Monthly Archives: December 2013
Ole Miss Receives Kennedy Letters Relating to Its Racial Integration
The University of Mississippi has received letters written by President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy that dealt with the integration of the Ole Miss campus.
Erica Edwards Honored by the Modern Language Association
Erica Edwards, an associate professor of English at the University of California at Riverside, has been awarded the prestigious Williams Sanders Scarborough Prize for her book Charisma and the Fictions of Black Leadership.
Mercile Lee Retires As Vice Provost at the University of Wisconsin
For the past 30 years, Lee's responsibilities have included overseeing the Chancellor's and Powers-Knapp Scholarship programs, which she founded in 1984 to help students from minority or disadvantaged backgrounds.
Study Finds Racial Bias in Online Purchasing
The study found that ads that showed a Black man holding the iPod received 13 percent fewer responses and 18 percent fewer offers than ads that showed an iPod in a White man's hand.
Destenie Nock Wins Mitchell Scholarship
She is a senior at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, where she is majoring in electrical engineering and applied mathematics. She will study at Queen's University in Belfast.
A Huge Racial Gap in STEM Degree Program Attrition Rates
New data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that almost two-thirds of Black students who start out in STEM-related bachelor's degree programs do not complete their studies in these fields.
Former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools to Teach at Vanderbilt University
Carol R. Johnson, who has led the public schools in Boston, Memphis, and Minneapolis, will be teaching in the department of leadership, policy, and organizations in the Peabody College of Education and Human Development.
Racial Disparities in Cancer Patient Treatment
The data showed that Blacks were 10 percent less likely than Whites to have primary tumor surgery, 17 percent less likely to undergo chemotherapy, and 30 percent less likely to receive radiotherapy.
Carla Wilson Named Athletics Director at the University of Missouri-Kansas City
She is the only woman athletics director in the Western Athletic Conference. Less than 9 percent of all athletics directors in the NCAA's Division I are women and only 4 percent are women of color.
Florida A&M University Partners With The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Under the agreement, students who graduate with degrees in psychology from Florida A&M University will have a bridge to master's and doctoral degree program at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Two Black Scholars Join the Art and Architecture Faculty at Brown University
Brown University has announced that there are 13 new faculty members in its humanities division this fall. Two of the new hires are Black: Courtney J. Martin and Itohan Osayimwese.
Florida Memorial University Trustee Elected Senate President in the Bahamas
Wilson is a 1971 graduate of Florida Memorial University and has been a member of the board of trustees since 1986. She holds a master's degree from the University of Miami and completed her legal studies in the Bahamas.
New Program Offers HBCU Students Paid Internships at Art Museums
Under the pilot program, 13 college juniors from United Negro College Fund member institutions will be hired as paid interns for one semester at art museums across the country.
Three Black Scholars in New Teaching Roles
Nneka Logan is a new assistant professor of communication at Virginia Tech. Tamika La Salle has joined the education faculty at the University of Connecticut and Courtney Simons is teaching food science at Wright State University.
Historically Black Shaw University Honors Its Outgoing President
Dorothy Cowser Yancy, who will leave the presidency of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, when a successor is named, has had a campus building named in her honor by the university's board of trustees.
Morgan State University Partners With Brazilian Universities
Morgan State University, the historically Black educational institution in Baltimore, has entered into a partnership agreement with the State University of Sao Paulo and is exploring agreements with other Brazilian universities.
Four African Americans in New Administrative Positions in Higher Education
The new appointees are Paula Edgar at the New York Law School, Renee A. Middleton of Ohio University, Sean Huddleston at Grand Valley State University, and Khalilah Shabazz at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis.
In Memoriam: William M. Spann, 1927-2013
Spann joined the faculty at Shaw University in 1957. He was the founder of the university's program in kinesiology, coached women's basketball, and served as chair of the department of allied health and as athletics director.
Professor Reprimanded for “Creating a Hostile Learning Environment” for Whites
Shannon Gibney, a professor of English and African diaspora studies at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, received a letter of reprimand for creating "a hostile learning environment" for White students.
In Memoriam: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, 1918-2013
Nelson Mandela, the driving force behind the drive to end apartheid in South Africa and the former president of the Republic has died. On May 12, 2005, the editors of JBHE were privileged to attend the awarding of an honorary doctorate by Amherst College to Nelson Mandela at Saint Bartholomew's Church in New York City.
Three African Americans Win Rhodes Scholarships
The Rhodes Trust does not release data on the racial or ethnic identity of scholarship winners. But it appears that this year, three of the 32 Rhodes 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.
Campus Lockdown Prompts Racist Reactions on Social Media
When a woman at Southwestern University falsely claimed she was raped by a Black man, there was a flood of unsavory reactions on social media.
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.
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: John Calvin Berry, 1925-2013
Berry came to the University of Southern Mississippi as associate director of Title IV programs. In 1970 he was hired as an instructor, the first African American faculty member in university history.
The Racial Makeup of the Entering Class at the University of Washington
There are 181 African American in the entering class at the University of Washington. They make up 2.9 percent of the entering students. Blacks are 3.6 percent of population in the state of Washington.
James McBride Wins the National Book Award for Fiction
James McBride, Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, won the National Book Award for fiction for his novel The Good Lord Bird.
Tracking U.S. College Students Who Study Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa
Of all U.S. students studying abroad, 12,859, or 4.5 percent, attended universities in sub-Saharan Africa. Among sub-Saharan African nations, South Africa was by far the most popular destination.
Kwame Anthony Appiah to Join the Faculty at New York University
Professor Appiah will spend half the academic year teaching in the department of philosophy and the New York University School of Law. The other half of the year will be spent at NYU global campuses.
Report Documents Huge Shortage of Black Women Faculty in STEM Disciplines
The gap between the percentage of Black women in STEM faculty posts and the percentage of Black women in the general working-age population is wider than for any other racial or ethnic group.
Cornell University to Offer a Ph.D. Program in Africana Studies
The university estimates that 20 to 30 percent of Black studies faculty nationwide will be retiring over the next decade and the new Cornell program will help fill the need to replace retiring Black studies faculty.
Harlem Charter School Gets Results
A paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that students in a Harlem charter school performed better academically and had fewer societal problems than their peers who attended regular public schools.
Helene Dillard Named Dean at the University of California, Davis
The new dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis, she has been serving as associate dean and director of the Cooperative Extension program at Cornell University.
Four-Person Transition Team to Lead Wilberforce University
Wilberforce University in Ohio has announced that a four-person transition team made up of members of the board of trustees will lead the institution when President Patricia Hardaway retires in December.
Kiron Skinner to Lead the New Institute for Strategic Analysis at Carnegie Mellon University
The new institute will be involved with the university's consultation services with government defense, intelligence, and diplomatic officials in areas such as computer science, cybersecurity, robotics, and communications.
