Monthly Archives: August 2018
Good News! The Racial Gap in Computer and Internet Use in the Home Is Narrowing
In 2016, 89.9 percent of non-Hispanic White households had a computer in the home. For Blacks, 84.1 percent of all households had a home computer. This was up from 80.1 percent in 2015. Nearly 60 percent of White households had a tablet computer compared to 48.5 percent of Black households.
Wanda Austin Is the New Leader of the University of Southern California
From 2008 to 2016, Dr. Austin was president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the application of science and technology relating to the nation's space program. She was the first woman and the first African American to serve as CEO of the organization since its founding in 1961.
High School Graduations Increase But a Racial Gap Persists
In 2017, there were still 2.7 million African American adults that had not graduated from high school. Another 700,000 Black adults who were not born in the United States but now live here, also did not possess a high school credential.
Texas Southern University’s Charles McClelland to Lead the Southwest Athletic Conference
Dr. Charles McClelland, director of athletics at Texas Southern University in Houston is stepping down from his post after 10 years to become commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Texas A&M University.
University of Southern California Report Examines Race in the Hollywood Film Industry
The data shows that in 2017, 20 percent of the 100 top-grossing films had no Blacks whatsoever in speaking roles. There were 43 films in the 100 top-grossing films that had no speaking roles for Black women.
Marion Fedrick Appointed President of Albany State University in Georgia
Marion Fedrick has served as interim president since January. Before being named interim president, Fedrick had been serving as interim executive vice president at Albany State. Earlier, she was vice chancellor for human resources at the University System of Georgia.
State Leaders in Mississippi See No Need to Close or Merge Public HBCUs
Alfred Rankins Jr., the first African American to lead the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Education, has gone on record as opposing any mergers of the state's historically Black universities into predominately White institutions.
A Trio of African American Scholars Appointed to Positions as Deans at Universities
The new deans are Michelle Ferrier in the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication at Florida A&M University, David S. Hood at University College at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and Pamela Holland Obiomon at the College of Engineering of Prairie View A&M University in Texas.
Kevin Hart to Support the College Education of 18 KIPP Students at HBCUs
Comedian Kevin Hart has established a new $600,000 scholarship fund in conjunction with the United Negro College Fund that will support the college education of 18 students from Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) schools who will be attending historically Black colleges and universities.
College of the Holy Cross Scholar Wins Book Award From the World History Association
Lorelle Semley, an associate professor of history at th College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, will share the Bentley Book Prize from the World History Association. Dr. Semley’s book, described by a reviewer as a “staple of reading lists for years to come,” explores the meaning of citizenship for French colonial subjects of African descent.
Mississippi Valley State University Opens an Early College High School on Campus
High school students will spend their days on the campus of MVSU completing high school and college courses. When they complete high school they will technically be a sophomore in college and all those hours are transferable toward at college degree at the university.
Four African Americans Appointed to Administrative Posts at Colleges and Universities
Appointed to new administrative posts are Wayne Knox at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, Adrianne Johnson-Williams at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Jacqueline Y. Powers at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, and Johnny C. Whitehead at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.
Fort Valley State University in Georgia Appoints Two Black Scholars to Dean Posts
At Fort Valley State University in Georgia, Gregory Ford was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Rebecca C. McMullen was named dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies at the university.
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.
A Handwritten Letter by Rosa Parks Has Been Donated to Alabama State University
In January 1957, the home of Rev. Bob Graetz and his wife Jeannie, a White couple who were both very active in the civil rights movement in the city, was bombed. Rosa Parks, who lived across the street wrote a letter describing that incident. The letter has now been donated to Alabama State University.
Wesleyan College Ends the Use of Class Names That Once Had Ties to the KKK
In the early twentieth century one of every four undergraduate classes at Wesleyan College, an educational institution for women in Macon, Georgia, was designated the Ku Klux Klan class.
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.
University of Massachusetts’ New Fellows Program Aims to Boost Diversity in Its Graduate School
The Spaulding-Smith STEM Fellowship Program is named for Major Franklin Spaulding, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, and Elizabeth Hight Smith, who in 1905, was the first woman to earn a graduate degree at the university.
Thousands of People at Vanderbilt University Receive Racist Emails
Thousands of students, faculty and staff at Vanderbilt University received racist emails from a White supremacist group. The university was able to discover that the emails were sent from external systems using sophisticated masking techniques to hide who sent the messages.
Oakwood University’s Aeolians Triumph at the World Choir Games
The Aeolians Choir of Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, has performed throughout the world and has achieved tremendous success in national and international competitions. They recently added three gold medals from the World Choir Games to their trophy case.
Bryn Mawr College Takes Action to Confront the Racism of a Former President
M. Carey Thomas served as the second president of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania from 1884 to 1922. During this period she refused to admit Black students and refused to hire Jewish faculty.
A Check-Up of Black Students In Nursing Degree Programs
Nationwide about 12 percent of the working nurses are African Americans. But data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing shows that the Black percentage of students in bachelor's degree programs is declining. But there have been big gains by Blacks in graduate nursing programs.
The New President of Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn
A native of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Claudia V. Schrader was appointed president of Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Schrader has been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic and student success at Bronx Community College.
University Study Finds Higher Tobacco Advertising in Ethnic Neighborhoods
The study lead by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, found that tobacco products are more aggressively marketed in Black and Latino neighborhoods of the city of Milwaukee than is the case in White neighborhoods. It appears that children are often the targets of the marketing.
Is Saint Augustine’s University on the Ropes?
Recently, a published report stated that trustees of the university feared that the university was on the verge of closure. But President Everett Ward stated that he is confidant that the university will be able to show the accrediting body that the university is back on the right track.
New Database to Document Poverty Rates by Race at the Neighborhood Level
The National Equity Research Database (NERD) will be able to show poverty rate data by rate for specific neighborhoods. Preliminary data for the Boston area has been analyzed by researchers at Brandeis University showing the Black poverty rate is as high as nine times the rate for Whites.
Johnnie L. Early II Named Dean of the College of Pharmacy at Florida A&M University
For the past 18 years, Dr. Early has been dean at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toledo in Ohio. Earlier in his career, Dr. Early was an assistant professor of pharmacy at Florida A&M University.
Tuskegee University Receives the Photographic Archives of Prentice H. Polk
Prentice H. Polk was one of the most influential photographers of his time. Much of Polk’s work was centered around Tuskegee Institute, and celebrated family life, national and local elite individuals, and specific events occurring on campus.
University of Arkansas Scholar Edits Journal Issue on Developing Human Resources
Claretha Hughes, an associate professor of human resource and workforce development at the University of Arkansas, was honored by being selected to be the editor of the August issue of the journal Advances in Developing Human Resources.
Cheyney University Creates the Institute for the Contemporary African American Experience
Jefferson University in Philadelphia and Epcot Crenshaw are among the initial partners in the newly formed institute at historically Black Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Starbucks Foundation also will partner with the institute on a future research project.
Seven African Americans Appointed to New Administrative Posts at Colleges and Universities
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.
Alcorn State University to Offer a New Master’s Degree Program in NCAA Compliance
Alcorn State says that the new master's degree program in NCAA compliance and academic progress rate reporting is the first of its kind in the nation. The university will also offer a post-baccalaureate certificate program in the field.
Two African American Scholars Taking on New Assignments at HBCUs
April L. Jones was appointed chair of the department of social work at Tuskegee University in Alabama and Monique L. Akassi was named associate provost for faculty affairs at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, 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.
Four Finalists Selected for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize
The Frederick Douglass Book Prize recognizes the best book on slavery, resistance, and/or abolition published in the preceding year. It comes with a $25,000 award. The winner of the prize will be announced this fall and be presented in a ceremony in New York City on February 28, 2019.
