Monthly Archives: January 2018
Arizona State University Historian Compares College Athletics to Jim Crow
Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Dr. Victoria Jackson says that the revenue produced by predominantly Black football and basketball programs provides money for scholarships for athletes in other sports who are predominantly White.
New Historical Markers at Clemson University Relate the Good and the Bad
Clemson University in South Carolina has installed new signs at 11 historic buildings on campus explaining the historical significance of the buildings and also providing information on the people for who the buildings are named.
Black First-Year Students at the Nation’s Leading Research Universities
Over the past 25 years, the nation's highest-ranked research universities have made significant progress on the admission of Black students in their entering classes.
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.
Washington University in St. Louis Is a New Partner of QuestBridge
QuestBridge, based in Palo Alto, California, connects high-achieving students from low-income families to 40 of the nation’s most selective colleges and universities.
University of Georgia Launches New Fundraising Initiative Aimed at Black Alumni
On January 9, 1961, Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault became the first African-American students to register for classes at the University of Georgia. Now the 1961 Club, commemorating that event, has been established to raise funds from the more than 14,000 Black alumni of the university.
Roanoke College Students Create Digital Archive Documenting the Area’s Civil Rights Era
Last semester students in an introduction to public history class at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, created a digital archive of newspaper and other clippings collected during the civil rights era by the Hill Street Baptist Church in Roanoke.
University of Minnesota Aims to Boost Retention and Graduation Rate of Black Students
For students who enrolled at the flagship Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2010, 80 percent of Whites earned their degrees within six years. For African Americans the figures was 63 percent. The university hopes to narrow the gap.
Racist Posts on Social Media Reportedly Made by Students at the University of Pittsburgh
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Pittsburgh is looking into a series of racist posts on social media that were included in a group message by several university students.
The Large Gender Gap in Degree Attainments Among African Americans
During the 2015-16 academic year, African Americans earned 570,354 degrees and certificates at degree-granting institutions in the United States. Of these, 65.3 percent were earned by Black women. Black women earned nearly 70 percent of all master's degrees awarded to African Americans.
Dorothy Browne Named Provost at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina
In 2015, Dr. Browne was named the inaugural dean of the School of Public Health at Jackson State University in Mississippi. Earlier in her career, she was a professor of public health and senior scientist at the Prevention Research Center at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
The College Graduation Rates of African American Student Athletes
According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, 59 percent of Black students entering college in 2010 on athletic scholarships at a group of the nation's largest universities earned their diplomas within six years. This is 13 percentage points higher than the rate for Black students as a whole at these universities.
The Medical Schools With the Most Black Students
As expected, the three historically Black medical schools have the largest number of Black students. Among the predominantly White medical schools, the largest number of Black students is at Indiana University. Four U.S. medical schools have no Black students.
Blacks in STEM Jobs Report High Levels of Workplace Discrimination
A new report from the Pew Research Center finds that 62 percent of Blacks who hold jobs in STEM fields say that they have faced discrimination in the workplace. In non-STEM jobs, 50 percent of Black workers reported that they had experienced discrimination at work.
Three Black Scholars Selected for Dean Positions at Major Universities
Recently appointed to positions as deans are Jonathan Grady at the University of California, Merced, André-Denis Wright at Washington State University, and Riché Barnes at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Four African Americans in New Teaching Roles at Colleges and Universities
Taking on new teaching positions are Samantha Sheppard at Cornell University in New York. Sean Jones at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Marques Bradshaw at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and Charles Burnett at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
Texas Southern University to Establish the Center for Justice Research
The new center has the goal of producing innovative solutions to criminal justice reform and addressing challenges in America’s criminal justice system. Howard Henderson, professor of the administration of justice, will be the director of the center.
Two Black Scholars Honored by State Universities
Pamela Scott-Bracey of Mississippi State University, was named Collegiate Teacher of the Year by the Southern Business Education Association. Tennessee State University has announced that its multimedia newsroom will be named in honor of the late Getahn Ward, a long-time adjunct professor of journalism.
Bethune-Cookman University Announces a New Master’s Degree Program in Christian Ministry
The master's degree in Christian ministry program will be offered in two ways; as a 2-year master’s degree program or as a 5-year bachelor's and master's degree program where a student continues undergraduate studies through the master’s level.
Five African Americans Taking on New Administrative Roles in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative roles are Teresa Williams at Washington University in St. Louis, Antonio M. Boyle at Delaware State University, Maurice Gibson at Arkansas State University, Christopher M. Whitt at Creighton University in Omaha, and Todd S. Bryson at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Howard University to Participate in CRESST II, Space Science Research Project
The CRESST project began in 2006 and has now been continued with a five-year, $87.5 million grant from the National Aeronautics & Space Administration. Howard University will receive approximately $875,000 annually as a member of the consortium.
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.
Michigan State University to Develop New Slave Trade Database
The project - Enslaved: The People of the Historic Slave Trade - was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The new online hub will link archival collections on the slave trade from several major universities.
In Memoriam: Julius Bernard Lester, 1939-2018
Julius Lester, author, civil rights activist, photographer, musician, and educator who taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for more than 30 years, has died at the age of 78.
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 Alabama Expels White Woman After She Posted Racist Videos
A White woman student from New Jersey at the University of Alabama was expelled from the educational institution after she posted racist videos on social media.
University of Georgia School of Law Looks to Increase Diversity
The University of Georgia School of Law has announced the establishment of the Benham Scholars Program aimed at increasing diversity at the law school. The new program is named after Robert Benham, the first African American justice on the Georgia Supreme Court.
In Memoriam: Robert Harris Jr., 1927-2018
Dr. Harris was originally denied admission to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Education because of his race. He later was the first African American student to enroll at the school.
The University That Produces the Most Graduates Who Go on to Complete M.D./Ph.D. Programs
Since the 2000-01 academic year, 427 African Americans have earned M.D./Ph.D. degrees in the United States. Of these more than 10 percent were alumni of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
New Report Examines the Racial Gap in Degree Attainments in the United States
According to a new report from the Department of Education, during the 2015-16 academic year, African Americans earned 570,354 degrees and certificates at degree-granting institutions in the United States. This was 11.7 percent of all awards.
Marion Fedrick to Lead Albany State University in Georgia
Marion Fedrick has been serving as interim executive vice president at Albany State since October. Earlier, she was vice chancellor for human resources at the University System of Georgia.
The Nationwide Racial Gap in College Graduation Rates
The Black student college graduation rate of 46 percent was 23 percentage points lower than the rate for Whites and 31 percentage points below the rate for Asian Americans. The Black student graduation rate trailed the rates for Hispanics by 14 percentage points.
The New Provost at Savannah State University in Georgia
Since 2012, Michael Laney has served as a professor of communications and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. Earlier, he taught at Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee.
African Immigrants Give a Huge Boost to the American Economy
Some 40 percent of sub-Sharan African immigrants are college educated. This is a higher percentage than the White adult population of the United States. A third of African immigrants with a college education have a degree in a STEM field.
Thomas Conway Stepping Down as Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University
Dr. Conway has served as chancellor since 2016 and has had a 45-year career with the University of North Carolina System. Earlier, Dr. Conway was vice chancellor and chief of staff at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
