Monthly Archives: July 2014
In Memoriam: Abdulalim A. Shabazz, 1927-2014
Abdulalim Shabazz was a Distinguish Professor of Mathematics at Grambling State University in Louisiana. In September 2000, President Clinton presented Dr. Shabazz with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Ten Universities to Tackle the Problem of K-12 Teacher Diversity
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education has selected 10 universities to participate in a program with the goal of increasing the number of Black and other minority men who teach in the nation's public schools. Only 2 percent of public school teachers are Black males.
University of Rwanda to Offer Its First Doctoral Programs
The University of Rwanda in Africa has announced that it will offer eight new doctoral programs beginning in the coming academic year. The programs will be the first doctorates in the university's history.
Miriam Wagner Is the New Leader of the School of Education at North Carolina A&T State University
Dr. Wagner has been on the faculty at the university since 1992. Earlier in her career, Dr. Wagner was an assistant professor of psychology and director of counseling at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.
Florida International University to Refurbish a Planetarium at a Predominantly Black High School
Florida International University in Miami has announced plans to refurbish the planetarium at Booker T. Washington Senior High School in the predominantly African American neighborhood of Overtown.
Six New Bachelor’s Degree Programs at Florida A&M University This Fall
The new bachelor's degree programs, which will begin this fall, are in physical and teacher education, health, leisure, and fitness studies, two bachelor's degree programs in interdisciplinary studies, and two programs in environmental studies.
Five Black Scholars in New University Teaching Roles
The five scholars appointed to new teaching posts are: Kibibi Voloria Mack-Shelton at Claflin University, Brett Gilbert at Rutgers University, Yuvay Meyers Ferguson at Howard University, Jeffrey Robinson at Rutgers University, and Dawn Herd-Clark at Fort Valley State University.
Grambling State University to Upgrade Athletics Facilities on Campus
An underutilized recreational facility and the school's closed natatorium will undergo a $7 million renovation. Frank G. Pogue, president of Grambling State University, stated, "the place has been an eyesore for years, and students complained about it all the time, and with good reason."
Ohio University Pays Tribute to Its African American President
The board of trustees of Ohio University in Athens produced a video tribute to President Roderick J. McDavis to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his appointment as president of the university.
Alabama State University to Offer a Master of Social Work Degree Program
The new master of social work program will have concentrations in behavioral and mental health, forensic, and gerontology and will have three degree paths: A traditional two-year, full-time program, an accelerated 12-month program, and a part-time four-year program.
Six African Americans Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education
The appointees are: Kimberly Johnson at Auburn University, Rosalie Richards at Stetson University, Benjamin Reese at Duke University, Kemal Atkins at Kenne State College, LLJuna Weir at Alcorn State University, and Calvin J. McFadden Sr. at Smith College.
Flandus McClinton Jr. to Lead the Baton Rouge Campus of Southern University
McClinton has been serving as vice chancellor for finance and administration and has been on the staff of the university since 1989. His critics questioned whether McClinton, with an accounting background, has the academic experience to preside over all facets of the university.
Increasing the Success Rate of Black Students in STEM Disciplines
The main thesis of the study by researchers at Brown University is that efforts to get more minority students in STEM fields have been successful but far less is being done to help them succeed.
UCLA Biologist Tracy L. Johnson Named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, has announced the appointment of 15 scientists as HHMI Professors. Of the 15 new HHMI Professors, only one appears to be an African American.
University of Texas Study Examines the State of Black Business in the Lone Star State
Black-owned businesses in Texas tended to be very small and 95 percent of them had no paid employees. In 2007, the average Black-owned business in Texas had sales of $60,000 compared to average sales of $1.2 million for all businesses in the state.
The New Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University
Helen Easterling Williams is the former dean of the School of Education and professor of doctoral studies at Azusa Pacific University in California. From 1997 to 2006, Dr. Williams held several leadership posts at the University of Delaware.
In Memoriam: Anna Lee Cooke, 1923-2014
Anna L. Cooke, who served on the staff at Lane College, a historically Black educational institution in Jackson, Tennessee, for a quarter century, died on June 28 at the Jackson Madison County Hospital. She was 91 years old.
A Change in Leadership at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Michelle R. Howard-Vital, the 11th president of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, has announced she will retire on July 31. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, provost and vice president for academic affairs, has been named acting president.
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 Georgia Shows the Oldest Known Movie of Blacks Playing Baseball
The 26-second film of African Americans in 1919 at the Pebble Hill Plantation near Thomasville, Georgia, was recently screened at a conference, co-sponsored by the State University of New York College at Oneonta and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
University of California, Davis Scientists Seek to Boost Safe Milk Production in Rwanda
In Rwanda, cows produce on average 5 liters of milk per day. A healthy and efficient milk production system should result in between 25 to 40 liters of milk per day. Scientists at UC Davis are educating veterinarians and small farmers on ways to increase production of safe milk.
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 Scholarship Program for Minority Students at Youngstown State University
Dr. Joan J. Boyd, professor emerita at Youngstown State University in Ohio, and her husband have established a scholarship fund at the university for underrepresented minority students interested in pursuing a career in health, medicine, or clinical laboratory science.
Black Woman Scholar Earns $75,000 in Settlement of Race Discrimination Lawsuit
Stephanie Dellande claimed that she was denied tenure and denied promotion to associate professor at Chapman University in California because she is an African American. The university settled the suit for $75,000.
Theodore Shaw to Lead the Center for Civil Rights and Hold an Endowed Chair at UNC-Chapel Hill
Theodore M. Shaw, the former director-counselor and president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, was appointed director of the Center for Civil Rights at the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He will also hold an endowed chair in law.
A. Van Jordan Is the First Henry Rutgers Presidential Professor
Professor Jordan is the author of four collections of poetry and has won the Pushcart Prize and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Since 2009, he has been a full professor at the University of Michigan.
Stanford University Making Progress in African American First-Year Enrollments
Of the 1,691 incoming first-year students at Stanford University in California, 10.5 percent are African Americans. Two years ago, there were 142 Black first-year students who made up 8 percent of the incoming class.
