
In conducting research for his doctoral dissertation at Vanderbilt University, Akhenaten Tankwanchi found that the number of physicians practicing in the United States who had immigrated from sub-Saharan African had increased 40 percent over the past decade.
Three African Americans Named MacArthur Fellows
The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation has announced the selection of 24 individuals in this year's class of MacArthur Fellows. Three are African Americans: Kyle Abraham, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Carrie Mae Weems.
Michelle DePass to Lead the Milano School at The New School
DePass has been serving as assistant administrator for international and tribal affairs at the Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to joining the EPA, DePass was a program officer for the Ford Foundation.
Two African Americans Join the Faculty at Lehigh University
Lehigh University, the highly rated national university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has 27 new faculty members on campus this fall. Of the 27 new appointees, two are African Americans, Monica R. Miller and Darius Omar Williams.
The Only Women’s Swim Team at a HBCU Is Facing the Chopping Block
Last month, North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro announced that it was ending its intercollegiate women's swim team. It is the only women's swim team still in existence at a historically Black college or university.
Towson University Scholar Honored by the National Institutes of Health
Sharon Jones-Eversley, an assistant professor of family studies, has been honored with the distinguished PRIDE Award. PRIDE is an acronym for the Program to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research.
Hampton University Launches Dual Degree Program With Medical School in West Virginia
Hampton University has entered into an agreement with the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The two universities will create a joint bachelor's degree/medical degree program.
Two Black Scholars in New Teaching Roles
Eno E. Ebong is a new assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston and Lewis Gordon of the University of Connecticut was named the Nelson Mandela Visiting Professor at Rhodes University in South Africa.
Southern University Signs Partnership Agreement With Siirt University in Turkey
The three-year agreement calls for faculty and student exchanges between the two universities, cooperative research initiatives, cultural exchanges, and the establishment of an English language learning program for Siirt University students.
Three African American Men in New Administrative Roles in Higher Education
James G. Lunnermon II and Walter W. Woods were given new posts at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Perry James Studevent Jr. was named director of student services at the medical school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Cheyney University Opens New Residence for Honors Program Scholars
Named after the university's founder, Richard Humphreys, the newly rennovated structure will serve as a residence hall for a cohort of honors students called Humphreys Scholars.
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.
Princeton Looks to Enhance Campus Diversity
Princeton has approved a new plan to increase diversity throughout the campus community. The new plan will focus on diversity initiatives relating to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and senior administrators.
The Racial Gap in College Participation Rates
For students who graduated from high school in 2012, nearly 67 percent of Whites were enrolled in college by October 2012. For Black high school graduates in 2012, only 57.1 percent were enrolled in college the next fall.
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.
In Memoriam: Kofi Awoonor, 1935-2013
The Ghanaian poet, who studied and taught in the United States, was killed in the terrorist attack at Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
The University of Virginia to Examine Its Ties to Slavery
The University of Virginia has announced the formation of a commission that will investigate the university's historical relationship with slavery. The commission is made up of 27 faculty and staff, students, alumni, and members of the local community.
Chicago State University Receives the Archives of Thomas N. Todd
Thomas N. Todd, known as TNT, for his dynamic speaking skills, was appointed in 1970 as the first full-time Black professor at the Northwestern University School of Law.
Two Universities Work to Battle HIV/AIDS in South Africa
Brown University has formed a new partnership with the University of Cape Town in South Africa to train the next generation of social scientists who will confront the HIV/AIDS epidemic in southern Africa. About one in six adults in South Africa is living with HIV.
Major Gift Endows a New Center for Black Studies at Harvard
Henry Louis Gates Jr., who has led the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for more than 20 years, was named the founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.
Record Black Enrollments at Georgia State University
There are more Hispanics, Asian Americans, and African Americans in the entering class than ever before. Black enrollments in the entering class are up 4 percent from last year's record class.
Racial Differences in Anticipated Debt for Medical School Students
The survey found that 77 percent of Black students anticipated accumulating at least $150,000 in debt during their medical training. For all medical school students, 62.1 percent anticipated debt of $150,000 or more.
Eugene White to Lead Martin University in Indianapolis
Dr. White, the former superintendent of the Indianapolis public school system, will serve one year while the university searches for a permanent president.
Supporters of Cheyney University Preparing to Sue Pennsylvania for Racial Discrimination
An attorney involved in the action stated, "The Commonwealth in 2013 continues this racial discrimination, which has caused an all-time great institution to have an all-time low student enrollment and an all-time high budget deficit."
