Monthly Archives: May 2014

Karl Reid to Lead the National Society of Black Engineers

Dr. Reid has been serving as senior vice president of research, innovation, and member college engagement for the United Negro College Fund. Earlier he was associate dean for undergraduate education at MIT.

Nathaniel Mackey Honored by the Poetry Foundation

Nathaniel Mackey, professor emeritus of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has been named the winner of the 2014 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. The prize comes with a $100,000 award.

Pamela Sutton-Wallace Named CEO of the University of Virginia Medical Center

Sutton-Wallace has been on the staff of the Duke University Health System for 17 years. Most recently, she served as senior vice president for hospital operations at Duke University Hospital. She will begin her new job in July.

Kurt L. Schmoke to Be the Next President of the University of Baltimore

A former Rhodes Scholar and mayor of Baltimore for 12 years, Schmoke served as dean of the Howard University School of Law from 2003 to 2012. Most recently, he has served as interim provost and general counsel at Howard.

National Urban League Report Focuses on Non-Traditional African American College Students

The authors of the report conclude that the Pell Grant program needs to be greatly expanded to meet the financial needs of non-traditional students. Also, institutions must create a "culture of completion."

A Record Number of Black First-Year Students to Enter Harvard This Fall

A total of 177 Black students have accepted the university's offer of admission to the Class of 2018. It appears that Blacks will make up about 11 percent of the entering class this fall.

Assessing the Effort to Bolster the Academic Achievement of Black Males

The report offers insights from 50 leaders in government, nonprofits, business, and the academic world on what can be done to further help along the progress that has been made in improving the academic achievement of Black males.

Joan Yvette Davis Named Chancellor of Delgado Community College

Davis has been serving as interim president of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A graduate of Bennett College, she is the former interim chancellor of the Alabama Community College System.

University Study Finds the Poorest of the Poor Being Helped Less by the Federal Government

A new study by an economist at Johns Hopkins University finds that a large percentage of federal help finds its ways to families at or just below the poverty level, rather than to families and individuals who are at the very bottom of the income ladder.

Two African American Women Are Appointed Provosts

Felecia McInnis Nave has been chosen as the next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Prairie View A&M University and Karen Weddle-West has been appointed interim provost at the University of Memphis in Tennessee.

HBCUs Are Given a Large Share of NCAA Postseason Bans

The National Collegiate Athletic Association recently banned 36 college sports teams from postseason play during the 2014-15 academic year because of poor performance on the association's academic progress rate (APR). Fifteen of these teams are at HBCUs.

Three Black Men Given New Faculty Assignments

The appointees are Elnardo Webster at St. Peter's University in New Jersey, Juan E. Gilbert at the University of Florida, and James Tengatenga at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

North Carolina Central University to Begin a Bilingual Speech Language Pathology Program

North Carolina Central University, the historically Black educational institution in Durham, has entered into a partnership agreement with the Beijing Language and Culture University in China.

New Positions for Three African American Administrators

The appointees to new administrative posts are LaTanya Buck at Washington University in St. Louis, Shamis Abdi at Florida A&M University, and Pelema I. Morrice at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.

Nursing School at HBCU Is Participating in a New Diabetes Education Center

The School of Nursing at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro is a partner in the new Diabetes Education, Prevention, and Management Center. The center is free and open to all.

Mary Evans Sias Is Leaving the Presidency of Kentucky State University

Dr. Silas has been president at Kentucky State since 2004. She is the only woman serving as president of any state-operated university in Kentucky. Before coming to Kentucky State, Dr. Sias was an administrator at the University of Texas at Dallas.

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.

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.

Nine African Americans Awarded Truman Scholarships

This year, 59 Truman scholars were selected from 655 candidates nominated by 294 colleges and universities. Of this year's 59 Truman Scholars, it appears that nine are African Americans.

Howard University Graduate to Lead the American Bar Association

Paulette Brown, a graduate of Howard University and the Seton Hall University School of Law, will become president of the American Bar Association in August 2015. She will be the first African American woman to lead the ABA.

Iowa State University to Develop Training Program for Plant Breeders at African Universities

Walter Suza, an assistant professor of agronomy at Iowa State University is leading an effort to develop online educational materials for master's degree students in plant breeding at three African universities.

The Oberlin Conservatory Receives the Personal Archives of Jazz Great Milt Hinton

Hinton, a native of Mississippi, had a jazz career that spanned more than 70 years and his music can be heard on more than 1,000 recordings. In addition to his music, Hinton was an avid photographer.

A New Post-Baccalaureate Research Program for Minorities in the Biomedical Sciences

The University of Georgia has launched a new post-baccalaureate research program aimed at increasing the number of students from underrepresented minority groups who pursue careers in the biomedical sciences.

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.

Mary Frances Berry Honored by the Organization of American Historians

Mary Frances Berry, the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania was honored for "significantly enriched our understanding and appreciation of American history."

Jewell Parker Rhodes Wins the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award

Dr. Rhodes holds the Piper Endowed Chair and is a professor of English and the founding director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University. She was honored for her novel Sugar.

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Names an Award for a Black Scholar

Janice Joseph is a Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. She is the first person of African descent and the first foreign-born individual to serve as president of the ACJS.

San Jose State University Expels Three Students Who Were Charged With Hate Crimes

Last November, the White students were accused of barricading a Black student in his room, displaying a Confederate flag, writing the word “nigger” on a white board in a common area, and attaching a metal bicycle lock around his neck.

Tom Jackson Jr. Named the Tenth President of Black Hills State University

Dr. Jackson has been serving vice president for student affairs at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Before coming to the University of Louisville in 2007, Dr. Jackson was vice president for student affairs at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

New Report Shows the Racial Gap in High School Graduation Rates

The data shows that 86 percent of White students graduated from public high schools compared to 69 percent of Black students. But in some states the graduation rate gap was significantly larger.

Emery Brown Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

While the academy does not release data on the race or ethnicity of its members, after an analysis of the list of 84 new members by JBHE, it appears that only one of the new members is an African American.

African American College Students Engaging in Unhealthy Behaviors

A new report from scientists at Northwestern University and Northeastern Illinois University finds that college students, particularly African American college students, are engaging in behaviors that could increase their risk of cancer later in life.

Racial Incident at Saint Louis University

Someone accessed the computer that controlled a projector at the Busch Student Center on the campus of Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, and wrote a racist message that appeared on a large screen at the center.

Morgan State President to Stay in Place for the Time Being

Over the past 18 months, Morgan State University President David Wilson was fired, reinstated, and given a new one-year contract. Now the regents have kept him on for an undetermined tenure to serve "at the pleasure of the board."

Howard University Awards a Record Number of Doctoral Degrees

This year Howard University in Washington, D.C. is awarding 105 doctoral degrees. This is the highest number of doctorates ever awarded by Howard in its history, dating back to 1867.

Two Black Scholars Named to Dean Positions

Charlotte H. Johnson was named dean of students at Scripps College in Claremont, California, and Alfred W. Tatum was appointed dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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