Monthly Archives: October 2016
The Racial Gap in High School Dropout Rates and Completion Rates
The data shows that in 2013, 9 percent of all African Americans ages 16 to 24 were not enrolled in schools and did not have a high graduation credential. For Whites, the figure was 4.7 percent. The racial gap is much larger when we compare those who completed high school in the traditional four-year timeframe.
Paul Beatty Wins the 2016 Man Booker Prize
Paul Beatty, who teaches at Columbia University in New York, is not only the first African American to win the distinguished award, he is the first American to do so.
Does Race Cloud Teachers Decisions on Student Assignments to Special Education?
A new study by Rachel Fish, an assistant professor at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University, finds that race is a major factor in whether teachers recommend students for either gifted education programs or special education programs.
Barbara Ransby Elected President of the National Women’s Studies Association
Barbara Ransby is the Distinguished Professor of African American studies, gender and women's studies, and history at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her two-year term as president will begin at the conclusion of the association's annual conference in Montreal in November.
University Study Finds a Rise in “Global Neighborhoods” in U.S. Urban Areas
A study by researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater finds large numbers of urban areas with a very diverse populations. But they also found a major increase in the number of what they call "all minority" neighborhoods.
Michael Drake to Chair the Board of Directors of the Association of American Universities
Michael V. Drake is the 15th president of Ohio State University and the first African American to hold that post. He will serve as vice chair of the board of directors of the association for one year and then become chair in 2017.
Three African Americans Appointed to New Faculty Positions
La Tanya Hall is teaching jazz voice at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Michele Foster was named to an endowed chair at the University of Louisville and Jason Geary is the new director of the School of Music at the University of Maryland.
Historically Black Tennessee State University Looks to the Future
The Impact 20/20 initiative at Tennessee State University in Nashville includes programs to enhance academic programs, improve governance, and calls for capital improvements and infrastructure enhancements.
Honors and Awards for Three African American Scholars
James Rosser is having a building named in his honor at California State University, Los Angeles. Playwright Ntozake Shange will receive the Langston Hughes Medal from the City College of New York, and Adriel Hilton of Webster University was honored by the South Carolina College Personnel Association.
Xavier University of Louisiana Teams Up With Baylor University for a Student Exchange
The agreement between historically Black Xavier University and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, calls for a student exchange partnership that will expand educational and cultural opportunities for students at both universities. The student exchanges will begin in the Spring 2017 semester.
A Trio of Black Men in New Administrative Roles in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative duties are Kelechi C. Ogbonna at the School of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University, Darron Turner at Texas Christian University, and Jermaine Whirl at Greenville Technical College in South Carolina.
Atlanta University Center Library Earns a Prestigious Honor
The Robert W. Woodruff Library, serving four historically Black member institutions in Atlanta, has been selected to receive the 2016 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award from the Association of College and Research Libraries.
Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers
Each week, JBHE 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.
Carolyn Meyers Announces Her Resignation as President of Jackson State University
A year ago, Carolyn Meyers, president of Jackson State University, had her contract extended for another four years. Now, she has resigned after it was revealed that the university's financial situation has deteriorated.
Survey Finds Large Percentage of Graduate Students of Color at Yale Face Bias
The Graduate and Professional Student Senate at Yale University released a new survey that found that more than 70 percent of all Black graduate or professional students reported incidents of bias, harassment or discrimination.
University of Michigan Commits $85 Million to Enhance Campus Diversity
The University of Michigan has announced a five-year plan to make the university community more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The university has committed $85 million in new resources over the next five years to implement the initiatives in the plan.
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.
Five Finalists Announced for the Inaugural Harriet Tubman Prize
The award, presented by the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library, recognizes the best book of the year on slavery, the slave trade, or anti-slavery topics.
University of Chicago to Honor Its First Black Woman Doctoral Degree Recipient
Georgiana Simpson enrolled at the University of Chicago in 1907 at the age of 41. Her presence of campus was protested by students from the South. But Simpson persisted and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in 1911 and a Ph.D. in 1921.
In Memoriam: Edgar L. Berry
Edgar L. Berry was interim vice president for student affairs at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Earlier he served as vice president for student affairs at Texas College in Tyler, Texas.
University Students Find a Racist Message on Their Apartment Door
A Black student at Louisiana State University found a racist message on her door at an off-campus apartment complex where many university students reside. Someone wrote "Go back 2 Africa Nigger monkeys" on a Halloween door ornament.
The Huge Racial Gap in Debt for College Graduates
Four years after they graduate from college, Black students have an average debt load that is $25,000 more than White students who had graduated from college four years earlier. And the amount of debt held by African American college graduates, when adjusted for inflation, has increased sixfold in the past 15 years.
Two African Americans Appointed to Terms as Deans
Luke Powery was appointed to a second five-year term as dean of the Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and Cornelia Sewell-Allen is the new dean of student life at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania.
New Report Examines Racial Differences in Computer Science Education
Among the findings of a a new report from Google is the fact that only 47 percent of Black students nationwide attend schools that have courses in computer science, compared to 58 percent of White students.
University Researchers Make a Breakthrough in Finding a Cure for Sickle Cell Disease
Scientists have used gene editing to fix the mutated gene responsible for the disease in stem cells from the blood of affected patients. In tests with mice, the genetically engineered stem cells remained for at least four months after transplantation.
Analysis Finds That Students of All Races Prefer Teachers of Color
A new study by researchers at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University finds that middle and high school students of all races have a more favorable opinion of Black and Latino teachers than they do of White teachers.
Government Reports Decline in Death Rates for Breast Cancer: But Racial Disparities Persist
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new data showing a decline in death rates for breast cancer from 2010 to 2014. But the data showed that the decline in death rates was faster for White women than for Black women. This was particularly true for older Black women.
New Book Documents the History of Bowie State University in Maryland
The Torch of Knowledge: A History of Bowie State University tells of the origins of the educational institution from a one-room schoolhouse in 1865 to the major research institution of today that enrolls more than 4,300 undergraduate students and more than 1,100 graduate students.
New Faculty Assignments for a Trio of Black Scholars
Taking on new roles are Keisha Bentley-Edwards at the Duke University School of Medicine, Cedric Merlin Powell at the University of Louisville, and Catherine Knight Steele at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Morgan State University Enters Into a Partnership With ESPN’s The Undefeated
The new partnership will explore two major themes over the course of the next year; the image of Black female athletes and the pathway to coaching jobs for African Americans in the National Football League.
Notable Honors for Two African American Academics
The honorees are Robert Nobles, associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Tennessee, and Renee Kirby, associate director of disability resources and services at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Tragedy Strikes the Campus of Claflin University in South Carolina
Four African Americans who were students at Claflin University, the historically Black educational institution in Orangeburg, South Carolina, died in a tragic automobile accident on Interstate 77 in Columbia, South Carolina.
New Administrative Assignments in Higher Education for Four African Americans
Appointed to new administrative positions are Rolundus Rice at Lincoln University in Missouri, Camille Kluttz-Leach at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, Rachel Vassel at Syracuse University in New York, and Marc A. Newman at Grambling State University in Louisiana.
In Memoriam: Velma L. Blackwell
Dr. Blackwell joined the staff at Tuskegee University in 1969 and remained employed by the university until her retirement in 2008. She held many positions at the university including associate provost, director of student relations, vice president for development, and director of the Center for Continuing Education.
Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers
Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.
