Notable Awards Honoring Two African Americans in Higher Education

Geffrey Davis, an assistant professor of English who teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Arkansas, has won a Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship from the Whiting Foundation. Davis is being honored for his touring performance entitled “On the Row: The Prison Story Project.” The staged reading offers the views of 10 inmates on death row in Arkansas. Dr. Davis will receive a $50,000 award.

A native of Seattle, Dr. Davis is a graduate of Oregon State University. He holds a master’s degree in English, a master of fine arts degree in poetry, and a Ph.D. in English from Pennsylvania State University. His most recent poetry collection is Night Angler (BOA Editions, 2019). Dr. Davis is also the poetry editor of the Iron Horse Literary Review, published by Texas Tech University Press.

Bette Simmons, vice president of student development and enrollment management at County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey, has received the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Award. She was honored for her leadership skills and commitment to the mission of community colleges.

Dr. Simmons is a graduate of Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania, where she double majored in Spanish and French. She holds a master’s degree in counseling from Montclair State University in New Jersey and a doctorate in higher education administration from Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants 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.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs