Monthly Archives: February 2016
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 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. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.
University of Chicago’s Partnership With the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Under the partnership agreement, University of Chicago faculty and graduate students will spend time at five research centers in Africa to serve as teachers, tutors, and researchers.
Emory University Students Find the Grave of a Civil Rights-Era Martyr
Undergraduate students enrolled in a course on civil rights cold cases at Emory University in Atlanta, discovered the grave of a Black man who violated the rules of Jim Crow in 1948 by casting a vote in a primary election. This act cost him his life.
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.
Three Black Scholars Hired to Faculty Posts at Wesleyan University in Connecticut
Khalil Johnson was hired as an assistant professor of African American studies. Courtney J. Patterson is a new assistant professor of sociology and Royette Tavernier is a new assistant professor of psychology.
In Memoriam: Harold M. Rose, 1930-2016
Dr. Rose was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He joined the faculty at the university in 1962 and taught there for 33 years.
Brandeis University to Offer New Diversity Scholarships to Graduate Students
Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, has announced the establishment of the Diversity, Excellence, and Inclusion Scholarships. Recipients will receive full-tuition credits and a $10,000 stipend for master's degree programs in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts.
Yale University Reports a Sharp Rise in African American Applicants
Yale reports that over the past four years, the number of applications it has received from all U.S. high school students has increased by 5 percent. But during the same period, the number of applicants it has received from African American students is up 36 percent.
Now Only One HBCU Has an Intercollegiate Swim Team
The swim team at North Carolina A&T State University competed in its last dual meet this past Saturday. Now Howard University in Washington, D.C. is the only HBCU with an intercollegiate swim team.
Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw Honored by the American Bar Foundation
Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, a professor of law at Columbia University and a professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles, will receive the Outstanding Scholar Award from the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.
Howard University Using Its Assets to Raise Funds
Howard University in Washington, D.C. has announced plans to convert a residence hall on 16th Street in Washington into luxury rental apartments. Under the terms of the agreement, the developer paid $22 million upfront for rights to the building.
Three Black Scholars Taking on New Assignments
Lynnette Overby, a theatre professor at the University of Delaware, was named deputy director of community engagement. Ian B.K. Martin will join the faculty at West Virginia University and Tasia M. Smith is a new hire at the University of Oregon.
North Carolina Central University to Offer a Minor in Women and Gender Studies
The new program will begin this coming fall. North Carolina Central University states that the minor degree program in women and gender studies is the first of its kind among historically Black universities in North Carolina.
New Administrative Duties for Five Black Scholars at Major Universities
Hired to new posts are Carl E. Brown Sr. at Howard University, Clement Stokes at the University of California, Davis, Hope Murphy Tyehimba at North Carolina Central University, Eric Sexton at Wichita State University, and Sebastian Awondo at the University of Alabama.
Paula Johnson Will Be the First African American President of Wellesley College
Dr. Johnson is a professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. She is the founder and executive director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital.
African American College Students Tend to Concentrate in Majors That Lead to Low Pay
According to a Georgetown University study, African Americans who complete college are more likely to major in subject areas that lead to low-paying jobs. There are small percentages of Black students who graduate with degrees in disciplines that lead to high-paying jobs.
Georgetown University Commits to Addressing Racial Injustice
Georgetown University President John DeGioia said that the university would establish an African American studies program, a new research center on race, and hire the faculty required to fully staff these initiatives.
Researchers Call for an End to the Use of Genetic Concepts of Race in Biological Research
A group of scholars from the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University in Philadelphia, and the American Museum of Natural History write that the concept of race in biological research "is problematic at best and harmful at worst."
Morgan State University Receives the Largest Donation in Its History
Morgan State University in Baltimore believes that the $5 million donation is the fifth largest gift by individuals to any HBCU in the nation. The money will be used for need-based scholarships for students from the City of Baltimore.
In Memoriam: Cynthia V. Clemons
Cynthia V. Clemons was a professor and director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Studies at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She had also served as dean of the Division of Social Sciences and Education at the college.
Two Black Scholars Are Finalists for Dean of Education at the University of Missouri Kansas City
The two Black finalists for dean of education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City are Keith B. Wilson, a professor at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and Abul A. Pitre a professor at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.
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 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. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.
Duke University Becomes the Newest Partner of the QuestBridge Program
QuestBridge, based in Palo Alto, California, connects high-achieving students from low-income families to the nation's most selective colleges and universities.
New Academic Consortium Will Oversee the Publication of the Journal African Arts
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Florida, and Rhodes University of South Africa each will be responsible for one issue of the quarterly journal each year.
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 to Rename Its School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering for an African American
Robert F. Smith, chair and CEO of Vista Equity Partners has made a $50 million donation to Cornell University. The gift is one of the largest ever made by an African American to an institution of higher education.
University of Connecticut to Establish a Living / Learning Community for Black Men
The Scholastic House Of Leaders who are African American Researchers and Scholars will be located in a 200,000-square-foot dorm set to open in 2016. About 40 Black men will be able to participate in the living/learning community.
Grace E. Harris Retires After a Career That Spanned 48 Years at Virginia Commonwealth University
Grace E. Harris has retired as a distinguished professor of public policy at the leadership institute that bears her name at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Her service included terms as dean of the School of Social Work, provost, and acting president.
Two Academic Studies Show That Polluters Target Minority Communities
The studies found that companies tended to follow the path of least resistance when locating plants that produced hazardous wastes. And this is particularly true to the super polluters who produce the most toxins.
The New Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education
James Cole Jr. has been serving as general counsel at the department and will continue to serve in that role. Earlier, he was deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
What Happened to Black Neighborhoods After the Great Recession?
A new study by researchers at American University and Brigham Young University examines what happened in three predominantly Black neighborhoods: Bronzeville in Chicago, Harlem in New York, and the Shaw/U Street neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Brown University’s Plan to Create a Diverse and Inclusive Campus Community
In releasing the report, Christina Paxson, president of Brown University, stated that “a diverse and inclusive academic community is foundational to every ambition we have as an institution of higher education."
Stanford Political Scientist Examines Gender Differences in Multiracial Identity
A new study authored by Lauren D. Davenport, an assistant professor of political science at Stanford University in California, finds that women who are children of interracial couples are more likely to identify themselves as biracial than men who are children of interracial couples.
University of Texas System Initiates a “Rooney Rule” For Senior-Level Hiring
The University of Texas System has instituted a new policy that requires search committees to have a minority candidate among the finalists for every senior level administrative post on campus. The new policy is modeled after the Rooney Rule in the National Football League.
