Monthly Archives: March 2017
University of Montana Scholar Honored for Her Work in Public Administration
Beverly Edmond, the interim provost at the University of Montana, shared the Trailblazer Award from the Conference of Minority Public Administrators, a division of the American Society for Public Administration. She and her co-author were honored for the book Trailblazing African American Public Administrators.
The First Black Editor-in-Chief of the Emory Law Journal
Janiel Myers is a native of Jamaica but has become a U.S. citizen. She is scheduled to earn her law degree in 2018 and is the chair of academic and professionalism success for the Emory Black Law Student Association.
African American Author Who Teaches at Berea College in Kentucky Wins Two Book Awards
Crystal Wilkinson, the Appalachian Writer-in-Residence at Berea College in Kentucky, has won the 2016 Weatherford Award for Fiction from the Appalachian Studies Association and the 2017 Judy Gaines Young Book Award from Transylvania University.
Study Finds a Bias in the Perception of the Size and Threat of Black Men
People have a tendency to perceive Black men as larger and more threatening than similarly sized White men, according to new research. This may explain why Black men are more likely to be shot by police, the study says.
M. Christopher Brown Appointed President of Kentucky State University
Dr. Brown has been serving as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs for the Southern University System in Louisiana. He is the former president of Alcorn State University in Mississippi. He stepped down from that position in December 2013.
An Ambitious Blueprint for Equity in Higher Education
The report from the organization Young Invincibles, makes a series of recommendations on revamping the Pell Grant system, making it easier to repay student loans, offering more child care services on campus, and stronger protections for students against for-profit educational institutions.
Ellen Smiley Appointed Provost at Grambling State University in Louisiana
Ellen Smiley has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Grambling State University on an interim basis since August 2016. Dr. Smiley joined the staff at Grambling State University in 1990 and has served in many administrative positions.
Study Finds Blacks Far More Likely to Be Wrongfully Convicted of Crimes
The National Registry of Exonerations examined the cases of 1,900 defendants who were convicted of crimes between 1989 and 2016 and later exonerated. They found that 47 percent of these exonerated defendants were African Americans.
The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Names Its Next Chancellor
Since 2010, Robert E. Johnson has been president of Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts. When he takes office, he will become the first African American to lead the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth campus.
Black Television News Channel Moving Forward at Florida A&M University
Florida A&M University and the owners of the new Black Television News Channel recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 100,000-square-foot Graphic Communication facility on the Florida A&M campus. The new network is scheduled to begin broadcasting in February 2018.
New Administrative Positions for Four African Americans at Major Universities
The four African Americans in new administrative posts in higher education are Archie Tucker II at Alabama A&M University, Michele Harper at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, Tamala Tamu Sukari Choma at the University of California, Riverside, and Carleton Spellman at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore Offers a New Learning Opportunity in Hospitality Management
The new M Street Grille restaurant will operate as “a learning laboratory that cultivates, encourages and promotes entrepreneurism among UMES students interested in pursuing careers in the hospitality industry.”
Two African American Women in Dean Posts Honored With Major Awards
The honorees are Em Claire Knowles, assistant dean for student and alumni affairs at Simmons College in Boston and Bridgette Rahim-Williams, associate dean for research at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Texas Southern University Proposes a Four-Day Summer Work Week for Staff
Texas Southern University, the historically Black educational institution in Houston, has a plan to institute a four-day work week during the summer months in an effort to reduce expenses. The proposed changes would save the university nearly $13,000 a day or more than $467,000 for the summer session.
New Assignments in Higher Education for Three Black Scholars
The Black scholars in new roles are Renee A. Middleton at Ohio University in Athens, Abi Williams at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Jamel K. Donnor at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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.
New Black Cultural Center Dedicated at the University of Wisconsin
The new Black Cultural Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will serve as a venue for programming, community organizing, and academic activities related to Black culture.
Penn Graduate Opens School for Girls in His Hometown in Ghana
Two years ago, Shadrack Frimpong, then a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, won the Penn President Engagement Prize which awarded him $100,000 to use to implement his goal of establishing a school for girls and a health clinic in Ghana.
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
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.
From the National Football League to the Study of Otolaryngology
Samkon Gado is in his second year of a five-year residency in otolaryngology at Saint Louis University. Dr. Gado, who immigrated to the United States from Nigeria at the age of 9, played for six years in the National Football League before entering medical school.
Anti-Defamation League Report Documents Rise in Hate Group Activity on College Campuses
Since the beginning of the academic year last fall, there have been at least 107 incidents where White supremacist fliers have been posted on the campuses of colleges and universities across the United States.
The Finalists for Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Alabama
The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa has announced a field of four finalist for the position of vice president and associate provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion. All four candidates are African Americans.
Walter E. Williams to Receive the $250,000 Bradley Prize
Walter E. Williams is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Professor Williams, a conservative economist, writes a syndicated newspaper column and is the author of 10 books.
Study Shows Racial Gap in Medical Honor Society Membership
A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine finds that White medical school students were nearly six times as likely as Black students to be chosen as members of Alpha Omega Alpha.
The Racial Gap in College Graduation Rates
If we look at all four-year educational institutions, we find that 39.5 percent of African Americans who entered these institutions in 2009 seeking a bachelor's degree earned their degree within six years. For Whites seeking bachelor's degrees, the graduation rate was 59.4 percent.
University Study Finds School Discipline Policies Unfairly Impact Black Girls
The authors point out that Black girls have a higher rate of suspensions than girls from any other racial or ethnic group and have a higher rate of suspension than for boys, except for African Americans and American Indians.
The First African American Editor-in-Chief of the South Carolina Law Review
Chelsea Evans, a second-year student at the University of South Carolina School of Law, is the first African American to be elected editor-in-chief in the 69-year history of the legal publication.
Report Urges Continued Investment in Public Higher Education To Eliminate Racial Disparities
In a new report, the Center for American Progress outlines persisting racial disparities in American education and calls for continued investment in the nation's public schools in an effort to eliminate these disparities.
Three Black Scholars Elected Members of the National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering recently announced the election of 84 new members. The academy does not disclose the racial makeup of its membership, but it appears that there are three Black engineers among the 84 new members.
HBCUs Partner With the Department of Energy for the Clean Energy Consortium
The new partnership will focus on bringing solar energy to working communities, developing research in innovative technologies at HBCUs, and increasing the number of Black students pursuing degrees and careers in STEM fields.
University of Mississippi Anthropologist Among the Eight Whiting Public Engagement Fellows
The Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship celebrates and supports faculty in the humanities who embrace public engagement as part of the scholarly vocation. One of this year's eight fellows is an African American: Jodi Skipper of the University of Mississippi.
Delaware State University Opens New Center of Excellence for Student Success
The new center is designed to provide academic support and mentoring services for students in STEM majors. But any Delaware State student enrolled in a STEM course can take advantage of the center's services.
New Administrative Posts in Higher Education for Two African American Women
Pilar Prather was named program manager for the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance in Nashville and Katrina Briscoe was promoted to assistant director of athletics at Alcorn State University in Mississippi.
North Carolina A&T University to Hold Separate Commencement for Graduate Students
The new graduate degree commencement event will feature all the ceremony associated with the hooding of the graduates, a traditional academic rite in which faculty members place special regalia over each graduating student’s robe as a symbol of the culmination of their studies.
Notable Honors and Awards for Two Black Scholars
Monika Williams Shealey, a dean at Rowan University was honored by the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and Tina Simpson, associate professor at the University of Alabama Birmingham, won an award from the American Medical Women's Association.
