Monthly Archives: April 2018
Anthony Graham Will Be the Next Provost at Winston-Salem State University
Dr. Graham has been serving as dean of the College of Education and as a professor of educator preparation at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. He joined the faculty there in 2003. Dr. Graham will begin his new duties on July 1.
Sub-Saharan African Immigrants to the U.S. Are a Highly Educated Group
A new report from the Pew Research Center shows that in 2015, 69 percent of immigrants to the United States from sub-Saharan African nations had some college experience compared to 63 percent of native-born Americans of all races.
Colleges and Universities That Go Test Optional Tend to Increase Racial Diversity
A new report from the National Council on College Admission Counseling finds that that colleges and universities that do not require students to submit standardized test scores tended to enroll and graduate more students from traditionally underrepresented groups.
Two African Americans Appointed to Positions as Deans
Deanna Dixon was promoted to dean of admission at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and John A. Kuykendall was appointed dean of the School of Education at the University of Indianapolis.
Study Finds Racial Integration of Churches Will Do Little to Change Attitudes
A study by researchers at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, finds that in congregations that have made an effort to foster racial integration, neighbors who are people of other races have more impact on Whites’ friendship networks and attitudes than do members of their congregations.
Winston-Salem State University’s Wanda Brown to Lead the American Library Association
Wanda K. Brown, the director of library services at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, was named president-elect of the 57,000-member American Library Association. She will serve as president-elect for one year and then will take over the presidency at the conclusion of the association's 2019 annual meeting.
North Carolina Central University Mounts Rebranding Campaign
The new logo and branding campaign featuring the tagline "Discover what’s Central to you" was not received well by some members of the university community who posted negative comments on social media.
Business Schools at Morgan State University and the University of Pennsylvania Team Up
Under the agreement, the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan State and The Wharton School will explore opportunities for cooperation among faculty and students at both educational institutions in conferences, curricular development, and research.
Princeton’s Tera Hunter Wins Book Award From the Organization of American Historians
Tera W. Hunter, a professor of history and African American studies at Princeton University in New Jersey, has been awarded the Mary Nickliss Prize in U.S. Women's and/or Gender History from the Organization of American Historians.
Meharry Medical College Announces Changes to Its Curriculum
Under the new plan, students will receive the lecture part of a class on their own time, at their own pace (such as online, through videos, audio recordings, readings, or exercises). Students will spend their class time working in small groups to apply what they have learned.
Three African Americans Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Donica Thomas Varner was named general counsel at Oberlin College in Ohio. Genyne Royal was appointed assistant dean for student success at Michigan State University and Jermaine Truax will be the next director of athletics and recreation at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Saint Augustine’s University to Cuts Jobs in Restructuring Effort
The university's bottom line has taken a hit in recent years due to declining enrollments. In the fall of 2012, there were 1,387 students enrolled at the university. By 2016, fall enrollments stood at 944 students. Despite a slight increase in enrollments, financial problems remain.
Three Black Scholars Honored With Prestigious Awards
The honorees are Esther Ngumbi, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois, Gerald Williams, interim director of the Division of Diversity and Inclusion at Valdosta State University in Georgia, and Ismail H. Abdullahi, an associate professor of library science at North Carolina Central University in Durham.
Two African Americans Among the Four Finalists for President of St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud State University, located 65 miles northwest of Minneapolis, enrolls nearly 14,000 undergraduate students and almost 2,000 graduate students. African Americans make up 6 percent of the undergraduate student body.
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.
Claflin University President Henry Tisdale Announces He Will Step Down in 2019
When he retired in June 2019, Dr. Henry Tisdale will have led the historically Black university for a quarter century. He was the first African American to earn a doctorate in mathematics at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
University of Montana’s New Online Archive of Black Criminal Justice History in the State
The timeline, which includes entries from 1864 to 2018, includes archival photos, interpretive commentary and hundreds of individuals and events. The timeline was produced by Julia Sherman, a graduate of the University of Montana's African American studies program.
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.
Yale Debuts New Scholarship Program for MBA Students From Africa
The Yale-African Impact Scholarships will be merit-based and supply at least one half of tuition and fees over the two years of the MBA program. Students must pledge to return to Africa for at least two years within two years after earning their MBA at Yale.
The Next Dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Louisville
Dr. Emmanuel Collins is currently the John H. Seely Professor and chair of the department of mechanical engineering, in the College of Engineering jointly operated by Florida A&M University and Florida State University.
A Series of Racial Incidents at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana
A racist threat was found in a restroom on campus. A student dressed in blackface and wearing an offensive sign was seen at a local bar, and a racial slur was spelled out in stones at the DePauw Nature Park.
In Memoriam: Nathan T. Davis, 1937-2018
Professor Davis joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 1969. He taught courses in saxophone, African American music, and jazz arranging, improvisation, and history and founded the doctoral program in jazz studies.
A New Academic Debate on Race and Genetics
An academic debate on genetics differences between population groups focuses on whether these differences have anything to do with the concept of race or rather are simply due to differences in geography and environment.
United States Coast Guard Academy Conducts Assessment of Its Diversity Efforts
The United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, is the first service academy to undergo the Equity Scorecard process developed by the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California.
University of Southern Indiana in Evansville Chooses Its Next President
Dr. Ronald S. Rochon has served as provost at the University of Southern Indiana since 2010. Previously, he was the inaugural dean of the School of Education and associate vice president for teacher education at Buffalo State University in New York.
Kim Hunter Reed Named the Next Commissioner of Higher Education in Louisiana
Dr. Reed currently serves as executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. When she becomes Commissioner of Higher Education in Louisiana this summer, she will be the first African American to hold the position.
Study Shows How to Increase Black Male Teachers in Special Education Programs
The strategy involves developing specific motivations for Black men to become special education teachers as well as focused strategies for recruitment and retention of Black males for these positions.
A. Zachary Faison Jr. Named the 30th President of Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida
When he takes office, Dr. Faison - at the age of 37 - will become the youngest president of an HBCU in the nation, according to the college. He currently serves as general counsel and vice president for external affairs at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
Student Newspaper Exposes Racist Fraternity Initiation Video at Syracuse University
The university said 18 students had been "removed from academic participation" due to the video. A spokesperson said that "alternative class and study arrangements will be made for these students as the judicial process moves forward."
Cheyney University Students Mount an Effort to Help School Students in Namibia
The Fine Art Honor Society at Cheyney University in Pennsylvania is leading a university-wide effort to collect educational supplies for a nonprofit organization that aims to help school students in the southern African nation of Namibia.
New Duties or Positions for Six African American Faculty Members
Taking on new roles are Terri Norton at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, Prince Duren at Jackson State University, Sheretta Butler-Barnes at Washington University in St. Louis, Nathan De'Shon Myers at Arizona State University, Alicia Graf Mack at The Julliard School, and Tayari Jones at Emory University in Atlanta.
Southern University Partners With Baton Rouge Community College
Under the agreement, student at the community college who complete an associate's degree in science will be able to transfer all credits and pursue a bachelor's degree in the College of Sciences and Engineering at Southern University.
A Trio of Black Women Scholars Honored With Notable Awards
The honorees are Gloria Billingsley of Jackson State University in Mississippi, Sandra McGee of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa, and Janice Jackson of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Beyoncé Establishes New Scholarship Program for Students at HBCUs
One student at Tuskegee University in Alabama, Xavier University in New Orleans, Wilberforce University in Ohio, and Bethune-Cookman University in Dayton Beach, Florida, will receive a $25,000 scholarship for the 2018-19 academic year.
New Administrative Positions for Five African Americans in Higher Education
Taking on new duties are Dustin Fulton at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Cynthia W. Roseberry at Wilberforce University in Ohio, Lanze J. Thompson at Clark Atlanta University, Douglas R. Allen II at Kentucky State University, and Carlton Green at the University of Maryland, College Park.
