Monthly Archives: October 2014
The University of Virginia Hires Researcher to Examine the History of Slavery on Campus
The University of Virginia has appointed Kelley Fanto Deetz to a three-year postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research on the role of slavery in the university's history. And she will recommend how the university should commemorate those who worked in bondage for the university.
Cato Laurencin Receives a Pioneer Award From the National Institutes of Health
He is the first faculty member at the University of Connecticut to win the award. The award comes with a $4 million grant to enable Dr. Laurencin to continue his groundbreaking work on regenerative engineering.
Racial Incidents at the University of Massachusetts
Racist messages were scrawled on dormitory room doors at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Black student said she was confronted by a White male who shouted "White Power!" at her and her friends.
Shana Redmonds Named to Professorship Honoring Civil Rights Activist Ella Baker
The University of California, Santa Barbara, has established a visiting professorship to honor Ella Baker, a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and its network of Freedom Schools. Shana Redmond of the University of Southern California will be the first holder of the post.
Blacks at For-Profit Colleges: Poor Outcomes and Large Amounts of Debt
Blacks make up a disproportionate percentage of students at for-profit schools and only 20 percent complete their degree programs. Many take on large amounts of debt that they can't easily repay.
The New Editor of the Howard Journal of Communications
Chuka Onwumechili joined the Howard University faculty in 2009. Currently, he serves as chair of the department of strategic, legal, and media communications. He previously served on the faculty at Bowie State University in Maryland.
Study Calls for Anti-Poverty Programs Focused on the Very Young
A new report from the Center for American Progress recommends that in order to best deal with issues of economic inequality, the United States should refocus social policy on programs for infants and toddlers.
Paine College Acting President Removed, Then Reinstated
Samuel Sullivan had been serving as acting president of Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, for about a month when he was ousted from office. After student and faculty protests, Dr. Sullivan was reinstated with the title of interim president.
Study Finds Declining Support for Diversity Among Whites Who Are Informed of Demographic Trends
A study by psychologists at the University of California, Los Angeles, finds declining support for multiculturalism and diversity among Whites who were informed that they will no longer be a majority of the population by 2050.
In Memoriam: Ali Alamin Mazrui, 1933-2014
A native of Kenya, Dr. Mazrui was considered a giant among African scholars and one of the world's great public intellectuals. At the time of his death, he was the Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities at Binghamton University in New York.
Morehouse School of Medicine Launches New Health Equity Project
Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta has announced the launch of the Health Equity Leadership & Exchange Network (HELEN). The network is an effort to advance the cause of health equity and to eliminate racial disparities in health.
Four Black Scholars Appointed to New Teaching Positions
The four Black scholars in new teaching positions are Samory Kpotufe at Princeton University, Nadine Finigan-Carr at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, Kami Chavis Simmons at Wake Forest University's School of Law, and Charlotte Braithwaite at MIT.
HBCUs Competing to Attract a Large Contingent of Afro-Brazilian Students
The Brazilian government plans to send groups of 10 students to study at universities in the United States. And up to three groups of 10 students could be sent to one particular university. The Brazilian government would pay tuition and other expenses.
Distinguished Honors for Three African American Scholars
The honorees at Brandon Keith Brown assistant professor of music at Brown University, William M. Carter Jr., dean of the law school at the University of Pittsburgh, and Robin E. Dock, an associate professor at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.
Three HBCUs Receive Research Grants From the Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy has issued grants to three historically Black universities under its Support for Advanced Fossil Resource Utilization Research program. The three grantees are Delaware State, Clark Atlanta, and Prairie View A&M.
Three African Americans Named to Key Administrative Posts in Higher Education
The new administrative appointees are LeAnn Alexander at the Mississippi University for Women, Debra Daniels at the University of Utah, and Dion Lewis at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
Washington University Study to Examine Racial Segregation in St. Louis
The project, entitled "The Divided City: An Urban Humanities Initiative," is funded in part by a $650,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
University of Michigan Program Brings Young African Scholars to the United States
The University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars Program brings early-career faculty members from Africa to the university's Ann Arbor, Michigan, campus to participate in research, take classes, give lectures, and work with mentors.
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.
Cornell Prison Education Program Marches On
This December, Cornell will hold its second graduation ceremony at the Auburn Correctional Facility. Twelve men are scheduled to receive their associate's degrees.
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.
Indiana University Has 14 Women From South Sudan Studying for Master’s Degrees
Indiana University planned to send faculty to South Sudan to promote gender equality in higher education. When Civil War broke out last December, Indiana University decided that that if they couldn't go to South Sudan, why not bring women from Africa to the Indiana University campus.
Donna Brazile Donates Her Papers to Louisiana State University
Donna Brazile, a key Democratic political strategist, author, and journalist has announced that she has donated her papers to the Special Collections Unit of the Louisiana State University Libraries. Brazile is a 1981 graduate of the university.
Harper College Program Looks to Increase Faculty Diversity
Harper College, a two-year, public college in Palatine, Illinois, has entered into a partnership agreement with Chicago State University in an effort to increase diversity on the Harper College faculty.
Brenda Smith Is a Finalist for Dean at the University of Tennessee College of Law
Since 1999, Brenda V. Smith has served as a professor at the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C. Previously, she was senior counsel for economic security at the National Women's Law Forum.
The African-Born U.S. Population Is a Highly Educated Group
A new Census Bureau study finds that more than 40 percent of the African-born U.S. population has graduated from a four-year college, compared to 28 percent of the total foreign-born population, and 29 percent of the entire U.S. adult population.
Roderick Smothers Named President of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas
Dr. Smothers has been serving as vice president of advancement at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. He holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, all from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
A Holistic Admission Process Produces Better Results for Health Profession Schools
A holistic admissions process that takes into account more than an applicant's grades and test scores, achieves an entering class that is more diverse and in most cases there is no change in measures of academic quality, student academic performance, or student retention.
David Blackwell to Be Awarded the National Science Medal
Among this year’s 10 recipients of the National Science Medal is the David Blackwell, who will be honored posthumously. He was a professor of statistics at the University of California, Berkeley and the first African American member of the National Academy of Sciences.
University Study Links Racial Discrimination to Mental Health Problems
The study found that African Americans and Caribbean-born Blacks who experience discrimination in the United States are at a substantially higher risk for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and other mental disorders.
The Stubborn Racial Gap in SAT Scores
The average combined score for Blacks of 1278 is 298 points below the average combined score for Whites. Since 2006 when the SAT test was revised, the racial scoring gap on the combined SAT has increased by seven points.
Fisk University Enrollments Are Up 42 Percent From Three Years Ago
Fisk University's more solid financial outlook appears to have had a positive impact on enrollments. There are 771 students on campus this fall, a 19.5 percent increase from a year ago and a 42 percent increase from 2011.
Yale’s Hazel Carby to Receive a Prestigious Medal for Literary Achievement
Professor Carby has been selected to received the 2014 Jay B. Hubbell Medal for Lifetime Achievement in American Literary Studies. The award is sponsored by the American Literature Section of the Modern Language Association.
Winston-Salem State University Signs Agreement With Kenyatta University
Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina has entered into a partnership agreement with Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. Under the agreement, the two universities will engage in faculty and student exchanges and collaborate on research projects.
Administrative Appointments in Higher Education for a Trio of African Americans
The new appointees are Betty Boatright at South Carolina State University, Nyree Gray at Claremont McKenna College in California, and Steven E. Hairston at Saint Augustine's University in North Carolina.
