Monthly Archives: November 2016
New Book Explores Rutgers University’s Ties to Slavery
The authors conclude that "the practice of slavery was part of the social reality of Queen’s College’s early leaders and the development of Rutgers was intertwined with the history of slavery in America."
New Fellowship to Aid Black Students at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Philip Freelon Fellowship Fund at the Harvard Graduate School of Design will be used to provide financial aid to African Americans and students from other underrepresented groups who are pursuing graduate degrees in design.
In Memoriam: Wayne Everett Crumwell
In 1968, Wayne Crumwell became the first African American to graduate from Davidson College in North Carolina. He later earned a law degree at Duke, opened a private law practice, and served as a faculty member at North Carolina Central University.
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.
Walter Massey Is the New Chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope Project
Poised to be the first of a new generation of extremely large telescopes, the Giant Magellan Telescope will be the largest optical telescope in the world when it comes online in 2022. Walter Massey is the former president of Morehouse College and currently serves as chancellor of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
University of Chicago Releases Results of Its Campus Climate Survey
Black staff members were far more likely than Black faculty or Black students to view the racial climate on campus as positive.
Wake Forest University Names a Campus Building to Honor Maya Angelou
Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, announced that its newest residence hall will be named to honor Maya Angelou, who served on the faculty at the university from 1982 until her death in 2014. The building will be the first on the Wake Forest campus to be named for an African American.
Research Finds That the Racial Earnings Gap for Men Has Returned to 1950s Level
The authors explain that the changing economy has been difficult for all workers with less than a high school education but has been particularly devastating for Black men. They found that in 1960, 19 percent of Black men were not working. By 2014, 35 percent of Black men were not employed.
Cornel West Is Returning to Teach at Harvard University
In 2002, Cornel West left Harvard University after a public dispute with then Harvard president Lawrence Summers. Now, according to published reports, Dr. West is returning to Harvard University as professor of the practice of public philosophy.
Latest Data on African American Degree Awards From U.S. Colleges and Universities
A new report from the U.S. Department of Education shows that in the 2014-15 academic year African Americans earned 340,946 degrees and certificates from four-year institutions. They made up 10.5 percent of all individuals who were given degrees or certificates from four-year institutions.
Jonathan Holloway to Be the Next Provost at Northwestern University
Dr. Holloway is dean of Yale College and the Edmund S. Morgan Professor of African American Studies, History and American Studies. He will begin his new duties as provost at Northwestern University in the summer of 2017.
A Sharp Drop in the Number of Americans Studying Abroad in Africa
According to new data from the Institute of International Education, the number of Americans studying abroad in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2014-15 academic year declined by nearly 20 percent from the previous year. In West Africa the decline was 67.6 percent.
Paula McClain Appointed to a New Term as Dean of the Graduate School at Duke University
Paula McClain, a professor of political science at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, was initially named dean in 2012 and will now serve through June 30, 2022. Professor McClain has been on the faculty at Duke University since 2000.
In Memoriam: Debra Saunders-White, 1957-2016
Debra Saunders-White, the 11th chancellor of North Carolina Central University in Durham, died on November 26. Dr. Saunders-White was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2015 and took a medical leave of absence in August 2016.
Florida A&M University Launches New Effort to Recruit and Retain Top Students
The FAMU Foundation Board of Directors approved the $5 million initiative to help the university increase its graduation rate, enhance academic programs, and recruit top talent.
Five Black Professors Receive New Teaching Assignments
Taking on new teaching roles are Craig S. Wilder at MIT, Stacy-Ann January at the University of South Carolina, Wonder Drake at Vanderbilt University, Joseph Ravenell at New York University, and Marlon James at Macalester College in Minnesota.
Elizabeth City State University Partners With a Community College for Criminal Justice Students
Under a new articulation agreement, students at Beaufort County Community College in Washington, North Carolina, will be able to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice through Elizabeth City State University.
Three Black Scholars Honored With Prestigious Awards
The honorees are Gilda Barabino dean of the School of Engineering at City College of New York, Karla Smith Fuller of Guttman Community College in New York City, and Yacob Astatke of the School of Engineering at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
Hampton University Vows to Fight Virginia’s Efforts to Seize Some of Its Land
Hampton University in Virginia has hired an eminent domain legal advisor in an effort to halt plans of the Virginia Department of Transportation to take land from the university for a project that will widen Interstate 64 and make improvements to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.
New Administrative Roles for Four African Americans in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative duties are Patrick Harold Johnson at Meharry Medical College, Shontay Delalue at Brown University, Kenneth Huewitt at Texas Southern University, and Barry L. Wells at Syracuse University.
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.
UCLA Debuts a New Online Archive Relating to African American Silent Films
The database, entitled "Early African American Film: Reconstructing the History of Silent Race Films, 1909-1930," includes information on actors, crew members, writers, producers, directors, and others who were involved in silent films.
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 Michigan Launches New PostDoc Fellowship Program to Enhance Diversity
Under the new program, 50 postdoctoral fellows will be recruited over the next five years to come to the University of Michigan to conduct research and gain experience in the classroom. The program is focused on increasing gender and racial diversity.
New Mentoring and Networking Group for Black Women at MIT
My Sister's Keeper, founded by Professor Helen Elaine Lee, seeks to support Black women students, with social, professional, and mentoring relationships. To meet this goal, the organization has created "sister circles," small groups of five or six students, staff, and faculty united by common interests.
Cornell University Offers Funding to Faculty Diversity Efforts
Under the new program, the office of the provost at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, will contribute funds to cover 25 percent of the salary of a new hire that contributes to the department's diversity.
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.
Black Enrollments in Higher Education Continue to Decline
Over the past two years, African American enrollments in higher education have decreased by more than 270,000, or 6.6 percent. The Black percentage of total enrollments has dropped from 14.4 percent to 13.9 percent over the past two years.
Do Racial Stereotypes Impact Teachers’ Communication With Parents?
A new study by a scholar at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University finds that many teachers communicate differently with parents depending on the race and immigrant status of their students.
Black Men Clean Up at the National Book Awards
The National Book Foundation recently announced the winners of the National Book Awards in four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young people's literature. African American men were winners in three of the four categories.
Racial Differences in Mobility Rates in the United States by Educational Attainment
The racial gap in moving rates is significantly higher for those with lower levels of education. For Blacks and Whites with graduate or professional degrees, the difference is moving rates is only slightly higher for African Americans.
Blaming Black Voters for the Defeat of Hillary Clinton Is Not Justified
While it is true that higher Black turnout in some key battleground states would have changed the election result, it is unfair to place the blame on Black voters for Hillary Clinton's defeat.
Students From Sub-Saharan African Nations at U.S. Colleges and Universities, 2015-16
The Institute for International Education reports that in the 2015-16 academic year, there were 35,364 students from sub-Saharan Africa enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States.
Bethune-Cookman University Offers Two New Degree Programs in Rehabilitation Science
The new programs at Bethune-Cookman Univerity in Daytona Beach, Florida, are a bachelor of science degree in health and exercise science and a master's degree in athletic training.
In Memoriam: Gwendolyn Ifill, 1955-2016
Gwen Ifill was a celebrated newspaper reporter and pioneering PBS television anchor who moderated two vice presidential debates. A graduate of Simmons College, Ifill held honorary degrees from 20 institutions of higher learning.
Texas Southern University Partners With the Houston Community College System
The agreement will facilitate a seamless transfer of students who earn associate's degrees at the system's community colleges to bachelor's degree programs at Texas Southern University.
