Monthly Archives: July 2018
Rice University’s New Archive on Texas’ Convict Leasing System
The system routinely leased out prisoners to local plantations and other private landowners, where they were worked under horrendous conditions. Large numbers of these leased prisoners were African Americans.
James Meredith to Be Inducted Into the Alumni Hall of Fame at Ole Miss
In October 1962, James Meredith became the first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Rioting occurred on campus resulting in two deaths. Now Meredith is receiving the highest honored bestowed by the Ole Miss Alumni Association.
Newark Campus of Rutgers University Honors Frederick Douglass
On April 17, 1849, Frederick Douglass delivered an address at the First African Presbyterian Church in Newark, New Jersey. The church, which no longer exists, was located on the current site of the university's athletic fields. The fields now have been named to honor Frederick Douglass.
Roberta Troy to Serve as Provost at Tuskegee University in Alabama
Dr. Troy has been a member of the faculty at Tuskegee since 1999 and is the founding director of the Tuskegee University Health Disparities Institute for Research and Education.
Three African American Men to Be Inducted Into the National Academy of Engineering
Two of the three new Black members of the National Academy of have current academic affiliations. They are Lynden A. Archer, the James Friend Family Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Cornell University and Gary S. May, the chancellor of the University of California, Davis.
Counties Where Lynchings Occurred Have Higher Mortality Rates Today for Blacks and Whites
The study estimates that living in a high-lynching county is associated with 34.9 additional deaths per hundred thousand per year for White males, 23.7 deaths for White females, and 31 deaths for African American females. African American male death rates today were not affected.
Kentucky State University Extends the Contract of President M. Christopher Brown II
The board of regents of Kentucky State University has extended the contract of M. Christopher Brown II for four years through July 2022. The four-year extension is the maximum allowed by state law. Dr. Brown was appointed the 15th president of Kentucky State University in March 2017.
How Greater Diversity in the Physician Workforce Would Reduce Racial Health Disparities
After conducting a randomized clinical trial among 1,300 Black men in Oakland, the researchers found that the men sought more preventive services after they were randomly seen by Black doctors for a free health-care screening compared to non-Black doctors.
Claudine Gay Named Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University
Dr. Gay is the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government and of African and African American Studies and is the founding chair of Harvard’s Inequality in America Initiative. She joined the faculty in 2006 and has served as dean of social science for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences since 2015.
New Evidence That Early Child Education Programs Can Have Long-Term Positive Benefits
Early studies have shown that early childhood education programs have initial benefits but that the positive effects slipped away when children entered elementary school. But new data shows that the long-term effects may be positive.
A Trio of Black Scholars Taking on New Roles at Colleges and Universities in the South
Taking on new assignments are Coray Davis at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, Terrell L. Strayhorn at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, and Lydia Thompson at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Xavier University of Louisiana Changes Core Curriculum and Adds Degree Programs
The new core curriculum reduces the mandated course requirements from 60 hours to 40 hours. The streamlined core curriculum offers students greater opportunities to pursue minor degrees, certificates, double majors, and to take classes outside of their chosen degree path.
Two Black Women Scholars Honored With Prestigious Awards
The honorees are Erin Berry-McCrea, a lecturer in the department of communications at Towson University in Maryland and Renee A. Middleton, dean of the College of Education at Ohio University in Athens.
Albany State University Announces a Restructuring of Its Academic Colleges
Albany State University, the historically Black educational institution in Georgia, has announced a restructuring of its academic units. The university will now have three academic colleges instead of five.
Five African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Posts 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.
Florida A&M University’s Post-Admit Program Prepares Students for Law School
Sixteen students received housing, meals, course materials and faculty instruction at no cost for the two-week program held earlier this summer. The program aims to enhance students' problem-solving, legal reasoning, critical reading and thinking skills.
Two African Americans Appointed Athletic Directors at HBCUs
Etienne M. Thomas was named director of athletics at Kentucky State University in Frankfort and George L. Bright is the new director of athletics at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.
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.
No Progress in Increasing the Number of Black Students Admitted to the University of California
A total of 3,452 Black students were admitted to at least one of the nine undergraduate campuses of the University of California. This is 15 fewer than last year. The number of Black admits was down at six of the nine campuses.
In Memoriam: Roosevelt Ratliff Jr.
Roosevelt Ratliff Jr. was a professor of English and assistant vice president of academic affairs at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
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 in
Savannah State University Debuts Its College of Education
Savannah State University, the historically Black educational institution in Georgia, has announced that it has established the College of Education. The division was previously called the School of Teacher Education.
Eight HBCUs Get Loan Relief From the U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that eight private historically Black colleges and universities that are members of the United Negro College Fund, will be the first beneficiaries of the deferment authority of the HBCU Capital Finance Program.
Teacher Education Programs That Are Producing a Diverse Pool of Graduates
A majority of teacher education programs studied by researchers at the Urban Institute had a disproportionately large share of White students, relative to their universities, and a disproportionately small share of Black students.
Heidi Anderson Appointed the 16th President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Since September 2017, Dr. Anderson has been special advisor to the president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She served as provost and vice president for academic affairs there from 2015 to 2017.
Undergraduate Institutions That Feed the Most Black Students to U.S. Medical Schools
In the 2017 academic year, 118 graduates of Howard University in Washington, D.C., applied to U.S. medical schools. This was the most in the nation. Xavier University of Louisiana, with a much smaller number of total graduates, ranked second and had 103 students apply to medical schools.
Florida State University to Remove Name of Segregationist Judge From Its Law School
President John Thrasher will recommend to the legislature that the name of the B.K. Roberts College of Law be changed. Roberts was a founder of the law school and was a member of the Florida Supreme Court. He wrote several pro-segregation opinions during the 1950s.
University of Pittsburgh Study Documents Narrowing of Racial Gap in Premature Death
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health used “years of life lost” to measure premature death by summing the number of years each death occurs before a “target” age to which all people could be expected to live.
The New President of Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts
For the past two years, Dr. Salomon-Fernandez has served as president of Cumberland County College in Vineland, New Jersey. Earlier, she held several positions at Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley Hills, including interim president.
Ohio State University Study Finds Racial Differences in Media Coverage of Mass Shootings
The study by three doctoral students at Ohio State University examined media coverage of 219 mass shootings. The data showed that White shooters were 95 percent more likely to be described as mentally ill than Black perpetrators.
Kentucky State University “Staff Realignment” Aims to Save Money and Increase Efficiency
Kentucky State University, the historically Black educational institution in Frankfort, announced a series of steps it is taking to manage its budget and increase efficiency while maintaining resources earmarked for instruction and student achievement.
New Assignments for Two African American Faculty Members
Melissa Thomas-Hunt, a professor of management at Vanderbilt University in Nashville was given the added duties as faculty director for Moore College at the university. Marshall Brown was hired as an associate professor of architecture at Princeton University in New Jersey.
New Agreement Will Ease Transition of Alcorn State Students to the College of Pharmacy at Ole Miss
Alcorn State students who excel in pre-pharmacy courses and who have been active participants in community service programs will be able to take advantage of the University of Mississippi College of Pharmacy's Preferred Admission Program.
Two African American Women Honored With Prestigious Awards
The honorees are Alicia Nails, a lecturer in the department of communication at Wayne State University in Detroit, and Carolyn B. Murray, a professor of psychology at the University of California Riverside.
Florida A&M University to Launch New Center on Construction and Infrastructure Technology
The new center will include a multidisciplinary partnership between several of FAMU’s core academic schools, public partners and the private sector that will be focused on global sustainable infrastructure.
