Monthly Archives: May 2014
Royal Walker Jr. Appointed by President Obama to the National Council on Disability
Royal P. Walker Jr. is the executive director of the Institute for Disability Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi. He will serve a four-year term on the council that advises the President and Congress on disability issues.
North Carolina A&T State University to Offer MBA Degree Program
Up to now the university has offered a master of science degree program in management. The MBA program, which will being this fall, will offer concentrations in accounting, human resource management and supply chain systems.
UMass Scholar to Conduct HIV-Prevention Research at the University of California, San Francisco
Louis F. Graham, an assistant professor of health education at the University of Massachusetts, will be spending the summer as a visiting professor at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California, San Francisco.
The First Latino Fraternity at a HBCU
Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, has recently approved the establishment of a chapter of the Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity on campus. University officials believe it is the first Latino fraternity on the campus of any historically Black college or university.
Six African Americans in New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
The new appointees are Funmi Ojetayo at Florida A&M, Derrick E. Echoles at Mississippi College, Cheryl Johnson at Kansas State, Binti Harvey at Scripps College, Lesia Crumpton-Young at Tennessee State, and Martella M. Nelson at the University of Alabama Birmingham.
Langston University Partners With Gregory University, Uturu in Nigeria
Under the agreement, the two universities agree to cooperative on research projects and to engage in student and faculty exchanges. Langston University has agreed to appoint visiting scholars to provide hands-on leadership on the Nigerian campus.
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.
University of Kansas to Offer Courses in the Somali Language
An elementary class in Somalia will be offered at the Summer African Language Institute and more advanced classes will be offered during the 2014-15 academic year.
Wellesley College Philosopher and Poet Stepping Down After 41 Years
Ifeanyi Menkiti, a native of Nigeria, earned a Ph.D. at Harvard University, where philosopher John Rawls supervised his dissertation. Dr. Menkiti is the author of four collections of poetry.
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.
Davidson College’s Hiring Process Takes Diversity Experience Into Account
Now, candidates considered for faculty and staff positions are asked about their experience working with underrepresented minority populations.
New Website Offers Resources for the Teaching of African American Poetry
The University of Kansas has debuted a new website that makes available to the world the content of last summer's Don't Deny My Voice: Reading and Teaching African American Poetry Institute.
In Memoriam: Maya Angelou, 1928-2014
Maya Angelou, author, poet, dancer, actress, civil rights activist, and the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University, has died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86 years old.
Two African American Women Announce Their Retirements
Charlotte Pierce-Baker is retiring from teaching and was named professor emerita at Vanderbilt University. Lelia Crawford is retiring after 35 years as an administrator at Emory University.
The New Provost at Vanguard University in California
Dr. Doretha O'Quinn has been serving as vice provost at Biola University in La Mirada, California. Earlier, she was associate dean of the School of Education at Point Loma Nazarene University.
Tuskegee University Partners With the Army Corps of Engineers
The Army Corps of Engineers seeks to increase the diversity of its workforce and believes partnerships with minority-serving institutions is a good way to develop scientists who one day may seek employment with the Corps.
New U.S. Ambassador Has Ties to Higher Education
Daniel W. Yohannes was recently sworn in as the United States Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He sits on advisory boards at the University of Washington and University of Colorado.
Morgan State University Establishes a New Scholarship Program for Transfer Students
Under the TIP program, students who have earned an associate's degree will receive up to $2,000 for up to five semesters in order to complete their bachelor's degree. Students in the program must maintain a 2.5 grade point average.
Two Hampton University Scholars Taking on New Roles at the HBCU
Battinto Batts was named assistant dean for academic affairs in the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communication and DaVida Plummer Vanderploeg was named director of the William R. Harvey Leadership Institute.
This Summer, 32 Howard Students Are Participating in Engineering Projects Worldwide
This summer Howard students will be conducting research in Romania, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, Ethiopia, Thailand, South Africa, and Tanzania. Among the projects are cybersecurity in Chile and earthquake engineering in Mexico.
Notable Honors and Awards Relating to Blacks in Higher Education
Rosie Phillips Bingham of the University of Memphis had an award named in her honor. Cristal Truscott of Prairie View A&M University, Elias S. Siraj of Temple University, and the Africana studies program at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis were also honored.
Jonathan Holloway Appointed Dean of Yale College
Dr. Holloway is a professor of history and American studies and chair of the Department of African American studies at Yale. He will begin his duties as dean of Yale College, the undergraduate division of Yale University, on July 1.
Racial Differences in the Effect of Family Debt on College Student Success
Researchers at the University of Illinois find that family debt is a major factor in diminishing the likelihood that students will graduate from college. The effect is particularly pronounced for Black students.
Two African American Women Named Deans at Emory University in Atlanta
Erika Hayes James was appointed dean of the Goizueta Business School at the university and Bridgette Young Ross will be the dean of the chapel and spiritual life.
University Study Finds Favoritism Not Prejudicial Hostility Is the Root of Most Discrimination
A study finds that most discrimination in this country is favoritism directed at helping friends, family, or people of similar backgrounds or characteristics rather than mean-spirited dislike or prejudice against others.
The New Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University
Since 2009, Dr. Wanda J. Blanchett has been serving as dean of the School of Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Earlier, she held associate dean posts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Colorado-Denver.
Georgia State University Study Examines Death Rates of Former Prison Inmates
Men who have been released from prison are more than twice as likely to die prematurely than men who have not served in prison. The results are of particular note to African Americans because Blacks are more than six times as likely as Whites to be in prison.
In Memoriam: Vincent Gordon Harding, 1931-2014
Vincent G. Harding, the civil rights activist, author, and professor emeritus of religion and social transformation at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, died on May 19 in Philadelphia. He was an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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.
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.
New Program Provides Significant Aid for Minority Ph.D. Students in STEM Fields
Using a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 24 minority students at the University of Iowa will receive $40,000 scholarships over the next three years. The university will provide an additional $10,000 to the 24 students.
African American Man Elected Student Body President at Texas Woman’s University
Landon Dickerson is a junior from Houston who is following a pre-med track and majoring in biology. He was a student at historically Black Xavier University in New Orleans but transferred to Texas Woman's University in 2012.
Alondra Nelson Named Dean of Social Sciences at Columbia University
Dr. Nelson is professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality at the university. She will become dean on July 1.
Beverly Daniel Tatum Elected to the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin. This year 33 new members were elected to the society. Of the 33 new members, it appears that only one is an African American.
