Monthly Archives: June 2019
Leadership Change on the Horizon at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis
The board of trustees of LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, has chosen not to renew the contract of President Andrea Miller. Dr. Miller was appointed the 12th president of the historically Black college in 2015. She is the first woman president in the college’s history.
Alcorn State University Establishes First Doctoral Degree Program: Doctor of Nursing Practice
The new doctoral degree program will be offered to graduates of the university's family nurse practitioner master's degree program. Students will take courses on evidence-based practice, quality improvement, healthcare systems, evaluation of practice models, and health policy.
Three Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Positions as Deans
Akinlolu O. Ojo was named executive dean of the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Robin Renee Davis will be dean of the Sydney Lewis School of Business at Virginia Union University and Linda Burton has been named dean of the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley.
Elizabeth City State University to Launch New Bachelor’s Degree Program in Sustainability Studies
The curriculum will consist mostly of courses in biology, chemistry, ecology, physics, entrepreneurship, communications, technology, health, and psychology that already exist at the university. Only four new courses will be developed for the new degree.
New Administrative Duties for Six 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.
Morehouse School of Medicine Launches Physician Assistant Studies Graduate Program
In 2017, Morehouse approved the establishment of a physician assistant program and began planning the curriculum. Over two years later, this month the program's first class of 20 students arrived on campus for orientation.
New Assignments in Higher Education for Five African American Faculty Members
Taking on new roles are Maria del Guadalupe "Lupe" Davidson at West Virginia University, Jessica Scoffield of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tina M. Harris at Louisiana State University, Rodney Priestley at Princeton University in New Jersey, and Lynette Yarger at Pennsylvania State 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.
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 Colorado Historian Maps the Oyo Kingdom of West Africa in the Early 19th Century
At its peak, the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo was one of the largest and most influential West African states. It was established in roughly the 13th century, and is best known for its cavalries that would patrol the forested savannas and capture people to be sold to slave traders.
In Memoriam: Byrdie Annette Larkin, 1952-2019
Dr. Larkin joined the faculty at Alabama State University in 1977. At the time, she was the only women faculty member in the department of political science. She taught at the university for 39 years until her retirement in 2016.
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.
University of Oregon Teams Up With Two HBCUs to Offer a Unique Study Abroad Experience
Students at the University of Oregon, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Southern University in Louisiana will begin by spending time in New Orleans. From there, students will travel to Ghana, where they will live with host families while attending classes and excursions.
University Looks to Address the Shortage of Teachers From Underrepresented Groups
The University of North Florida in Jacksonville has introduced the Holmes Scholarship program with the aim to increase the number of teachers from underrepresented groups who, in return for financial aid, commit to serving in the local public schools.
Baylor University Is Now Collecting and Preserving Sermons From Black Civil Rights Era Preachers
The Black Gospel Music Restoration Project at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, was established to identify, acquire, preserve, record, and catalogue gospel music. Now the project is branching out to find and preserve recorded sermons of Black preachers.
Nationwide Study Finds Major Racial Gap in School Suspensions and Expulsions
The study offers a comprehensive look at racial disparities in school discipline involving expulsion or suspension from school at secondary educational institutions throughout the United States. The study examined disciplinary records involving nearly 16,000 middle schools and more than 18,000 high schools all across the country.
The New President of Mississippi Delta Community College
Dr. Tyrone Jackson has been serving as vice president of administrative services at the Utica campus of Hinds Community College. Previously, he was associate vice president for student services at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston.
Academic Study Finds Companies Target African Americans With Ads for Unhealthy Foods
The study led by scholars at the University of Connecticut found that unhealthy food advertising targeting Black audiences increased by more than 50 percent between 2013 and 2017. Overall television food advertising declined by 4 percent during the period.
Aldon Morris Elected President of the American Sociological Association
Aldon Morris, the Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, was named the 112th president of the American Sociological Association. He will serve one year as president-elect and then become president of the organization in August 2020.
U.S. Census Bureau Releases Its First-Ever Report on Male Fertility
Some of the datat on male fertility is broken down by race. For example, for men between the ages of 40 and 50, 26.8 percent of Whites had never had a child, compared to 19.5 percent of Blacks. In this same age group, 15.3 percent of White men had never been married, compared to 31.4 percent of Black men.
The First African American President of Everett Community College in Washington State
Dr. Willis has been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York. Earlier in her career, Dr. Willis was an assistant professor of history, faculty senate president, department chair, and dean of academic studies at Lee College in Baytown, Texas.
The Next Dean of the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences at the University of Indianapolis
Dr. Torrey Wilson has been serving as associate professor of clinical psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology of Argosy University. Earlier in his career, Dr. Wilson was department chair for clinical psychology at Adler University in Chicago.
Two Neighboring HBCUs in Ohio Look to Find Ways to Share Services
Wilberforce University and Central State University in Ohio have announced that they are currently in discussion regarding a collaborative learning arrangement and shared services relationship. Both universities have faced budgetary issues in recent years. A cooperative arrangement could help the bottom lines of both HBCUs.
Nancy Lynne Westfield Appointed Director of the Wabash Center in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Created in 1995 and sustained by grants from the Lilly Endowment, the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion at Wabash College seeks to enhance and strengthen education in North American theological schools, colleges and universities.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Partners With Southeast Arkansas College
The agreement will allow students to earn an associate's degree at Southeast Arkansas College and a bachelor's degree at the historically Black University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff simultaneously. African Americans make up 57 percent of the student body at Southeast Arkansas College.
A Half Dozen African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Administrative Posts
Taking on new duties are Michael Toney at the Georgia Institute of Tchnology, Bryle Henderson Hatch at North Carolina A&T State University, Terlynn Olds at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, André L. Churchwell at Vanderbilt University, Stephanie Sparling Williams at Mount Holyoke College, and Teresa McKinney at Texas Southern University.
Kentucky State University to Give New Laptops to All Full-Time, First-Year Students
Christopher Brown, president of Kentucky State University, said that he noticed students using their cellphones to access digital information resources such as textbooks. Research has shown that downloading textbooks on cell phones rather than larger visible devices can hinder student achievement.
In Memoriam: Niara Sudarkasa, 1938-2019
In 1969, Dr. Sudarkasa joined the faculty at the University of Michigan. She was the first tenured African American faculty member at the university. In 1986, she was appointed the eleventh president of historically Black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, and served in that role for 12 years.
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.
Fayetteville State University Chancellor Abruptly Steps Down From His Post
James Anderson, chancellor of historically Black Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, announced that he was stepping down immediately. Dr. Anderson became chancellor of Fayetteville State University in 2008.
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.
In Memoriam: Olivia Cousins, 1948-2019
Olivia Cousins was a feminist scholar, African American historian, and long-time faculty member at the Borough of Manhattan Community College of the City University of New York. She served on the faculty there for more than 30 years.
Four African Americans Who Have Announced Their Retirements From University Posts
The four African Americans who have retired or have announced their retirements are Tommie Stewart at Alabama State University, Adolph Reed Jr. at the University of Pennsylvania, Walter Fluker at the School of Theology at Boston University, and Alfreda Horton at the University of Southern Mississippi.
In Memoriam: Maurice Wilton Johnson Sr., 1943-2019
Johnson served for 10 years at Grambling State University in Louisiana, first as assistant director of bands and then director of bands.
Jerry Wallace Named President of the Hasting Campus of Central Community College in Nebraska
Most recently, Dr. Wallace served as dean of workforce, technical, and community education at New River Community and Technical College in Beckley, West Virginia. His new duties will include serving as vice president for the three-campus Central Community College system.
Study Finds Black Students in Charter Schools Are More Likely to Have a Black Teacher
The issue of charter schools has become a hot topic in the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nominating process. Previous studies that show students of color perform better academically when they have a teacher of the same race or ethnic group. A new report says this is more likely to occur in charter schools.
