Monthly Archives: March 2018
Fannone Jeffers Wins the 2018 Harper Lee Award From the Alabama Writers’ Forum
Fanonne Jeffers, a tenured full professor of creative writing at the University of Oklahoma, will receive the honor during a gala dinner at the Alabama Writers Symposium in Monroeville, Alabama, on April 19.
In Memorian: Arthur J, McAfee Jr., 1929-2018
Arthur J. McAfee Jr. served as director of athletics at Morehouse College in Atlanta. McAfee was also the head basketball coach at the college from 1965 to 2000. During this period, he won 464 college basketball games.
Sarah Willie-LeBreton Will Be the Next Provost at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania
Dr. Willie-LeBreton joined the faculty at Swarthmore College in 1997 and since 2013 has chaired the department of sociology and anthropology. She will assume her new role as provost on July 1.
Do Black Male Student Althletes Graduate at a Higher Rate Than All Black Male Students?
There is the general impression that the Black athletes we see on the college football field or basketball court are doing better academically than their Black peers who do not compete in intercollegiate athletics. But a new study says this is not true at the powerhouses of collegiate sports.
The Universities Awarding the Most Doctoral Degrees to Black Scholars
During the five year period from 2012 through 2016, 11,034 Black or African American students earned doctoral degrees at colleges and universities in the United States. Walden University awarded 839 of these, by far the most of any educational institution.
Report Shows Lack of Diversity in Faculty and Administrators in California Higher Education
The study by the Campaign for College Opportunity finds that 69 percent of all undergraduate students in California are from non-White ethnic groups. Yet, more than 60 percent of college faculty and senior administrative leadership posts are held by Whites.
Four Black Scholars to Receive $165,000 Windham-Campbell Prizes From Yale University
The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University has announced the eight winners of this year’s Windham-Campbell Prizes in the fields of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. Four of the eight winners are Black.
Studying Air Pollution in a High-Traffic Area Near a Historically Black University
Air pollution has been shown to produce a greater risk of cardiovascular and other diseases. Many historically Black colleges and universities are located in the urban areas that may have high levels of air pollution, due largely from motor vehicle exhaust.
Hampton University Responds to Student Protests and Complaints
Hampton University students held protests on campus over the university's response to sexual assaults on campus. Students also complained about mold, food services, and safety issues on the Virginia campus. The university pledged to address the students' concerns.
Four Black Scholars Taking on New Assignments at Colleges and Universities
Taking on new roles are Kenneth Ataga at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Keith Reeves at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, Nadia Ward at Yale University in Connecticut, and Tyrone Howard at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Using a Federal Program, Alabama State University Consolidates $137 Million in Debt
The Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program operated by the U.S. Department of Education allows HBCUs to consolidate their debt into a single package at a lower rate of interest.
Notable Awards for Three African American Faculty Members
The three honorees are Faye Belgrave, University Professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, Aldon Morris, who holds an endowed chair at Northwestern University, and Jeremy Winston, an assistant professor of music and chorus director at Central State University in Ohio.
Prairie View A&M University to Open New Center to Foster Entrepreneurship
The Innovation and Commercialization Center for Entrepreneurs at Prairie View A&M University is part of an effort by the entire Texas A&M University System to take on a more significant role in accelerating economic growth statewide.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Positions
Taking on new administrative roles are Tomika P. LeGrande at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, John Barker at the University of Rochester in New York, Yesomni Umolu of the University of Chicago, and Darryl Holloman at Spelman College in Atlanta.
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.
The Large and Growing Racial Gap in Home Ownership
Many American families use the equity in their home to finance the higher education of their children or grandchildren. Since this source of wealth is less available to Black families, this places African Americans at a disadvantage in financing 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.
The Andrew Brimmer Collection at Harvard Is Now Available for Scholarly Research
Andrew F. Brimmer was a respected economist who was the first African American to serve as a governor of the Federal Reserve System. His massive archival collection of papers is now available for scholarly research at the library of Harvard Business School.
Rhodes College Students Set the Record Straight on Nathan Bedford Forrest
Students in a history class at Rhodes College in Memphis spent the fall semester researching the slave trade that occurred in the city prior to the Civil War. As a result of this research, a new historically marker will be erected where Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest sold 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.
University of Mississippi Unveils Six New Historical Markers on Campus
Some of the markers pay tribute to enslaved laborers who took part in the construction of several buildings on the campus of the state's flagship university.
University of New Mexico Creates a Living/ Learning Community on the Black Experience
Living/learning communities have been shown to improve student success at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
New Website Pays Tribute to Black Grandmothers
LaShawnDa Pittman, an assistant professor of American ethnic studies at the University of Washington, has established the website Real Black Grandmothers where she presents oral histories of African American grandmothers who play a vital role in the Black community.
Scholar Develops a Traveling Exhibit on the History of African Americans at Clemson University
Rhonnda Robinson Thomas, an associate professor of English at Clemson University in South Carolina, is creating a museum exhibit that will travel to 10 sites across South Carolina over the next two years.
Researchers Find Instructor Bias Creeps into Online Education
The researchers created fake accounts for students in 124 massive open online courses. The names associated with the accounts were designed to give a strong indication that students were either White, Black, Indian, or Chinese. White males were the most likely to get responses from instructors.
Dawn Williams Is the New Dean of the School of Education at Howard University
Dr. Williams joined the faculty at Howard University in 2003 as an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy. Since June 2016, Dr. Williams has served as interim dean of the School of Education.
African Americans Making Little Progress in College Sports Administration
According to a new report by Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, Blacks are 44 percent of the football players in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I but only 7.7 percent of the head football coaches.
The Next Provost of Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania
Monica Parrish Trent currently serves as instructional dean of the English Language for Academic Purposes, Linguistics, and Communications at Montgomery College in Maryland. She has been on the faculty at Montgomery College since 2000.
UCLA Reports Examines Racial Diversity in Hollywood
The report found that films with casts made up of 21 to 30 percent minority actors enjoyed the highest median global box office ticket sales and the highest median return on investment. Films with the most racially homogenous casts were the poorest financial performers.
After 40 Years as Brown University’s Chief Legal Officer, Beverly Ledbetter Is Retiring
In 1978, Beverly Ledbetter was appointed the university's inaugural general counsel and she has served as Brown's chief legal officer ever since. She earned her juris doctorate at the University of Colorado Law School.
Morgan State University Signs Its First-Ever Technology Transfer License Agreement
The technology, which was developed by the research staff in the Center for Advanced Energy Systems and Environmental Control Technologies in the School of Engineering at Morgan State, is an ultra-clean mobile combustor for waste biomass and poultry litter disposal.
Six Black Scholars Taking on New Faculty Roles at Colleges and Universities
They are: Robin Means Coleman at the University of Michigan, Heidi R. Lewis at Colorado College, Nsoki Mavinga at Swarthmore College, Haywood L. Brown at the University of South Florida, Arris Golden at Michigan State University, and Andre Isaacs at the College of the Holy Cross.
A New Pharmacy Fellowship Established at Howard University
Through a combination of academic, industry and regulatory rotations, fellows will develop an in-depth understanding of the drug development process and regulatory affairs processes from the pre-clinical to post-marketing stages.
Honors or Awards for a Trio of African American Scholars
The honorees are David Crockett of the School of Business at the University of South Carolina, Anjelica Gonzalez of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and the late Carroll F.S. Hardy, a long-time administrator at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Fayetteville State University Opens New Center for Area Entrepreneurs
The new center established by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in collaboration with the Carolina Small Business Development Fund, will work to expand small business in the six-county region near the university's campus.
Four African American Women Appointed to New Administrative Positions in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative roles are Rica Calhoun at Florida A&M University, Kimberly Ferguson-Scott at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Akua Johnson Matherson at North Carolina Central University, and Lydia Travis at City College of New York.
