Monthly Archives: June 2017
The Next Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at New York University
Dr. Jarrett has been serving as associate dean of the faculty in the humanities division at Boston University in Massachusetts. There, he has also been a professor of English and a professor of African American studies.
Princeton’s Tracy K. Smith Named the Next Poet Laureate of the United States
Tracy Smith is the Roger S. Berlind ’52 Professor in the Humanities at Princeton University, and director of the university’s Program in Creative Writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts. She joined the faculty at Princeton in 2005.
Stanford University Study Develops Method to Quantify Racial Bias in Traffic Stops
The intellectual heart of the project involved the development of a more nuanced and statistically valid way to infer racial or ethnic discrimination after a person is pulled over for a traffic stop.
Tony Allen Named Provost at Delaware State University
Dr. Allen has been serving as head of the corporate reputation group for Bank of America. He is a former speechwriter and assistant to Joe Biden and was the founding president of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.
New Report Examines the Status of Black Women in the United States
A new report, issued by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, finds that despite significant progress in higher education, voter participation, and business ownership, Black women continue to lag behind other women in many socioeconomic indicators.
Ira Kincade Blake Selected as the Next President of the University of Houston-Clear Lake
Since 2009, Dr. Blake has been serving as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. When she takes office on August 1, she will become the first woman to serve as president of the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
University of Connecticut Study Finds Racial Differences in Coping With Overweight Stigma
The study asked a large group of adults if they had been treated unfairly, discriminated against, or made fun of because of their weight and how they coped with these experiences. The researchers found that Blacks were less likely than Whites to blame themselves for being overweight.
Prairie View A&M University President Is Stepping Down
George C. Wright, the seventh president of historically Black Prairie View A&M University in Texas, announced that he will step down as soon as an interim replacement is named. Dr. Wright, who became president of the university in 2003, will remain at the university as a professor of history.
North Carolina Central Expands Its Partnership With Vance-Granville Community College
Under the agreement, the department of human sciences at North Carolina Central will offer two bachelor's degree programs on the Vance-Granville Community College campus. The degree programs will be in early childhood education and childhood development and family relations.
New Faculty Assignments for Five African American Scholars
The five Black scholars in new faculty roles are Tomisha Brock at Clark Atlanta University, Lolita Buckner Inniss at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Myra Greene at Spelman College in Atlanta, Thomas Bynum at Cleveland State University, and Linda M. Burton at Duke University.
The Resurrection of the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Nursing at Grambling State University
The bachelor's degree program in nursing at Grambling State University in Louisiana was discontinued in 2015 due to a low passage rate on the state licensing examination. But now, the university plans to revive the program for the fall of 2018.
Dartmouth College Scholar Named Curator of African Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, the curator of African art at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, is leaving his post to become the curator of African art at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Two Students in Same Class Found That One’s Ancestors Owned the Other’s Ancestors as Slaves
During the course of their research, Ebony Hill of Johnson C. Smith University and Grace Woodward of Davidson College found out that several of Hill's ancestors had been slaves owned by ancestors of Woodward.
Five African Americans Taking on New Administrative Roles in Higher Education
Appointed to new administrative posts are Brenda Faye Green at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Carl Simien at the University of Florida, G. Christine Taylor at the University of Alabama, Kimberly Harrington at Livingstone College, and Stephan Moore at Louisiana State University Alexandria.
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 University’s Center for African Studies Opens a Satellite Office in Johannesburg
The Harvard Center for African Studies office in Johannesburg aims to facilitate and strengthen relationships with business, cultural, and academic leaders across the African continent.
Black World War II-Era Navy Band Honored at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The 44 African American men were the first African Americans other than cooks or porters to serve in modern era of the U.S. Navy. They were also the first African Americans to work at the university in occupations that did not involve cooking, cleaning, or laundry work.
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.
University of Georgia to Conduct Further Research on African American Remains Found on Campus
In November 2015, construction workers building an expansion on Baldwin Hall on the campus of the University of Georgia discovered the remains of approximately 105 individuals. The vast majority of the persons buried at the site were determined to have had mothers who were of African heritage.
Two Esteemed African American Scholars Announce Their Retirements
Kenneth Perry, an associate professor and the chair of the computer science department at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and Paula J. Giddings, the Elizabeth A. Woodson 1922 Professor of Africana Studies at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, are retiring.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Makes Major Commitment to STEM Diversity
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has selected 24 educational institutions to receive $1 million grants to promote STEM education. The initiative focuses on those undergraduates who come to college from diverse backgrounds and pathways.
New York University Scholar Examines Teacher Racial Bias and Academic Expectations
A study by an assistant professor of education at New York University finds that public school English and mathematics teachers tend to underestimate the academic abilities of African Americans and other students of color and this tends to impact their grades.
Ophelia Weeks Appointed President of the University of Liberia in Africa
Ophelia Weeks, who served for more than 30 years on the faculty at Florida International University in Miami, was appointed the fourteenth president of the University of Liberia in Africa. Her father was the third president of the University of Liberia.
Study Finds That Racial Disparity in Heart Attack Mortality Impacted by Hospital Overcrowding
Researchers found that Black patients were 19 percent more likely to die within 90 days after suffering a heart attack than White patients. And the study appears to show that part of the reason is that they did not receive timely hospital care after the heart attack due to overcrowding.
The Large Racial Wealth Gap Can Hinder Black Families’ Ability to Pay for Higher Education
New Census Bureau data show that the median net worth of non-Hispanic White households was $132,463 in 2013. For Black households, the median net worth was $9,211. Thus, the median net worth of White households was more than 14 times the median net worth of Black households.
Higher Education Does Not Improve Health Indicators for All Racial Groups
A University of Michigan led study reveals that Black men with higher education did not show better indicators of body mass index, sleep patterns, or physical activity. Higher education did not show a benefit for improving body mass index for Black women.
A Shortage of African American Men in the Medical Profession
Today, African American men make up just 2.8 percent of all medical school applicants. Of all African American medical school applicants, men make up only 38 percent of the total.
New Opportunities in Cybersecurity for Students at Coppin State University in Baltimore
Under the program, students at Coppin State University will be able to obtain certifications required by the Department of Defense for cybersecurity work. Some graduates of the program will be hired by Northrop Grumman for cybersecurity positions.
Two African American Women Named to Dean Posts at Historically Black Universities
Rhonda Porter is the new interim dean of the College of Education at Albany State University in Georgia and Kathy Stitts was named interim dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, Business, and Education at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.
Florida A&M University Launches a New Digital Learning Initiative
The initiative aims to ensure that faculty members connect with students in the technology realm they are familiar with, such as the use of popular apps, to enhance learning outcomes and the learning environment.
Members of the New Executive Team at Kentucky State University
Christopher Brown II, the new president of historically Black Kentucky State University in Frankfort, has announced a series of new executive appointments for his leadership team.
Central State University Creates a Summer Banking Institute
Central State University, the historically Black education institution in Wilberforce, Ohio, has entered into a partnership with the Union Savings Bank to offer a summer training program to prepare students for careers in the banking industry.
New Administrative Duties for Four African Americans in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative duties are Karyn Scissum Gunn at California State University, Fullerton, Kenton W. Rainey at the University of Chicago, Damon L. Williams at Northwestern University in Illinois, and Charles Isbell at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In Memoriam: Anna Louise Cherrie Epps, 1930-2017
In 1997 Dr. Epps was named dean of the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College, making her not only Meharry's first female dean of the medical school, but also the only African-American woman with a Ph.D. to become dean of a U.S. medical school.
In Memoriam: William J. Taggart, 1961-2017
In April 2017, the board of trustees at Morehouse College in Atlanta installed William Taggart as interim president. Taggart had been serving as chief operating officer at the college since 2015.
