Monthly Archives: December 2018
Shirley Ann Jackson to Remain as President at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Until June 2022
Dr. Jackson was chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1995 to 1999. She then left government service to take over as the 18th president of RPI in 1999. Dr. Jackson usually ranks at or near the top in rankings of the highest-paid college presidents in the country.
Academic Fields Where Blacks Earn Few or No Doctoral Degrees in 2017
African Americans earned only 1.2 percent of all doctorates awarded in physics to U.S. citizens and permanent residents in 2017. Blacks earned 0.9 percent of all mathematics and statistics doctorates, and only 1 percent of all doctorates in computer science.
Dorcas Davis Bowles to Serve as Provost at Clark Atlanta University
Dr. Bowles served as provost at Clark Atlanta University from 2003 to 2008 and she served as dean of the university’s School of Social Work on three different occasions. Earlier in her career, Dr. Bowles was a professor and acting dean of the School of Social Work at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Study Finds That Schools Don’t Help Black Teens Shed Anti-Social Behaviors
A new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison finds that although African American adolescents are more likely than their White peers to be in the criminal justice system, they are less likely to be the subjects of research that examines how they got there.
Cheryl Green to Lead the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Dr. Cheryl Green has been serving as vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Earlier, she was assistant vice president for student affairs at Tennessee State University in Nashville.
Examining Racial Differences in School Dropout Rates at the State Level
It may come as a surprise to some readers that the high school dropout rate for Whites in Alabama is higher than the rate for Blacks. But in Delaware the Black dropout rate is triple the rate for Whites. In New York, Wisconsin, and New Jersey, Blacks are more than twice as likely as Whites to be high school dropouts.
New Farm Bill Provides a Windfall for Land-Grant HBCUs
The new farm bill includes $40 million in new funding for scholarships at all land grant HBCUs. Thus each school will receive about $2 million annually for the next five years that will be earmarked for student scholarships.
New Duties for Three African American Faculty Members
The three African American scholars taking on new duties are Kafui Dzirasa of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, Steve Swayne at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Monica A. Coleman at the University of Delaware.
New Internship Program for Social Work Students at Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University students will receive social work experience with citizens in need of banking and financial information. And the participating student interns will allow the center to help more people.
Lucile Adams-Campbell Honored as a 2018 Washingtonian of the Year
Lucile Adams-Campbell is a professor of oncology, associate director for minority health and health disparities research at the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. She was the first African American women to earn a Ph.D. in epidemiology.
Kentucky State University Enters Into a Partnership With the University of Kentucky
Under the agreement, students will be able to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Kentucky State and a doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky on an accelerated schedule.
A Trio of African Americans Appointed to New Admnistrative Posts in Higher Education
Taking on new duties are Jonathan Solomon at Washington University in St. Louis, Doris Clark-Sarr at Talladega College in Alabama, and Jameia Tennie at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.
Bringing Brown v. Board of Education Out of Retirement
In 1954, a unanimous Supreme Court in the case Brown v. Board of Education called for the desegregation of public schools that were segregated as a matter of law. But Brown never became all that it could be.
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.
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.
Remembering the Work of Early Black Classicists
Michele Valerie Ronnick, now a full professor in the department of classical and modern languages and literatures at Wayne State University in Detroit, has been a leader in the effort to highlight the pioneering work of early Black classicists.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Examines Its Ties to Slavery
The investigation, led by three Black and three White faculty members at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, found no evidence that the school had a connection to the slave trade. However, the founders of the seminary collectively owned more than 50 slaves.
The Youngest Black Woman Ever Elected to Congress Eyes Student Loan Debt Reform
Lauren Underwood was elected to Congress from the 14th District in Illinois. Among Underwood's top priorities when she comes to Washington is to tackle the student loan debt crisis. She supports increased funding for Pell Grants, student loan forgiveness, and affordable student loans.
Drew Lanham Wins Prize for Environmental Leadership From the National Audubon Society
J. Drew Lanham, the Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University in South Carolina, will receive this year's Dan W. Lufkin Prize for Environmental Leadership, which honors individuals who have dedicated their lives to the environment and conservation.
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.
Two Students at St. John Fisher College Vandalize Statue of Frederick Douglass
Two football players at St. Jon Fisher College were reportedly yelling racial slurs when they pulled down a statue of Frederick Douglass.
African Americans Making Slow Progress in Engineering Degree Attainments
A new report from the Association of Public Land-grant Universities found that Blacks earned 3.9 percent of all bachelor's degrees in engineering in 2016. They received 2.2 percent of all master's degrees awarded in engineering fields and 1.9 percent of all Ph.D.s in engineering that year.
The New Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina
Karrie Gibson Dixon has been serving as interim chancellor since April 2018. Before coming to Elizabeth City State University in 2017, Dr. Dixon was a senior administrator for the University of North Carolina System. Most recently, she was vice president for academic and student affairs.
The Universities Awarding the Most Doctoral Degrees to Black Scholars
During the five-year period from 2013 through 2017, 11,389 Black or African American students earned doctoral degrees at colleges and universities in the United States. Walden University awarded 969 of these, by far the most of any educational institution.
Jamie R. Riley Appointed Dean of Students at the University of Alabama
Dr. Riley was the executive director and chief operating officer of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Earlier in his career, he held student affairs and diversity and inclusion posts, as well as faculty positions at a number of colleges and universities.
Florida State University Study Finds Racial Disparity in Flu Shots Among Adolescents
During the winter of 2014-15, more than 710,000 people were hospitalized for influenza and there were 80,000 flu-related death. Researchers had hoped that after the passage of the Affordable Care Act that the racial disparity in flu vaccinations would disappear. It has not.
African Americans Have Closed the Racial Gap in High School Dropout Rates
In 2016, 6.2 percent of all African Americans ages 16 to 24 did not have a high school diploma and were not enrolled in school. This so-called status dropout rate has dropped significantly for African Americans since the turn of the century.
Three African American Scholars Assigned to New University Teaching Posts
Taking on new faculty assignments are Cesunica Ivey at the University of California, Riverside, Erica Edwards at Wayne State University in Detroit, and Lawrence Jackson at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Good News! Two HBCUs Removed From Accreditation Probation
Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina, will no longer be on probation after two years under that cloud. The accreditor also removed Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte from probation.
Two African American College Leaders Honored With Notable Awards
Paula A. Johnson, president of Wellesley College in Massachusetts has received the 2018 Social Justice Award from Eastern Bank and Phoebe A. Haddon, chancellor at Rutgers University-Camden, has received the 2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of American Law Schools.
Winston-Salem State University Becomes First Adobe Creative Cloud Campus at a HBCU
The software will be available to students, faculty, and staff with a registered university email address. Additionally, Adobe Creative Cloud software will also be implemented into classes to improve digital literacy.
Five African Americans Who Will Be Taking on New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Appointed to administrative posts are Audrey Tanner at Mills College in Oakland, Tyvi Small at the University of Tennessee, Anthony Heaven at the University of Mississippi, Racheal Brooks of North Carolina Central University, and Donnie Brooks at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
A New Effort to Revitalize Neighborhoods Surrounding HBCUs
The HBCU Community Development Action Coalition based in Miami, Florida, has recently partnered with Renaissance Equity Partners of Washington, D.C., to form an Opportunity Fund to foster investment in neighborhoods surrounding historically Black colleges and universities.
In Memoriam: Nadia Dominque Morgan, 1983-2018
Nadia Dominique Morgan, a rheumatologist and an instructor in medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, died in a hit-and-run automobile accident in Baltimore County on December 15. She was 35 years old.
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.
