Monthly Archives: October 2016
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.
Five African Americans Join the Vanderbilt University Faculty
Thew new Vanderbilt University faculty members are Jada Been Torres in anthropology, Brandon Byrd in history, Nicole M. Joseph in education, Sharece Thrower in political science, and Duane Watson in psychology and human development.
Purdue University Librarian Starting a Subscription Box Service for Black Literature
Jamillah R. Gabriel, librarian at Purdue University's Black Cultural Center, has launched a new start-up subscription box venture that each month will send a newly released book written by a Black author to subscribers of the service.
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.
Professor Seeks to Solve the Mystery of the Man Who Claimed to Be the Last Surviving Slave
Sylvester Magee died in Columbia, Mississippi, in 1971. He claimed he was born a slave in 1841 and after securing his freedom was a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. If true, the 130-year-old Sylvester Magee was not only the last surviving American slave, he was the last living Civil War veteran.
University of Missouri Student Organization Honors 1923 Lynching Victim
In 1923, James T. Scott, who worked as a custodian at the University of Missouri in Columbia, was accused of raping the 14-year-old daughter of a White professor at the university. He was taken from jail and lynched. The rape victim later identified another man as her attacker.
Education Department Makes It Easier for Low-Income Students to Take AP Tests
The U.S. Department of Education recently issued grants totaling $28.4 million to 41 states and the District of Columbia so that low-income students in these states could take AP examinations.
Louisiana State University Reports a Record Number of African American Students
The university reports that there are 3,741 African Americans on campus this fall, an all-time high. But it must be pointed out that African Americans make up 12 percent of the student body at the university, whereas Blacks are 32.5 percent of the Louisiana population.
Michael Tidwell to Be the Next President of the University of Texas at Tyler
Michael V. Tidwell has been named the sole finalist to become president of the University of Texas at Tyler. Under state law, the board must wait 21 days after the announcement to make the appointment official. Tidwell is dean of the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University.
Study Finds Low Black Student Enrollments at Top-Tier Public Universities
The study found that just 9 percent of all Black students enrolled in higher education nationwide attended high-ranking, state-operated research universities. For Whites the figure was 19 percent.
Hardin Coleman Will Step Down as Dean of Boston University’s School of Education
Dr. Coleman will take a one-year sabbatical and then return to Boston University as a full-time faculty member in master's degree programs in family therapy and school counseling and as director of the Center for Character & Social Responsibility.
Higher Education Does Little to Shrink the Racial Gap in Earnings
The data from the Economic Policy Institute shows that there is an hourly racial wage gap of about $3.75 for Black and White workers with a high school diploma but no further education. But for those with a bachelor's degree or a graduate degree, there is a racial wage gap of more than $6 an hour.
A Deep Racial Divide Over National Anthem Protests
A new survey conducted by Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, has found a wide racial disparity among adult Americans on their support of professional and collegiate athletes who have conducted protests during the playing of the national anthem prior to the start of athletic competitions.
New Study Finds a Strong Link Between Lead in the Environment and Lower Test Scores
A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economics Research finds that children's exposure to lead in their environment can have a significant effect on their tests scores. Many Black children from low-income families live in older housing where lead-based paint was used.
New Academic Year, Same Old Racism: Part III
Incidents of racial hate continue to plague the campuses of American higher education. Here is a roundup of recent incidents at campuses across the United States.
Winston-Salem State University Focuses on Degree Efficiency
The Purposeful Pathways: Faculty Planning for Curricular Coherence initiative at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina seeks to focus students on finding the most direct path to graduation without becoming overburdened by unnecessary course work.
New Faculty Roles for Six African Americans in Higher Education
Here is this week’s listing of Black faculty members from colleges and universities throughout the United States who have been appointed to new positions or have been assigned new duties.
Historically Black Medical School Creates Fellowships to Train Cardiologists
The Morehouse School of Medicine, a historically Black educational institution in Atlanta, has launched the new Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Training Program in an effort to increase the number of Black cardiologists.
A Long Overdue Tribute to the First Black Woman to Graduate from the Yale School of Music
Helen Eugenia Hagan graduated from the Yale School of Music in 1912. She went on to a long career as a concert pianist and an educator. She died in 1964 but until recently her remains were buried in an unmarked grave in New Haven's Evergreen Cemetery.
Elizabeth City State University Gets a New Academic Partner
The agreement with Roanoke-Chowan Community College will allow students at the two-year college to take courses toward their bachelor's degree in criminal justice or social work without traveling to Elizabeth City.
New Administrative Posts in Higher Education for Four African Americans
The appointees are Marco Barker at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, George Johnson Sr. at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Joseph Michael Green at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Joanna N. Ravello at the University of Rhode Island.
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.
Harvard Looks to Take the Next Diversity Step: From Inclusion to Belonging
Harvard University is taking the next step by forming the Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging. The task force will study and make recommendations on how to make Harvard a more welcoming place for all students from underrepresented groups.
University of Missouri Looks to Boost Black Faculty
Last fall students at the University of Missouri issued a set of demands calling for Black faculty to increase from 3 percent to 10 percent by 2018. The university has countered with a plan to raise "minority" faculty from 6.7 percent to 13.4 percent over the next four years.
Howard University to Offer New Ph.D. Program in Educational Leadership
Students who are admitted to the new Ph.D. program will have the opportunity to be selected to work as graduate assistants for several organizations including the United Negro College Fund, The Education Trust, and the American Council of Education.
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.
Monument to Jefferson Davis Removed From Texas State University Campus
The granite monument to Davis was erected 85 years ago in 1931 on land adjacent to a federal highway. The university acquired the land at a later date but the state Department of Transportation continued to hold the right-of-way for the parcel where the monument was placed.
Yale University Honors Its First Black Student
James W.C. Pennington took classes at Yale Divinity School beginning in 1834. He was not allowed to enroll but could audit courses from the back of classrooms. Pennington could not participate in classroom discussions and he was not allowed to take out books from the library.
In Memoriam: June Brown, 1927-2016
Dr. Brown joined the faculty at the University of Southern California in 1969. She taught in the School of Social Work's master's and doctoral degree programs and served as chair of what is now the department of children, youth and families. In 1987, Dr. Brown was named assistant dean for academic affairs.
Edward B. Marable Named to a Dean Position at the Seton Hall University School of Law
Marable was serving as a principal investigator and a deputy public defender for the state of New Jersey. He also was a practicing attorney specializing in child welfare issues.
Remedial Education Is a “Black Hole From Which Many African Americans Won’t Emerge”
A significant percentage of the students who have to take these remedial education classes are African Americans. Some 56 percent of all African American college students enroll in some type of remedial education course compared to 35 percent of White students.
Study Examines Causes of the Lack of Racial Diversity in the Legal Profession
Blacks are only 7 percent of the students admitted to the nation's law schools. They are only 4.3 percent of the associates and 2 percent of the partners at U.S. law firms. A new study finds that increased mobility in the legal labor market coupled with less access to leadership networks by Black attorneys is a factor.
Bernadette Gray-Little to Step Down as Chancellor of the University of Kansas
Bernadette Gray-Little, the 17th chancellor of the University of Kansas, announced that she will step down at the end of the current academic year. When she was named chancellor in 2009, Dr. Gray-Little became the first woman and the first African American in history to hold the position.
Study Finds Army Vets Are More Comfortable With Racial Residential Integration Than Non-Vets
A new study by sociologists at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Connecticut finds that soldiers' experiences with racial integration in the military result in veterans being more willing to live in racially integrated neighborhoods once they return to civilian life.
More Good News on HBCU Enrollments
At Bowie State University in Maryland, 967 first-year students are on campus this fall. This is the highest number in university history. Clark Atlanta University in Georgia reports a 20 percent increase in first-year students.
