Monthly Archives: December 2016
Southern University Debuts Online Archive of Slave Narratives
The collection was assembled by John B. Cade Sr., a professor and dean at Southern University in the early twentieth century. Cade and a group of his students traveled throughout the South in the 1930s to interview former slaves.
Jazz Musician Named to an Endowed Chair at Arizona State University
Lewis Nash is an internationally acclaimed jazz drummer. Professor Nash has performed on 10 Grammy-winning performances and has a resume that includes more than 400 recordings.
Xavier University of Louisiana Rated the Best in the South for Career Preparation
Students were asked to rate their educational institution on a scale of 0 to 10 on how the college or university was preparing them for their chosen career. Historically Black Xavier University of Louisiana achieved a score of 9.7, the best score of any college or university in the South.
Swarthmore College President Honored by Hong Kong Baptist University
Valerie Smith, president of the highly rated Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, was the recipient of an honorary doctor of letters degree from Hong Kong Baptist University. Dr. Smith was honored for her work on diversity, inclusion, and curricular innovation during her first year as president of the Swarthmore.
Dillard University Comes to the Rescue of Students Who Lost State Financial Aid
Many college students in Louisiana will receive only half as much under the state-run Taylor Opportunity Scholarship program for the spring semester than they did for the just completed semester. Dillard University has stepped in to make up the shortfall for its students.
Four African Americans Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Taking on new assignments are Steven L. Thomas at Harford Community College in Maryland, Barbara Cohen-Pippin at Florida A&M University, Kim D. Kirkland at Oregon State University, and Leah Cox at Towson University in Maryland.
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.
Toni Morrison Selected to Receive the 2016 Emerson-Thoreau Medal
The award was established in 1958 by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to recognize lifetime achievement in literature. Professor Morrison will be honored at a ceremony in April in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Newest Inductee Into the George Washington Carver Public Service Hall of Fame
Clinton V. Turner is the former associate vice president for agriculture and extension at Virginia State University. He is the first Virginian to be inducted into the the George Washington Carver Public Service Hall of Fame in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Rutgers University Creates an Endowed Chair in Honor of the Late Clement A. Price
The Rutgers University Board of Governors has approved the creation of the Clement A. Price Chair in Public History and the Humanities. Professor Price served on the Rutgers University faculty for nearly 40 years until his death in November 2014.
Vanderbilt University’s New Website Aims to Promote Inclusion for Faculty Members
The purpose of the new website is to provide a clear and accessible resource for faculty in support of the university’s efforts to enhance Vanderbilt as a welcoming, supportive and inclusive academic community.
Higher Education Grants or Gifts of Interest to African Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Harvard University Reports a Significant Increase in Black Students Accepted Early
Among the 938 students who were accepted in the early action process this year at Harvard University, 12.6 percent are African Americans. This is up from 9.5 percent a year ago.
Indiana University’s African American Dance Company’s Cultural Exchange Tour in China
The African American Dance Company at Indiana University recently returned from a week-long visit to Beijing, China, where it participated in a cultural exchange program with the School of Law and Humanities at the China University of Mining and Technology.
Laurie Shanderson Named Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Northcentral University
Dr. Shanderson has been serving as associate dean in the School of Health Sciences at Stockton University in Galloway Township, New Jersey. She holds a master of public administration degree from Pace University and a Ph.D. in health sciences from Walden University.
Three HBCUs Face Accreditation Issues
All three HBCUs - Bennett College, Saint Augustine's University, and Saint Philip's College - remain fully accredited at this time. But the commission's actions show that members have some concerns about either the academic programs, governing policies, or financial stability of these HBCUs.
University of North Alabama Honors its First Black Graduate
In a case that lasted only 10 minutes, Wendell Wilkie Gunn, with the help of famed civil rights attorney Fred Gray, obtained a court order demanding that he be allowed to enroll at what is now the University of North Alabama. He did so on September 11, 1963 and graduated in 1965.
Two HBCUs Team Up to Offer a Course in Bioethics and Research Ethics
The new course, which will be taught in the classroom and online, is a collaboration of the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care at historically Black Tuskegee University in Alabama and historically Black Concordia College in Selma, Alabama.
The New Chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College
Dr. Larissa Littleton-Steib has been serving as vice chancellor for workforce development and technical education at Delgado Community College in Slidell, Louisiana. She will become chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College on January 2.
Academic Study Finds Racial Bias in Death Penalty Cases: But It May Not Be What You Think
The study led by researchers at Michigan State University found that the race of the defendant does not have much impact in death penalty cases. But defendants were twice as likely to receive the death penalty if the victim was White than if the victim was Black.
The Next Dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark
Charles E. Menifield currently serves as associate dean for academic programs at the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri. He will begin his new role at Rutgers University-Newark in New Jersey on September 1, 2017.
Huge Racial Differences in Number of Children Living With Both Parents
The statistics show that 74.3 percent of all White children below the age of 18 live with both parents. This is true for only 38.7 percent of African American families. More than one third of all Black children in the United States under the age of 18 live with mothers who have never been married.
Both of This Year’s Rhodes Scholars From Zimbabwe Have Ties to U.S. Universities
Ngoni Mugwisi is a senior at Arizona State University, who is majoring in electrical engineering. Lillian Dube is a 2015 graduate of the University of Chicago, who plans to pursue two master’s degrees at Oxford — one in education and the other in English.
Black Directors of Methadone Clinics Are the Least Likely to Dispense Recommended Minimum Doses
A study led by a researcher at Johns Hopkins University finds that at methadone treatment facilities run by African American directors, patients are less likely to receive the recommended minimum dose than at facilities directed by managers of other races or ethnic groups.
Delaware State University Inks Partnership With the University of Ibadan in Nigeria
The agreement calls for collaborations between the institutions' faculty and staff in the area of research, lectures and other academic pursuits. The accord also opens the door to future faculty and student exchanges and study abroad programs.
Five African Americans Taking on New Administrative Roles in Higher Education
The appointees are Marsha C. Senior at Syracuse University in New York, Raymond K. Robinson at Webster University in St. Louis, Lisa McBride at Salem State University in Massachusetts, Shira Thomas at Florida A&M University, and Sylvia Clark Anderson at North Carolina Central 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.
Elite Colleges and Universities Mount Effort to Boost Enrollments of Low-Income Students
The American Talent Initiative, funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies, hopes to expand to 270 educational institutions nationwide. It has set a goal of enrolling and graduating 50,000 students from low-income families by 2025.
In Memoriam: Dovi J. Afesi, 1945-2016
A native of Ghana, Dr. Afesi was a professor of history at Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts. Earlier in his career, he was an assistant professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Higher Education Grants or Gifts of Interest to African Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars
When completing your holiday shopping here are some books you might want to consider for friends, family or colleagues.
University of Mississippi Student Wins $100,000 Scholarship From Dr. Pepper
Earlier this month at halftime of the Big 10 Championship Game, Jarrius Adams won the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway Football Throw-Off competition. Adams threw 11 footballs, 15 yards into a target during the 30-second contest beating his rival and winning the $100,000 scholarship prize.
University of Kansas Aims to Increase Diversity in Its Undergraduate Business Degree Programs
The Summer Venture in Business Program is a three-day, pre-college summer program that will familiarize potential business students from underrepresented groups with college academic and social life.
Two Top-Rated Liberal Arts College Report Large Number of Black Early Applicants
Of the 257 student accepted for early admission at Williams College, 27 self-identify as African American. Thus, African Americans are 10.5 percent of all early admits at Williams this year. At Wesleyan University, there was a whopping 56 percent increase in African American early applicants.
Student Loan Debt Is a Major Problem for Large Numbers of HBCU Students
The data shows that 80 percent of all students at HBCUs borrow money under federal student loan programs. One quarter of all HBCUs graduates had student loan debt of more than $40,000. This is four times the rate of non-HBCU graduates.
