Monthly Archives: May 2018

The Racial Gap in Access to Advanced Courses in High Schools

A new report from the New York Equity Coalition finds that White students are far more likely than Black students to go to schools with Advanced Placement courses and other curricula that will better prepare them for college. It is probable that the same situation occurs in other states.

Darrell Cain Appointed President of Pierce College-Puyallup in Washington State

Dr. Cain has been serving as vice chancellor for student affairs for Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. When he takes office, Dr. Cain will be the first African American to serve as permanent president of the Puyallup campus.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Introduces a Wide Array of New Academic Offerings

There will be several new concentrations in the biology and liberal studies degree programs and a new minor degree program in computer science. The changes are aimed at enhancing students' opportunities for career success.

New Assignments for Two African American Scholars

Tony Gaskew was promoted to full professor of criminal justice at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford and K. Matthew Dames was appointed Boston University Librarian, effective July 1.

LeMoyne-Owen College Teams Up With the University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Under the agreement, the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center guarantees admission of qualified LeMoyne-Owen graduates into the College of Nursing’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

Kara Walker Elected to Membership of the American Philosophical Society

This year the American Philosophical Society granted membership to 27 individuals. Of these, it appears that only one of the new members is an African American: Kara Walker, who holds the Tepper Family Chair in Visual Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

In Memoriam: Costel D. Denson, 1934-2018

Costel Denson, a former faculty member and administrator at the University of Delaware, was the first African American student to graduate from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Howard University Pharmacy Students to Learn Outside Their Comfort Zone

The Health Equity Leadership Program aims to challenge pharmacy students from both Howard University and the University of Wyoming to learn "outside of their comfort zones" about both urban and rural healthcare access and equity issues.

Two African Americans Who Have Been Named to New Administrative Positions

LeAnna Rice was appointed director of the African, Latino, Asian, Native American (ALANA) Center at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and Kelvin Bentley was named assistant vice president for digital learning and innovation at the University of West Florida.

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.

Emory University Acquires the Archives of Noted African American Dance Couple

The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University in Atlanta, has acquired the papers of dancers and married couple Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder.

Washington State University to Form the School of Languages, Cultures and Race

Washington State University has announced plans to combine the departments of foreign languages and cultures, the department of critical cultures, gender and race studies and the interdisciplinary programs in humanities and social sciences to form the new School of Languages, Culture and Race.

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.

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.

Princeton University Looks to Diversify its Collection of Portraits

Portraits of Nobel prize winner Toni Morrison and Sir Arthur Lewis have been added to the university's collection. Eight other portraits have been commissioned. Three of the new portraits will feature African Americans.

In Memoriam: Edgar Jackson Kenton III, 1940-2018

Dr. Kenton served as a professor of neurology at Temple University in Philadelphia, a clinical professor of neurology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, and as director of the Stroke Prevention Intervention Research Program at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

St. Cloud State University in Minnesota Names Building After Its First Black Graduate

Ruby Cora Webster, the daughter of former slaves, earned a degree in elementary education at what was then called St. Cloud Normal School in 1909.

New York University Study Finds Racial Gap in Publishing in Communication Studies

A new study by scholars at New York University finds that non-White scholars continue to be significantly underrepresented in publication rates, citation rates, and editorial positions in communications and media studies.

Chicago State University Chooses Zaldwaynaka Scott as Its Next President

Scott is an attorney for the Foley & Lardner law firm, which has offices in 21 major U.S. cities including Chicago. A former federal prosecutor, Scott served on the board of trustees of Chicago State University from 2009 to 2013 and has taught courses as an adjunct professor at several law schools.

Research Finds That Black Children Are Not Identified as Autistic at the Same Rate as Whites

The authors suspect well-intentioned school leaders may be inadvertently denying minority students autism eligibility due to concerns about exacerbating the widely perceived problem of minority overrepresentation in general special education programs.

Felecia McInnis Nave Named Provost at North Carolina Central University

Dr. Nave has been serving a professor in the College of Engineering and as director of faculty development and engagement at Prairie View &M University in Texas. From 2014 to 2017, she was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Prairie View.

Researchers Find Preventive Use of Antibiotics Could Save Large Numbers of African Children

In a trial of about 190,000 children in Malawi, Niger, and Tanzania, led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, a single dose of an antibiotic given four times over a two-year period resulted in a significant drop in child mortality rates.

Larry Johnson Appointed President of Phoenix College in Arizona

Dr. Johnson has been serving as provost and chief academic officer at the Forest Park campus of St. Louis Community College. Earlier, he was associate dean for academic affairs at Broward College-South Campus in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

Five African Americans Assigned to Dean Positions

The five Black scholars appointed to dean posts are Rochelle L. Ford at Elon University in North Carolina, Emile M. Townes at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Darryl Scriven at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, Tomiko Brown-Nagin at Harvard University, and Laura Kohn-Wood at the University of Miami.

South Carolina State University Teams Up With Piedmont Technical College

Under the agreement, students at Piedmont Technical College who complete associate's degree programs will be able to transfer to South Carolina State University to pursue bachelor's degrees in a large number of fields.

Three African American Scholars Assume New Roles at Major Universities

Taking on new positions or duties are Trina Jones at the Duke University School of Law in Durham, North Carolina, C. Fred Higgs III at Rice University in Houston, and James L. Moore III at Ohio State University in Columbus.

Miles College Partners With the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Under the agreement, students with high grade point averages in undergraduate programs in computer and information sciences or management information systems at Miles College can be accepted into an accelerated master's degree program in health informatics.

Two HBCUs Recognize African Americans by Naming Auditoriums in Their Honor

The honorees are Carver Randle Sr., a practicing attorney who is a long-time supporter and former special assistant to the president of Mississippi Valley State University, and Wayne J. Riley former president of Meharry Medical College, who now serves as president of SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.

Kentucky State University Drops Tuition Rate for Summer Courses

Kentucky State University has announced that it is significantly lowering the cost of tuition for students who wish to take courses over the summer months. Tuition will be reduced from $309 per credit hour to $125 per credit hour.

New Administrative Posts for Seven African Americans in Higher Education

Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.

In Memoriam: Marcellus Blount

Marcellus Blount was an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University in New York City. He was the former director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies and the former director of the graduate program in African American studies at Columbia.

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.

Salem College in North Carolina Examines Its Historical Ties to Slavery

A new report finds that two enslaved African American students attended the school in the late eighteenth century and that officials at the institution bought and sold slaves and rented them to work on campus.

New Memorial Honoring the African American Victims of Lynchings Opens in Alabama

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, is a project of the Equal Justice Institute and honors the more than 4,000 African Americans who were lynched between 1877 and 1950.

Lily McNair Will Be the Eighth President of Tuskegee University in Alabama

Dr. McNair has been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Wagner College on Staten Island in New York City. When she takes office on July 1, Dr. McNair will be the first woman to lead Tuskegee University.

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