Monthly Archives: June 2014
A High Black Student Graduation Rate Is Not Enough
The University of Virginia consistently has a high Black student graduation rate. But the university developed a strategy where graduation is the floor not the ceiling and this has resulted in significant improvement in the academic performance of the Black students who graduate.
The Chief Justice of Massachusetts to Become a Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University
Roderick L. Ireland is the first African American Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He is leaving the bench in July and has accepted the position as Distinguished Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University in Boston.
Student Loan Debt Impacting Home Ownership Rates of Blacks More So Than for Whites
For Blacks with $10,000 or more of student loan debt, there is a 11 percent lower probability of home ownership. For Whites with student loan debt there is "no discernible association" between debt and home ownership.
Library of Congress Acquires the Vast Archive of The History Makers
The archive includes more than 9,000 hours of video interviews of 2,500 Black Americans. The collection includes 14,000 analog tapes, 3,000 DVDs, 70,000 paper documents, and 30,000 digital images.
Will Healthcare Reform Eliminate Racial Disparities in Cardiac Care?
A new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Howard University College of Medicine finds that healthcare reform in Massachusetts, which has many similarities to the federal Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare), has not reduced racial disparities in cardiovascular care.
Two African American Men Named to Dean of Students Posts
St. Mary's College of Maryland in St. Mary's City has named Leonard Brown as dean of students. Alex Vasquez was appointed dean of students at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
Wilberforce University Has a Lot of Work to Do to Satisfy Its Accrediting Body
Wilberforce University in Ohio has been issued a "show-cause order" that requires the institution to present its case as to why its accreditation should not be withdrawn. The university has until December 15 to respond to the accrediting agency.
Four Black Scholars in New Teaching Roles
Taking on new faculty posts are Lynn Nottage at Columbia University, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor at Princeton University, Linden F. Lewis at Bucknell University, and Matthew Delmont at Arizona State University.
North Carolina A&T State University Introduces New IT Degree Program
The new bachelor's degree program in information technology with an emphasis on mainframe systems will be the eighth undergraduate degree program offered by the university's School of Technology. The new program will launch in 2015.
Three HBCU Executives Honored With Awards
The honorees are Julie D. Goodwin, general counsel at Morgan State University, William R. Harvey, president of Hampton University, and Glenda Baskin Glover, president of Tennessee State University.
South Carolina State University Placed on Accreditation Probation
The accrediting agency found that the university was deficient in eight areas: financial resources, financial stability, control of finances, student financial aid, organizational structure, governance, qualified academic and administrative officers, and control of sponsored and external funds.
Four African Americans in New Administrative Roles at Colleges and Universities
Taking on new administrative duties are Donna Polk at Bowie State University, Shelli Allen at East Central College in Missouri, Kedra Ishop at the University of Michigan, and Ron T. Coley at the University of California, Riverside.
Fort Valley State University Offering a New Degree Program in Organizational Leadership
The new online bachelor's degree program is designed to attract nontraditional students, veterans, and working adults. Several concentrations will be offered including office administration, health care administration, legal office administration, and public service administration.
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.
Emory University Acquires the Papers of Poet Nathaniel Mackey
Dr. Mackey is a professor emeritus of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He recently was named the winner of the $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. In 2006, he won the National Book Award in the poetry category.
UCLA Mural on “The Black Experience” Again Sees the Light of Day
In 1970, seven artists painted a mural on a wall in the Ackerman Union on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles. When the building was renovated in 1992, the mural was hidden behind a temporary wall. It has now been restored for public display.
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 Degree Program in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz
The interdisciplinary program in critical race and ethnic studies is designed to help students develop a deep understanding of how race and other modalities of power have structured human life, both in the past and the present.
Florida State Scholar to Develop Centralized Lab System for the University of Johannesburg
Dr. Claudius Mundoma is the director of the Physical Biochemistry Facility for the Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University. He has been selected for a fellowship that helps African educational institutions with research collaborations, curriculum development, and training initiatives.
The New Director of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas
Reggie Robinson has been serving as a professor of law and the director of the Center of Law and Government at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He is the former CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents.
Duke Renames a Dormintory That Honored a Segregation-Era Governor
Aycock Hall was named for Charles Brantley Aycock, who served as governor of North Carolina from 1901 to 1905. While Governor Aycock was a strong advocate for public education, he also was a staunch segregationist and led efforts to disenfranchise Black voters in the state.
A Call to President Obama to Include Girls of Color in “My Brother’s Keeper” Programs
In an open letter to President Obama, a group of 1,000 women of color state that "the crisis facing young boys of color should not come at the expense of girls who live in the same households, suffer in the same schools, and endure the same struggles."
In Memoriam: Roosevelt “Sandy” Gilliam Jr., 1933-2014
Roosevelt Sandy Gilliam Jr. was the former director of athletics at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne and the former vice president for development and industrial relations at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg.
A New Leader for the Howard University School of Law
Danielle R. Holley-Walker was appointed dean of the School of Law at Howard University in Washington. D.C. She has been serving as associate dean and a professor of law at the University of South Carolina Law School.
Sandra Bibb Named Dean of the College of Health Professions at Wichita State University
Since August 2011, Dr. Sandra C. Garmon Bibb has been associate dean for faculty affairs at the Graduate School of Nursing of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
Alva Ferdinand Wins Outstanding Dissertation Award
The assistant professor of public health at Texas A&M University, received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from AcademyHealth, the academic professional association for health services and health policy researchers.
Louisiana State University Is a Leader in Graduating Black Students With Ph.D.s in Chemistry
From 2005 to 2009, 19 percent of all Ph.D.s awarded in chemistry at LSU were earned by African Americans. Blacks were less than 10 percent of the chemistry Ph.D. recipients at the other 49 leading chemistry departments in the nation.
Helen McAlpine Takes the Reins of Leadership at Gadsden State Community College in Alabama
Since 2000, Dr. McAlpine has served as president of J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville, Alabama. She was the first woman president at J.F. Drake.
Deborah Barnes to Lead the College of Liberal Arts at Jackson State University
Dr. Barnes joined the faculty at Jackson State in October 2013. Previously, she was interim associate dean of university studies and an associate professor at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.
White Professor Sues Alabama State University for Race Discrimination
The White professor claims that many White applicants were not seriously considered for employment because of their race and that faculty members and administrators had remarked that only African Americans were "suited" to teach at HBCUs.
Paine College Becomes Smoke-Free, Beefs Up Security
Historically Black Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, has announced that as of July 1, the campus will become a smoke-free zone. Also, many measures have been taken to increase security after two shooting incidents that took place on campus in May.
Alcorn State University Names Two Black Scholars to Academic Affairs Posts
At the historically Black educational institution in Mississippi, Donzell Lee was named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs and John Igwebuike was appointed interim associate vice president for academic affairs.
Alabama State University to Debut New Degree Program in Biomedical Engineering
The new bachelor's degree program in biomedical engineering will train students to develop the next generation of disease-fighting drugs, artificial organs, and medical imaging systems. The program will begin in the spring 2015 semester.
Three Black Scholars in New Teaching Roles
Kwame Anthony Appiah was named professor emeritus and Ruha Benjamin was appointed assistant professor of African American studies at Princeton University. Christopher Bonner is a new assistant professor of history at the University of Maryland.
University of the District of Columbia to Eliminate 17 Faculty Positions
The elimination of the faculty positions is the result of the university's "right-sizing," which is eliminating a dozen majors and programs due to reduced funding and shrinking enrollments.
