Monthly Archives: July 2015

In Memoriam: Ella Lee Kelley, 1948-2015

Dr. Kelley joined the faculty at Southern University in 1983. She served as chair of the chemistry department at the university and most recently was associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of the Dolores Margaret Richard Spikes Honors College.

Clemson University Scholar Named Co-Editor of the the Journal Language Arts

Jonda C. McNair is a professor of literacy education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University in South Carolina. The peer-reviewed journal is a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English.

Yolanda Moses to Be Honored by the American Anthropological Association

Yolanda T. Moses, professor of anthropology and associate vice chancellor for diversity at the University of California, Riverside, has been selected to receive the 2015 Franz Boas Ward for Exemplary Service from the American Anthropological Association.

Duke Professor’s Program Seeks to Close the Racial Gap in Educational Achievement Among Youth

Angel L. Harris, a professor of sociology and African and African American studies at Duke University, is launching a new effort called Research on the Education and Development of Youth (REDY). His goal is to provide teachers with the tools to teach students who have different learning styles.

Dexter A. Woods Named Dean of the Howard University College of Dentistry

Dr. Woods has been serving as associate dean, associate professor, and director of faculty practice at the College of Dentistry. He joined the faculty at Howard University in 1999 after serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Study Finds Blacks Have More Sleep-Related Problems Than Whites

Since sleep difficulties can lead to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and other health complications, the racial differences in sleep disorders may be a significant factor in the overall racial health disparity in the United States.

Claudia Rankine to Join the Faculty at the University of Southern California

Claudia Rankine was appointed to the Aerol Arnold Chair of English in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Professor Rankin will begin teaching at the University of Southern California in the fall of 2016.

UCLA Study Identifies Risk Factors for Mental Disorders Among African Americans

Research conducted at the Center for Culture, Trauma, and Mental Health Disparities at the University of California, Los Angeles, identifies factors that can predict depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder among African Americans.

Safiya Sinclair Wins the 2015 Prairie Schooner Book Prize for Poetry

Sinclair, a native of Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a graduate of Bennington College in southwestern Vermont and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Virginia. She is currently a Dornsife Doctoral Fellow at the University of Southern California.

A New HBCU Exhibit Planned at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum

The planned exhibit at the Greensboro, North Carolina, museum entitled "Pride of the HBCU" will highlight the role students and faculty at historically Black colleges and universities played in the civil rights movement.

Four Black Scholars in New Faculty Posts

Taking on new faculty roles are Yosvany Terry at Harvard University, Darrick Hamilton at The New School, Paula T. Hammond at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Eugene T. Parker III at the University of Kansas.

Dillard University Designates Physics and Film as “Signature Programs”

The university's signature programs are majors that "epitomize Dillard's mission and define its distinctiveness in the local, state, and national marketplace." Signature programs will receive additional faculty and staff positions, endowed chairs, and additional equipment.

Morrine Omolo Awarded a Faculty for the Future Fellowship

The Faculty for the Future Fellowship program was established by the Schlumberger Foundation in 2004 and provides funding for women from the developing world to pursue a Ph.D. Omolo is eligible for $50,000 in annual funding for up to five years.

The University of the District of Columbia Partners With the University of Havana

The agreement calls for both institutions to "establish collaborative relations to promote friendship and to cooperate in a mutually beneficial association." The initial collaborations will be between the law schools at the two universities.

Nine African Americans Taking on New Administrative Duties in Higher Education

The new administrative appointees are Karyn S. Hollingsworth, Sheila Caldwell, Mark Alnutt, Ernie T. Hughes, Redgina Hill, Nyeema Watson, Nyote Calixte, Steven Smith, and Gordon A. Rowe Jr.

In Memoriam: Marva Delores Knight Collins, 1936-2015

Marva Collins was a graduate of Clark Atlanta University and worked as an educator, consultant, and community organizer for over 40 years. Her legacy and what it meant for African American children is one that should not be forgotten.

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.

In Memoriam: John Alfred Williams, 1925-2015

John Williams, longtime university educator and noted novelist, died on July 3 at a veteran's home in Paramus, New Jersey. Williams taught at Rutgers University from 1979 until his retirement in 1994.

The Next Dean of the College for Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University

Collins O. Airhihenbuwa currently serves as chair of the department of biobehavioral health in the College of Health and Human Development at Pennsylvania State University. He has been on the faculty at Penn State for more than 30 years.

Music Educator Takes the Reins of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities

Cedric Adderley was dean of the college at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly, he was associate vice president for academic affairs at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

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 First African American President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Evelyn F. Crayton, professor emerita at Auburn University in Alabama, is the new president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The academy, with over 76,000 members, is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

Black Physicist Named the Rosen Scholar at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Edwin Fohtung, an assistant professor of physics at New Mexico State University, was named the 2015 Rosen Scholar by the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The designation comes with $150,000 in grant money to fund Dr. Fohtung's research.

Yale Dean Given the Honor of Throwing the First Pitch at a Miami Marlins Game

Jonathan Holloway, professor and dean of the College at Yale University, was a star high school football player and was a linebacker at Stanford University. But until recently, he had never thrown a baseball in his life.

State Legislature Acts to Boost Enrollments at Louisiana HBCUs

The Louisiana legislature has passed legislation that lowers tuition for students from outside of Louisiana who want to attend four-year HBCUs in the state. Another bill will allow students who require remedial work to enroll at the HBCUs.

Three African Americans in New Teaching Positions

Marcus Thompson was given the title of Institute Professor at MIT. Alana Gunn was appointed an assistant professor of social work at Binghamton University, and Damion Waymer was named associate professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati.

Racial Differences in Educational Attainment of Students Who Were Ninth Graders in 2009

The data show that 83.2 percent of Black ninth graders in 2009 had obtained a high school diploma by 2013. For non-Hispanic Whites, the comparable figure was 91.6 percent. Some 6.6 percent of Black ninth graders in 2009 were not in school and did not hold a job in 2013.

The New President of Hennepin Technical College in Minnesota

Merrill Irving Jr. recently became president of the largest technical college in Minnesota serving 10,000 students at campuses in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie. African Americans make up 21 percent of the student body.

Number of Black Admits Declines in the University of California System

This year, 2,653 Black first-year students from California were admitted to one or more University of California campuses. This is down from 2,712 in 2014 and 2,747 in 2013. Blacks were 4.3 percent of all admits from the state of California.

University of California, Berkeley’s Namwali Serpell Wins the Caine Prize

Namwali Serpell, an associate professor of English at the University of California, is the winner of the 2015 Caine Prize, honoring the best writing by an African author. Dr. Serpell is a native of Zambia and came to the United States at the age of 9.

Survey Finds Few African Americans Among the Nation’s Elected Prosecutors

The data shows that 95 percent of the 2,437 elected prosecutors in this country are White. Some three fifths of all U.S. states have no elected Black prosecutors. More than half of all elected Black prosecutors nationwide are in Virginia and Mississippi.

The New Dean of the Faculty at Warner Pacific College

Dr. Reginald Nichols is an ordained minister and serves as president of the board of the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance. He will also serve as vice president for academic affairs at the college, which is located in Portland, Oregon.

Champions of Two Conferences Representing HBCUs to Square Off in the Celebration Bowl

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference have announced plans to stage the first Celebration Bowl this December in Atlanta. The game will be billed as the HBCU national championship game.

Six Black Administrators Appointed to New Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are Linda Strong-Leek at Berea College, Frederick White at Jackson State University, Ontario Wooden at North Carolina Central University, Monique Guillory-Winfield at the College of Saint Elizabeth, Joel Frater at Monroe Community College, and Fatimah R. Stone at the University of Delaware.

A New Home for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Pharmacy School

The governing board of the University of System of Maryland recently approved the allocation of $5.7 million to initiate the construction of a new home for the university's School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.

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