Monthly Archives: March 2018
Shaw University Sets Its Sights on New Media Technologies
Historically Black Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, has sold the radio frequency that the university has held since 1968 to operate a public radio station. It will use the funds to revamp its mass communications programs and facilities.
Oregon State University Honors African American Novelist Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead has been selected to receive the 2019 Stone Award for Literacy Achievement from Oregon State University. The award is presented to an American author who has created a body of critically acclaimed work and has been a mentor to young writers.
Morgan State University Teams Up With Navy Unit in Educational Partnership
Morgan State University, the historically Black educational institution in Baltimore, has signed a new five-year educational partnership agreement with Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division.
Four African Americans Taking on New Assignments at Colleges and Universities
Taking on new roles are John Silvanus Wilson Jr. at Harvard University, Moryah Jackson at Clemson University in South Carolina, Kijua Sanders-McMurty at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and A.L. Fleming at Albany State University in Georgia.
Tuskegee Veterinary School Defends Its Use of Animals for Clinical Research
Members of the animal rights community have criticized the practices of the College of Veterinary Medicine at historically Black Tuskegee University in Alabama for using stray and abandoned dogs from local pounds for clinical research.
Three African American Women Scholars Receive Prestigious Awards
The honorees are Zakiya Holmes Leggett of North Carolina State University, Cynthia Nance of the University of Arkansas School of Law, and Wanda Heading-Grant of the University of Vermont.
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.
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.
Duke University Establishes an Online Archive of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has established the SNCC Digital Gateway to make the story of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee available for students and researchers.
Only One HBCU on the List of the “50 Most Amazing College Museums”
College Rank recently published its list of the "50 Most Amazing College Museums." Only one museum at a historically Black college or university made the list; the Howard University Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
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.
New Study Aims to Identify Best Practices in Mentoring to Increase Diversity in STEM Fields
Angela Byars-Winston, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been selected to lead a committee of the National Academy of Sciences that will seek to identify the best mentoring techniques to bring more women and members of underrepresented groups into STEM fields.
In Memoriam: Olly W. Wilson, 1937-2018
After teaching at Florida A&M University and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Dr. Wilson joined the music department faculty at the University of California, Berkeley in 1970. He retired from teaching in 2002.
Four Universities Receive National Park Service Grants for Preservation Projects
The National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior has announced a series of grants totaling more than Q$12 million to preserve key sites relating to African American history. Four universities are among the organizations receiving grants.
Thomas Parham Appointed President of California State University, Dominguez Hills
Currently, Dr. Parham serves as vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California, Irvine. He has held that post since 2011 and has been on the university's staff for more than 30 years. Earlier, he taught at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Persisting Racial Gap in Doctoral Degree Awards
African Americans earned 6.6 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded to students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents of this country. Thus, African Americans earned about one half the number of doctorates that would be the case if racial parity with the U.S. Black population prevailed.
The Next President of St. Cloud Technical and Community College in Minnesota
Since 2014, Dr. Annesa Cheek has been serving as vice president of school and community partnerships at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. She has been on the staff at the college since 2006 serving in a number of roles.
New Study Establishes a Link Between Discrimination and High Blood Pressure
A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine finds that Black and Latino adults who reported they had been victims or discrimination were more likely to have high blood pressure than their peers who had experienced less incidents of discrimination.
Jerald Jones Woolfolk Appointed President of Lincoln University in Missouri
Dr. Woolfolk currently serves as vice president for student affairs and enrollment at the State University of New York Oswego. Earlier, she was vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Mississippi Valley State University.
New Federal Data Show Racial Disparities in Adherence to Safe Sleep Guidelines for Babies
A new federal report finds significant racial disparities in safe-sleeping procedures for babies. For instance, 22 percent of all parents do not place babies on their back to sleep. But the rate for Whites is 16 percent compared to 38 percent for African Americans.
Nashville State Community College Names Shanna Jackson as Its Next President
Dr. Jackson has been serving since 2016 as associate vice president at the Williamson campus of Columbia State Community College.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Suspends Its Participation in NCAA Division II Athletics
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania has been experiencing financial difficulties due to a sharp decline in enrollments in recent years. In December, it suspended football operations and it has now decided to drop affiliations with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the NCAA's Division II.
New Duties for Two African American Male Psychology Scholars
Professor Aashir Nasim has been given the added duties as vice president for inclusive excellence at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Zollie Stevenson an associate professor at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, was appointed vice president for academic affairs.
Southern University Establishes a Research Center for Philanthropy Studies
The center aims to educate the socially conscious student, volunteer, and practitioner in the emerging field of philanthropic studies. Ground was recently broken for the construction of the new center, which is expected to be completed early in 2019.
Tulane University’s Jesmyn Ward Nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award in Fiction
The five finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award in fiction have been announced by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation in Washington, D.C. One of the five finalists is an African American: Jesmyn Ward, an associate professor of creative writing at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Teams From 48 HBCUs Will Compete in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship
The field of 48 HBCUs has been set for the 29th Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament in Torrance, California. Teams will compete in an academic quiz contest for the national championship title and a share of $350,000 in grant funds.
Four African Americans Who Are Taking on New Administrative Duties in Higher Education
The four African Americans appointed to new administrative posts are Ja'Net Glover at the University of Florida, Rahim Reed at the University of California, Davis, Carlos Robinson at Langston University in Oklahoma, and Leon Jones at Oklahoma State University.
In Memoriam: Jeffrey B. Ferguson, 1964-2018
Jeffrey B. Ferguson was the Karen and Brian Conway '80 Presidential Teaching Professor of Black Studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts. He was a prominent scholar of the Harlem Renaissance.
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.
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.
College of William and Mary Honors Its First Black Graduate
Edward Augustus Travis enrolled at the William and Mary Law School in 1951 and graduated three years later with bachelor of civil law degree. No other Black student graduated from the law school for the next 18 years.
In Memoriam: David G. Carter, 1942-2018
David G. Carter was the former chancellor of the Connecticut State University System and former president of Eastern Connecticut State University. He was the first African American to serve as president of a four-year institution of higher education in Connecticut.
Brown University Cancels the Display of a Home Where Rosa Parks Stayed in Detroit
Brown University had planned to host an exhibit that included the reconstruction of a small home where Rosa Parks had stayed in Detroit after leaving Alabama. But the display of the home has now been cancelled.
University of Oklahoma Names an Academic Department to Honor Clara Luper
The University of Oklahoma has announced that it is recognizing educator and civil rights leader Clara Luper by naming the department of African and African American studies in her honor. Known as the "Mother of the Oklahoma Civil Rights Movement," she taught high school history for 41 years.
Racist Graffiti Found in a Residence Hall at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan
On two occasions, racist graffiti was founded written on the wall in a bathroom at a residence hall at Kettering University. The graffiti targeted African American students. African Americans make up 3 percent of the undergraduate student body at the university.
University of Montana Honors an Early Black Faculty Member
Gloria Hewitt taught at the University of Montana for 38 years and was one of the first African American women to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics. A scholarship for graduate students in mathematics has been established at the university in her name.
