Monthly Archives: November 2015
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.
Bowdoin College Renovates Home of Harriet Beecher Stowe
The author of Uncle Tom's Cabin lived in the home from 1850 to 1852 during which time she wrote the book that became the best-selling novel of the nineteenth century.
Virginia State University Has Three New African American Administrators
Garvin Maffett was named vice president for institutional advancement. Anthony Thompson is the new associate vice president for institutional advancement and Ronald O. White was named director of government relations.
New York University Historian to Be Awarded the Frederick Douglass Book Prize
Ada Ferrer, professor of history and professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies, will be awarded the $25,000 prize for the best book of the year on slavery or abolition that was written in the English language.
National Association of Ethnic Studies Moves to Virginia Commonwealth University
The association was founded in 1972 in Wisconsin. It's executive director is Ravi Perry, a new associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Emily Raboteau Wins the International Flash Fiction Competition
Emily Raboteau, a professor of English and creative writing at the City College of New York, won the $20,000 first prize for her 100-word short story entitled "Oysters." It was selected from more than 35,000 entries worldwide.
The Racial Gap in Advancement Placement Test Scores
The average score on Advanced Placement examinations for African American students in 2015 was 2.05. On the AP scoring system of 5 to 1, a score of 2 is equivalent to a grade of D in a college-level course.
Paul Jones Named the Tenth President of Fort Valley State University
Dr. Jones has been serving as interim president of Darton State University in Albany, Georgia. Earlier in his career, Dr. Jones was chief budget officer and interim president at Georgia College and State University.
Census Data Documents African Language Use in the United States
Some 60 million Americans over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home. This is about one fifth of all Americans. Nearly 900,000 Americans speak an African language at home. Among the most common African languages in the U.S. are Kru, Ibo, Yoruba, Cushite, and Swahili.
Historically Black Albany State University to Merge With Darton State College
Arthur Dunning, interim president of Albany State University, has been selected as president of the new merged institution. The two educational institutions combined enroll close to 10,000 students.
For Black Youths, Stress Can Lead to Health Problems Later in Life
African American youth who are routinely subjected to stress produce higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol that can build up and lead to health problems much later in life.
New Administrative Posts for Six African Americans in Higher Education
The appointees are Rocky Booker at the University of Arkansas, Cicely Peterson-Mangum of Drexel University, LaTonda Davis-Williams of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Tracey N. Foster of Johnson C. Smith University, Deborah Noble-Triplett of Virginia Commonwealth University, and Walter Clair of Vanderbilt University.
Florida A&M University Partners in a Technology Commercialization Accelerator Program
The program invites faculty inventors to form a team of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and a mentor from the business community to participate in a seven-week exercise to determine if a particular invention is marketable.
Four African American Scholars Selected for Prestigious Honors
The honorees are Richard S. Baker of Wayne State University, E. Albert Reece of the University of Maryland, Twyla J. Cummings of the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Jackson T. Wright Jr. of Case Western Reserve University.
Tennessee State University’s New Plan to Beef Up Campus Security
Last month, three students were shot at Tennessee State University as a result of a dispute during a dice game. One person died in the incident. President Glenda Glover has quickly responded with a new 10-point safety enhancement plan for the Nashville campus.
Three African American Women Named to New Faculty Posts
Tameka E. Lester was named to the faculty of the College of Law at Georgia State University. Althema Etzioni has joined the faculty at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University, and Menah Pratt-Clarke was named professor of education at Virginia Tech.
Cheyney University Supporters Hold Rally at State Capitol in Harrisburg Seeking Help
Hundreds of students, alumni, and supporters of Cheney University of Pennsylvania held a rally in the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg calling on legislators to do much more to help the struggling historically Black university.
The Aftermath of a Historic Week at the University of Missouri
Black students emboldened by their success in forcing the resignation of system president Tim Wolfe, pressed on with demands. The university hired a diversity officer and announced other initiatives. But tensions remained high after threats against Black students were made on social media.
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.
Vanderbilt Honors the Man Who Integrated Southeastern Conference Athletics
Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is establishing the Perry E. Wallace Scholarship to honor the first African American to play a varsity sport in the Southeastern Conference.
National Society of Black Engineers Seeks to Boost Black Graduates in the Field
The National Society of Black Engineers has announced a new initiative with the goal to increase the number of African Americans who receive bachelor's degrees in engineering to 10,000 annually by 2025. The most recent annual figure is 3,620.
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.
Ivelaw Griffith to Be Honored for His Work in International Security Education
Dr. Griffith is a senior fellow at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the former president of Fort Valley State University in Georgia. He is being honored by the William J. Perry Center for Hemisphere Defense Studies in Washington.
In Memoriam: Terry Kershaw, 1952-2015
Dr. Kershaw was a professor of Africana studies at the University of Cincinnati. Before joining the faculty at the University of Cincinnati in 2009, Professor Kershaw led the Africana studies program and was the director of the Center for Race and Social Policy at Virginia Tech.
University of Maryland to Name Building After Parren J. Mitchell
Parren J. Mitchell, who was the first African American elected to the U.S. Congress from the State of Maryland, successfully sued the University of Maryland in 1950 to gain admission to the graduate program in sociology.
University of Texas Introduces the “Rooney Rule” for High-Level Administrative Searches
William H. McRaven, chancellor of the University of Texas System is instituting a new rule for all administrative searches for deans and higher posts in the 14-campus system. At least one minority applicant must be included in the final pool of candidates for all high-level administrative positions.
Former Faculty Member at Harris-Stowe State University Wins Discrimination Lawsuit
A White woman, who is a former instructor at Harris-Stowe State University, a historically Black educational institution in St. Louis, was awarded $4,850,000 from a jury in a circuit court racial discrimination case.
How Anti-Affirmative Action Admissions Laws Impact Campus Diversity Efforts
The authors found a reluctance by administrators who are charged with diversity missions at universities prohibited from using race in admissions decisions to deal specifically with race in their efforts to create a more welcoming campus.
Yale University Earmarks $50 Million for Faculty Diversity Efforts
The Ivy League university will earmark $25 million over a five-year period for faculty recruitment, faculty appointments, and emerging faculty development. Participating schools at Yale will add an additional $25 million in matching funds.
After Black Student Protests, President of the University of Missouri System Resigns
After a Black student went on a hunger strike and the University of Missouri football team refused to practice or play to protest a lack of inaction on several racial incidents, the system president and the Columbia campus chancellor resigned.
Princeton University Study Finds Increase in Middle-Age Mortality for Whites, But Not for Blacks
After 1998, death rates among middle-aged White non-Hispanic Americans began to rise at a steady clip of half a percent per year. For non-Hispanic, middle-aged African-Americans, mortality rates declined 2.6 percent per year.
The New Dean of the Florida A&M University College of Law
Angela Felecia Epps is a professor of law at the William H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She joined the faculty at the law school in 1999 and has served as associate dean for academic affairs.
A Snapshot of the Gender Gap in African American Enrollments in Higher Education
In October 2014, there were 1,802,000 Black women enrolled in all levels of higher education in the United States, compared to 1,132,000 Black men. Thus, women made up 61.4 percent of all African American enrollments.
Emory Offering a MOOC on the Strategies of the Civil Rights Movement
The course, "From Freedom Rides to Ferguson: Narratives of Nonviolence in the American Civil Rights Movement," will be taught by Bernard LaFayette Jr., a distinguished scholar in residence at Emory University.
New Administrative Duties for Seven African Americans in Higher Education
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.
