Monthly Archives: February 2018
University of South Carolina Honors Its First Black Faculty Member
In 1873, during the Reconstruction period when Blacks held political power in South Carolina, Richard T. Greener joined the faculty at the University of South Carolina. Four years later, all Black faculty and students were purged from the university.
In Memoriam: Stephen W. Jefferson, 1950-2018
Dr. Jefferson taught at the University of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2013 and directed the undergraduate sport management program from 1999 to 2011.
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.
Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE
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 Issues in Philosophy Blog Now Available Online
A new blog series produced by an editorial team in the philosophy department at the University of Connecticut, is being featured on the website of the American Philosophical Association. Lewis Gordon, a professor of philosophy, is the executive editor.
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.
In Memoriam: Sarah Delores Cousin Banks, 1940-2018
After earning a master's degree, Sarah Banks taught mathematics at Rutgers University-Camden. Completing a doctorate at Rutgers in 1984, she then joined the staff at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she served in a number of roles including associate dean of the Graduate School.
Towson University in Maryland Partners With a Nigerian University
The partnership with Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria will include student and faculty exchanges, joint research projects, and academic exchanges that include information, materials and publications related to research, education and training.
Two HBCUs Included in the List of Top Producers of Peace Corps Volunteers
Howard University, the historically Black educational institution in Washington, D.C., ranked in a tie for 14th place among medium-sized institutions and Spelman College in Atlanta was ranked fourth among small colleges and universities.
David R. Harris Chosen to Be President of Union College in Schenectady, New York
Since July 2012, Dr. Harris has served as senior vice president and provost at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Previously, he was senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University.
Study Finds That Police Are More Likely to Use Force Against Higher Income Black Women
The study showed that for Black men, the lower their income the more likely they were to be the subject of police force. But just the opposite was true for Black women.
Census Reports New Data on Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Married and Unmarried Couples
In 2016, there were nearly 57 million married opposite-sex couples in the United States. Only 7 percent were Black. Blacks made up 5.5 percent of male same-sex couples and 9.8 percent of all female same-sex couples.
Historically Black Concordia College in Alabama to Close
Concordia College, a historically Black educational institution in Selma, Alabama, was founded in 1922. It is the only HBCU affiliated with the Lutheran Church. The college has about 400 students and 100 employees. The college will close at the end of the current semester.
Race Determined to Be a Major Factor for Employment of Breast Cancer Survivors
In a study conducted at Washington University in St. Louis, the data showed that African-American patients were four times more likely to leave the workforce despite fighting a cancer with high survival rates than was the case for White patients of the same age.
Karen Schuster Webb Named President of Union Institute and University in Cincinnati
Dr. Webb has been serving as Midwest Campus president and senior adviser for academic innovation to the chancellor of the Antioch University System. Before joining Antioch University, she was the founding dean of the California School of Education of the Alliant International University System.
North Carolina A&T State University Expands STEM Doctoral Offerings
The new Ph.D. program in applied science and technology will have concentrations in atmospheric, environmental and energy science, applied physics, bioscience, applied chemistry, data science and analytics, and information technology and technology management.
W.B. Allen to Serve as Conservative Thought and Policy Scholar at the University of Colorado
Dr. Allen is professor emeritus of political philosophy at Michigan State University and dean emeritus of Michigan State's James Madison College. Earlier, he served for many years on the faculty at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California.
Meharry Medical College Is Taking Healthcare on the Road
Historically Black Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, recently introduced the Meharry Medical College Mobile Clinic. The 65-foot trailer includes five treatment bays and maintains its own generator.
Patricia Smith Wins the $100,000 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award
Patricia Smith teaches in the English department at the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York System. The $100,000 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, given out by Claremont Graduate University in California, is the largest in the world for a single volume of poetry.
Claflin University to Offer a New Master’s Degree Program in Criminal Justice
The new master's degree in criminal justice is the third graduate program offered online by Claflin University. Previously the university established online master's degree programs in curriculum and instruction and business administration.
Four African American Women Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Taking on new roles are Traevena Byrd at American University in Washington, D.C., Darrylinn Todd at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Meshea Poore at West Virginia University, and Sheila Johnson-Willis at Syracuse University in New York.
In Memoriam: Virginia Caples, 1946-2018
Dr. Caples began her academic career at her alma mater, Alcorn State University. She then joined the faculty at Alabama A&M University, and served there in many capacities, including provost, for the next 40 years. On two occasions, Dr. Caples served as interim president of Alabama A&M.
Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE
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.
MIT Is the Latest University to Explore Its Ties to Slavery
Slavery was outlawed in Massachusetts in the late 1780s. However, researchers discovered that MIT's first president - William Barton Rogers - owned slaves while he lived in Virginia.
In Memoriam: Lerone Bennett Jr., 1928-2018
Lerone Bennett, Jr. was a highly respected historian of the African American experience. He served as an editor at Ebony magazine for more than a half century and taught at Northwestern University.
University of Tennessee Students Creating Digital Archive of Records of Black Civil War Troops
More than 180,000 Black troops served in the Union Army during the Civil War and 1,100 were members of the 1st U.S. Colored Troops (Heavy Artillery) that was formed in Knoxville in 1864. More than three fourths of the Black troops in Knoxville were former slaves.
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 Acquires the Papers of Angela Davis
Professor Davis, who taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz until 2008, has been a political activist for most of her life, advocating for the rights of African Americans, women, and prison inmates.
Princeton University’s Plan to Deal With the Legacy of Woodrow Wilson
At Princeton, Woodrow Wilson had refused to consider the admission of Black students. As President of the United States, he racially segregated the federal government workforce and appointed White supremacists to his cabinet.
Trudier Harris Wins Nonfiction Writing Award From the University of Alabama
Trudier Harris, University Distinguished Research Professor of English at the University of Alabama, received the Clarence C. Cason Award in Nonfiction Writing from the journalism department at the university for her body of work on women and Black southern writers.
Two Black Male Scholars Appointed to New Faculty Positions
Squire J. Booker was named to the Eberly Distinguished Chair in Science at Pennsylvania State University and Damascus Kafumbe was promoted to associate professor of music at Middlebury College in Vermont.
On Foreign Language AP Tests, the Racial Scoring Gap Is Small
For all Advanced Placement tests combined in 2017, the average score for Blacks was 2.03, compared to the average White score of 3.02. But Black students do better in relationship to Whites on some AP tests, particular foreign language tests.
Juliette Bell to Step Down From Presidency of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Dr. Bell became president of the university in July 1, 2012. From 2009 to 2012, Dr. Bell was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. In retirement, she plans to write a book on her journey from the cotton fields of Alabama to the presidency of a state university.
John L. Jackson Appointed Dean of School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Jackson currently serves as the Richard Perry University Professor and dean of the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. He has held that post since 2014. Professor Jackson joined the faculty at the university in 2006.
Academic Study Finds That Hip-Hop Music Encourages Black Youth to Try Ecstasy
The study notes that lyrics in popular Hip-Hop music glorify the use of the drug. The authors interviewed a group of ecstasy users and found that 82 percent said that Hip-Hop music had influenced their decision to use the drug.
