Monthly Archives: September 2015
Two African Americans Among Three Finalists for President of Chicago State University
Dennis J. Shields is the fourteenth chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Jerry D. Blakemore is vice president and general counsel at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Good News! Enrollments Are Up at Some HBCUs
While some historically Black colleges and universities have seen significant enrollment declines in recent years, there has been good news on enrollments at many of the nation's HBCUs.
Three African American Scholars Win Notable Awards
The honorees are Minion K.C. Morrison of Mississippi State University, Dionne Hoskins of Savannah State University in Georgia, and Condoleezza Rice of Stanford University in California.
Alcorn State University Partners With a Local Casino
The historically Black university will receive financial support for its athletic programs and establish a curriculum in gaming and hospitality management. The casino will offer internships to students in these academic programs.
Six Black Scholars Taking on New Faculty Assignments
They are: Theodore Greene at Bowdoin College, Cherif Keita at Carelton College, Mumba Mumba at Lewis and Clark Community College, Anthony E. Clement at Brooklyn College, Eliza Allen at the University of South Carolina, and Kafi D. Kumasi at Wayne State University.
Mississippi Valley State University Teams Up With the University of New Mexico
Historically Black Mississippi Valley State University has entered into a partnership agreement with the University of New Mexico. Under the agreement students from the two universities will be able to participate in a cultural exchange program.
New Administrative Jobs in Higher Education for Three African Americans
Lance C. Kennedy-Phillips was named vice provost for planning and assessment at Penn State. Margarett Herder-Hill is the new director of the Writing Center at Saint Augustine's University and Perry W. Brumfield was appointed director of operations for the School of Agriculture at Alcorn State.
Delaware State Signs an Agreement With a Jamaican University
Historically Black Delaware State University has entered into a partnership agreement with the College of Agriculture, Science and Education in Port Antonio in eastern Jamaica. The agreement calls for student and faculty exchanges and research collaborations.
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.
Civil Rights Is a Key Element of an Archival Project of Sermons Given at the Duke University Chapel
Many of the sermons given at the Duke University Chapel dating from the 1950s and 1960s touch on issues of race and the civil rights movement. Recordings and transcripts of these sermons are now being digitized for researchers.
Berkeley Takes Multiple Steps to Enhance Opportunities for African Americans
The University of California has announced its new diversity initiative, a comprehensive effort to address the underrepresentation of African American students, faculty, and staff at the university.
In Memoriam: Roger Roy Gregory, 1949-2015
Roger Roy Gregory, was the former president of the NCCU Alumni Association and later served as the director of alumni relations at North Carolina Central University in Durham.
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.
University of Michigan in New Recruitment Effort for Low-Income Students
Prohibited from using affirmative action in admissions, the University of Michigan is embarking on a new effort to seek out and recruit low-income students.
Yale Students Debut Website Aimed at Ending Racial Disparities in Healthcare
Student interns at the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design at Yale University have developed SpokenMed, an information healthcare website aimed at members of minority groups who are often ignored by traditional health resources.
Vanderbilt University Launches New Diversity Initiative
Part of the new diversity initiative is the establishment of three endowed chairs that will bring scholars to the Vanderbilt campus who will be leading figures in disciplines that match the chancellor's vision of a diverse university.
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham Awarded the National Humanities Medal
Professor Higginbotham was honored by President Obama "for illuminating the African-American journey. In her writings and edited volumes, Dr. Higginbotham has traced the course of African-American progress, and deepened our understanding of the American story."
Veterans Are More Likely to Live in Racially Integrated Neighborhoods Than Non-Veterans
Sociologists at the University of Connecticut and Brigham Young University examined records of more than 13 million home mortgages between 2008 and 2013. They found that veterans of all races were significantly more likely to live in racially integrated neighborhoods.
U.S. News Names Its Choices for the Best Black Colleges and Universities
As was the case last year, Spelman College in Atlanta was ranked as the nation's best HBCU. Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Hampton University in Virginia held the second and third spots this year.
African American Forest Owners in the South Tend to Shun Federal Assistance
A new study by scholars at the University of Georgia finds that many African American forest landowners do not take advantage of the federal assistance programs available to them. Legal and financial issues and distrust of the government limit participation.
George Shirley Presented With the National Medal of Arts by President Obama
George Shirley, the Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan, was honored at a recent White House ceremony.
University of Arkansas Pine Bluff Establishes Its First Endowed Chair
The historically Black university has received a grant from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield to create the first endowed professorship at the university. Diann Williams, chair of the department of nursing at the university, will be the inaugural holder of the endowed chair.
Bryn Mawr College Honors Its First Black Alumna
Bryn Mawr College in suburban Philadelphia has named its new residence hall to honor Enid Cook. Cook was not permitted to live on campus but graduated in 1931 with degrees in chemistry and biology.
Central State University Gets an Infusion of Land-Grant Funds
The Ohio Legislature has shifted $1,625,000 in matching funds to the fiscal year 2016 budget to enable historically Black Central State University to qualify for $5.1 million in land-grant funding from the federal government.
Two African American Scholars in New Teaching Roles
Rita Roberts was named to the Nathaniel Wright Stephenson Chair in History and Biography at Scripps College and Brian Lozenski is a new assistant professor of educational studies at Macalester College.
Claflin University Gospel Choir Releases Its First Album
D.R.E.A.M., the historically Black university's gospel choir has released its debut album. D.R.E.A.M. is an acronym for Disciples Reaching Excellent Achievement through Ministry.
Eight African Americans Appointed to New Administrative Posts at Colleges and Universities
Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
In Memoriam: Mary Lynn Jones Walker Huntley, 1946-2015
Lynn Walker Huntley served as president of the Southern Education Foundation from 2002 to 2010. Earlier she was an attorney for the Legal Defense Fund and a deputy assistant attorney general in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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.
Safiya Sinclair Receives $25,800 Fellowship Award From The Poetry Foundation
Safiya Sinclair is currently a Dornsife Doctoral Fellow in literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California. She is a graduate of Bennington College in southwestern Vermont and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Virginia.
Two Black Authors Are Now Teaching at City College of New York
Thomas Sayers Ellis is an award-winning poet who is teaching a course called "Race Fearlessness Poetics." Chinelo Okparanta is a Nigerian-born fiction writer who teaches an advanced workshop on creative fiction writing.
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.
University of Phoenix Partners With U.S. Black Chambers for Entrepreneur Training
The USBC Step Up Entrepreneurs Program will consist of a three-week online course of study that will educate students in cash flow, market analysis, and financial performance. They will then create a business plan that can be submitted to a financial institution for funding of their enterprise.
Purdue Commits $1 Million to Faculty-Inspired Diversity Initiatives
Purdue University has initiated the new Diversity Transformation Award program that will enlist current faculty and staff members to come up with strategies to further increase the diversity of the faculty and the student body.
