Monthly Archives: June 2019
Dwaun Warmack Named President of Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina
For the past five years, Dr. Warmack has served as president of Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Missouri. Earlier, Dr. Warmack served as senior vice president at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and as the associate dean of students at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.
Faculty From Underrepresented Groups Bear the Brunt of the Work on Diversity Initiatives
The research, led by scholars from Colorado State University, found that non-White faculty recruited minority faculty, engaged in outreach to diverse K-12 schools and served on diversity committees more frequently than non-Hispanic White faculty.
Two African American Women Named Provosts at Universities in North Carolina
Farrah Jackson Ward has been named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Elizabeth City State University and Wanda Coneal has been named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh.
Oklahoma State Scholar Says Artificial Intelligence Can Eliminate Bias in the Hiring Process
The research finds that using machine decision-making through artificial intelligence (AI) can remove unconscious bias and “noise” from the hiring and promotion process and begin making the workplace reflect a diverse society.
Three Black Women Appointed to Dean Positions in Higher Education
Lesley Lokko has been appointed dean of the School of Architecture at the City College of New York. Vanessa Lovelace will be the dean at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and Robin L. Hughes will be dean of the School of Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Jack Thomas Steps Down as President of Western Illinois University
Dr. Jack Thomas was named the eleventh president of Western Illinois University in 2011. Previously, Dr. Thomas served as the university's provost and academic vice president. Some of the president supporters alleged that racism was behind the campaign to oust the university's first African American president.
Tayari Jones Wins Women’s Prize for Fiction for Her Book, An American Marriage
Professor Jones serves as a professor of English and creative writing at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. An American Marriage tells the story of Celestial and Roy, two Black newlyweds whose pursuit of the American dream is violently interrupted when Roy is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
Benedict College in South Carolina Launches Its First Graduate Degree Program
Historically Black Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, has established an MBA program that will offer three concentrations; general business, management, and supply chain management. It is the historically Black college's first graduate program.
Four Black Scholars Taking on New Assignments in the Academic World
Taking on new roles are Audrey Bennett of the University of Michigan, Billy Childs at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Stephanie Y. Evans at Georgia State University, and William C. McCoy at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Historically Black Kentucky State University Lowers Tuition For Out-of-State Students
The new agreement with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education will reduce non-resident tuition from $9,500 per semester to $5,775 per semester for students in the seven states contiguous to Kentucky, as well as Michigan.
Two African American Women Receive Notable Honors From Higher Education Institutions
Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, president of Bennett College, was honored by the Higher Education Leadership Foundation and Katherine G. Johnson, whose trailblazing achievements were highlighted in the 2016 film, Hidden Figures, will have a building name in her honor at George Mason University.
Fayetteville State University Creates Pathway Programs With Two Community Colleges
The new partnerships will allow associate degree graduates from Johnston Community College and Brunswick Community College to complete an online bachelor's degree through historically Black Fayetteville State University at a total cost of no more than $10,000.
Five African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to University Administrative Posts
Those appointed to new administrative positions are Assata Zerai at the University of New Mexico, Sean C. Garrick at the University of Illinois, Alexis Smith at the Mississippi University for Women, Bulaong Ramiz-Hall at the University of Kansas, and Christopher Jefferson at Pennsylvania State University.
In Memoriam: Walter Robinson, 1953-2019
Walter Robinson had retired from his position as associate vice chancellor of enrollment management at the University of California, Davis last September. He had a career in admissions and enrollment management in higher education that spanned nearly 40 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.
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 Wisconsin Looks to Raise Number of Black Students in Chemistry Doctoral Programs
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has partnered with the American Chemical Society to train more students from underrepresented groups in chemical research. The goal is to increase the number of these students in chemistry doctoral programs.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Declines Call to Pay Reparations to a Local HBCU
A report found that the seminary's founders owned slaves in the 19th century and later, seminary faculty defended racial segregation in the Jim Crow era.
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.
In Memoriam: Maurice Stallworth Cherry
Dr. Cherry served as chaplain at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, from 1959 to 1975. While there, he and his wife, the late Dr. Joyce Cherry, served as professors. Additionally, he served as president of Texas College and was a professor at what is now Albany State University.
University of Oregon Seeking Nominations for Naming of Its New Black Cultural Center
The new center is scheduled to open prior to the fall 2019 semester. It will serve as a home base for academic and social activities of Black students and a place where other students and visitors can learn about the Black student experience at the University of Oregon.
The First African American Student Body President in the 318-Year History of Yale University
Recently Kahlil Greene was elected president of the Yale College Council. Greene is a rising junior and an economics major. He spent the summer of 2018 at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Jury Awards Bakery $11.2 Million, Says Oberlin Official Falsely Accused It of Racial Profiling
Evidence presented at the trial showed that the dean of students at the college created a flyer that told students to boycott Gibson's Bakery, claiming the local business had a history of racial profiling.
Report Finds Severe Racial Disparity in Student Loan Debt
A new report from Demos, a nonprofit progressive research and advocacy organization based in New York, found that om average Black women borrowers see their student loan balances grow by an additional 13 percent in the 12 years after they began college and over half of Black male borrowers default on their loans in the same period.
Charles Whitaker Named Dean of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University
Professor Whitaker has been a member of the Medill faculty since 1993. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on news writing, magazine writing, magazine editing, and blogging. He also teaches in Northwestern's School of Professional Studies.
Study Finds Significant Racial Bias in Hiring Biology and Physics Faculty
The results showed that the physics professors rated Asian and White candidates as more competent and hireable than Black candidates. In biology, similar racial disparities were seen.
Patrick Liverpool Is Now Serving as Provost at North Carolina Central University
Most recently, Dr. Liverpool served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Earlier in his career, he served as vice provost for university outreach and international programs at Virginia Tech.
Study Finds Black Principals Increase the Hiring and Retention Rates of Black Teachers
Researchers from Vanderbilt University in Nashville found that Black principals have more success in hiring diverse faculty because they have access to different networks to find diverse teachers and are able to attract qualified Black teachers who prefer to work for Black principals.
The Next Dean of the College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences at Simmons University
Since 2013, Dr. Sharp-McHenry has served as dean of the College of Nursing at Oklahoma Baptist University. Previously, she served at the University of Arkansas for 15 years as a faculty member and later as the assistant director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing.
John Blackshear to Lead Academic Affairs at Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Currently, Dr. Blackshear serves as senior associate dean for academic planning at Trinity College, an adjunct instructor of psychology and neuroscience, and assistant vice provost for undergraduate education for Duke LIFE (Low-Income and First-Generation Engagement).
University of Arkansas Pine Bluff to Establish Two New Degree Programs This Fall
The agricultural engineering degree is the first engineering program offered at the historically Black institution. The degree will offer three areas of emphasis: power and machinery, agricultural production systems, and soil and water systems. A degree program in hospitality and tourism management will also be launched this fall.
Five African American Women Faculty Members Taking on New Roles
Taking on new assignments are Barbara Krauthamer at the University of Massachusetts, Jaqueline Leonard of the University of Wyoming, Denise Ross at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sheila Walker at Scripps College in Claremont, California, and Nicole Roebuck at Grambling State University in Louisiana.
New Bill Would Produce Partnerships Between the Small Business Administration and HBCUs
The Parren Mitchell Minority Business Education and Empowerment Act of 2019 would require the Small Business Administration to distribute grants to a trial group of different-sized HBCUs to establish Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) on their campuses.
Six African Americans Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Taking on new roles are Brigette A. Bryant at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, Rita L. Walters at Union Theological Siminary in New York, Rolanda Burney at the University of Massachusetts, Bryle Henderson Hatch at North Carolina A&T State University, Carol E. Henderson at Emory University in Atlanta, and Rhae-Ann Booker at the University of Michigan.
Florida A&M University and the University of Haifa to Expand Student Study Abroad Opportunities
Through the new agreement, FAMU students will have the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Haifa in Israel for an academic year, semester, or summer session.
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.
