Monthly Archives: May 2015
NCAA Comes Down Hard on HBCUs
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has banned 21 teams from postseason play during the 2015-16 academic year due to insufficient progress on the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate. Of these, 15 are teams at historically Black universities.
Two African Americans Appointed to Positions as Dean
Randolph Rasch has been selected as the next dean of the College of Nursing at Michigan State University and Farah C. Muscadin was named dean of students at Chicago State University in Illinois.
Savannah State University to Enhance Its Science Facilities
Historically Black Savannah State University in Georgia has received funding from the Georgia State Legislature in the amount of $20.5 million for the construction of two buildings for the College of Science and Technology.
Three Black Scholars With Ties to Academic Medicine Win Awards
The honorees are Judith Green-McKenzie of the University of Pennsylvania, Richard Payne of Duke University, and Marie Chisholm-Burns of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.
Claflin University Expands Its Online Degree Program
Claflin University, the historically Black educational institution in Orangeburg, South Carolina, has announced the establishment of a new online master's degree program in curriculum and instruction.
Five New Black Administrators at U.S. Colleges and Universities
Taking on new administrative roles are Evelyn A. Edney at Delaware State University, Glenn McIntosh at Oakland University in Michigan, Teese Brunson at Voorhees College in South Carolina, Jacqueline Higgs Caldwell at the University of Tulsa, and Rayton Sianjina at Fort Valley State University in Georgia.
Students at Harris-Stowe State University Can Take a Computer Science Course for Free
Students at Harris-Stowe State University, the historically Black educational institution in St. Louis, will be able to take a computer science course for free at nearby Washington University.
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.
Oral History Project Is Documenting the Stories of Teachers During the Civil Rights Movement
The project is called Teachers in the Movement and it is led by Derrick P. Alridge, a professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Dr. Alridge hopes to record 200 interviews of teachers by the end of 2016.
The University of Nebraska’s Innovative Plan to Help Retain Minority Faculty
Under the new plan, faculty members who teach in an academic department and also in one of the ethnic studies programs at the university will be required to teach only five courses over a three-semester period instead of six.
The University of Minnesota Holds VIP Weekend for Prospective Minority Students
A group of 75 high school juniors attended lectures, participated in bonding exercises, and took a mini-seminar where they were required to work with other students to come up with solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems.
Identical Twins Graduate With Identical 4.0 Grade Point Averages
Alissa and Ariel Barlow are identical twins who earned their bachelor's degrees at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Both achieved perfect 4.0 grade point averages.
Four African Americans Announce They Are Leaving Their College and University Posts
Those who are stepping down are Clyde B. Jones III at the University of Pittsburgh, Valerie B. Lee at Ohio State University, Patience Essah at Auburn University, and Charles Meadows at Morehouse College.
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.
The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania to Offer a New Pan-Africana Major
The new major will seek to link the entire study of ancient and modern or contemporary Africa as well as that of Africans in the Diaspora with a goal of creating global leaders and world humanitarians.
Three African Americans Names to Dean Positions
The new deans are Valerie Sheares Ashby at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, Rondall E. Allen at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Ron Darbeau at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
Hampton University Seeks to Attract Hispanic/Latino Students
According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education, Hispanics make up one percent of the undergraduate student body at historically Black Hampton University in Virginia.
New Faculty Posts for Five Black Scholars at Leading Universities
The five Black faculty members in new roles are Khiara M. Bridges at Boston University, Beauty Bragg at Georgia College and State University, Yolanda Jackson at the University of Kansas, Bryan Monroe at Temple University, and Juan Gilbert at the University of Florida.
Bowie State University Starts Construction of New Science Center
The new facility was needed to support the university's effort to recruit and retain more students interested in STEM fields. It will also allow the university to expand the number of students in its nursing program.
Four African Americans Named to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
The appointees are Calvin Hill at Springfield College in Massachusetts, David Bowman at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Nicole Gibbs at North Carolina Central University in Durham, and John K. Pierre at the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Six Men Named as Finalists to Lead the Southern University System
Six men have been selected as finalists for the position of president of the Southern University System and chancellor of its flagship campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
How Racial Disparities in Health Care Have Impacted U.S. Elections
A new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan shows that if Black-White mortality rates were the same many election results would have changed to favor the Democratic candidate.
Maria Thompson Will Be the Next President of Coppin State University in Baltimore
Since 2011, Dr. Thompson has been serving provost and vice president for academic affairs at the State University of New York at Oneonta. Previously, she held several administrative posts at Tennessee State University in Nashville.
New Study Finds No Progress in Increasing Black Faculty in Chemistry
African Americans make up just 1 percent of the chemistry professors at the 50 U.S. colleges that have the largest budgets for chemical research. Thirty of these 50 schools have no Black chemistry faculty.
Hugh Mighty to Lead the Howard University College of Medicine
Dr. Mighty has been serving as vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. Earlier in his career, he was on the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Northwestern University Study Finds Patient Portals May Widen Racial Health Disparities
The study found that individuals with lower levels of education were less likely than their more educated peers to use these portals. African Americans were 2.5 times less likely than Whites to access these online tools.
The Next President of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri
Benjamin Akande, a native of Nigeria, has been serving as a professor of economics and dean of the School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St. Louis. He will become the 21st president of Westminster College on July 1.
In Memoriam: Derrick Griffith, 1973-2015
Derrick Griffith, dean of student affairs at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York, was one of eight victims in a horrific railroad accident in Philadelphia on May 12.
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.
Oral History Project on Richmond’s Historic Fulton District Is Now Available Online
The predominantly Black Fulton district in the East End of the city of Richmond was razed during the 1970s as part of the city's urban renewal project. Now Virginia Commonwealth University has made available online interviews from 32 former residents of the district.
In Memoriam: A. Melvin Miller, 1931-2015
A. Melvin Miller served on the board of trustees of Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina, for nearly 35 years. In 1999, he was the interim president of the university.
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.
A New Digital Archive of Documents Relating to Free Persons of Color in Antebellum Louisiana
In Louisiana, free people of color enjoyed a relatively high level of acceptance and prosperity during the antebellum period. In 1810, free people of color made up 29 percent of the population of New Orleans.
Medgar Evers to Be Honored by Medgar Evers College
This spring Medgar Evers College will grant an honorary degree to its namesake, Medgar Evers. Mylie Evers-Williams, who was married to Medgar Evers and continued his civil rights work after his death, will accept the award at the college's June 2 commencement.
