Monthly Archives: November 2019
Good News! Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Will Retain its Accreditation
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education announced that historically Black Cheyney University of Pennsylvania will retain its status as an accredited educational institution. The commission is requiring the university to file further reports concerning the reduction of debt and the sustainability of its finances.
A Trio of African American Faculty Members Who Have Been Assigned New Duties
Leon Prieto of Clayton State University in Georgia was named an associate research fellow at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. Adrienne Morgan was appointed as an associate vice president of equity and inclusion at the University of Rochester and Professor Calvin R. Walker was named executive vice chancellor at Southern University in Louisiana.
Texas A&M University’s Roderic Pettigrew Honored by the National Academy of Engineering
Professor Pettigrew’s award was given “for leadership at the National Institutes of Health, and for academic and industrial convergence research and education, resulting in innovations that have improved global health care.”
Fayetteville State University Partners With Edgecombe Community College
Graduates of Edgecombe Community College who have obtained an associate's degree will be able to complete an online bachelor's degree at Fayetteville State University at a total cost of no more than $10,000 in out-of-pocket expenses.
Bernie Sanders Unveils New Plan to Strengthen Historically Black Colleges and Universities
The presidential candidate's plan would allow any student to be eligible to receive a tuition-free education from any HBCU, including private institutions, regardless of income.
New Administrative Posts in Higher Education for Three African Americans
Karen Davis is the a new assistant dean for inclusive excellence at Syracuse University in New York. Kory Trott will serve as the director of the research integrity office at Virginia Tech and Paul Monteiro is the new assistant vice president of external affairs at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
In Memoriam: Mary T. Christian, 1924-2019
Dr. Christian served as chair of the department of elementary education and was dean of the School of Education at Hampton University in Virginia. She also was elected to nine consecutive terms as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Michael Drake to Step Down as President of Ohio State University in 2020
Michael V. Drake, who has served as president of Ohio State University since June 2014, has announced that he will retire from that position next year. Dr. Drake is the fifteenth president of Ohio State and the first African American to serve in the post.
The University of Minnesota’s Historical Ties to Slavery
In 1856, the university was struggling financially and received a loan of nearly $15,000 from William Aiken Jr., who at one time owned more than 700 slaves in South Carolina. This money helped build one of the first campus buildings, Old Main.
In Memoriam: W. George Allen, 1936-2019
In 1960, Allen enrolled at the University of Florida College of Law. Upon graduating in December 1962, Allen became the first African American to earn a degree from any former all-white institution in Florida.
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.
How One Act of Discrimination Can Impact the Lives of College Students
On average, students who encountered unfair treatment were more physically active, interacted with their phones more and spent less time in bed on the day of the event. In many cases, the behavior changes lasted into the second day after the discrimination had taken place.
Adrien L. Bennings Will Be the Sixth President of Kellogg Community College in Michigan
Dr. Bennings has been serving as vice president for finance and administration at Clovis Community College in Clovis, New Mexico. From 2015 to 2018, she served as the director of the Small Business Development Center at Texas Tech University.
Black Male Lawyers Face Higher Rates of Discipline by the California State Bar Than Their Peers
The study, conducted by George Farkas, Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine, found that Black male lawyers received more complaints from clients, were put on probation at higher rates and were disbarred at higher rates than their peers.
Harvard University Launches a New Intitiative to Examine its Historical Ties to Slavery
Tomiko Brown-Nagin, dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, the Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, and a professor of history, will chair the new initiative which will be called Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery.
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.
Students From Sub-Saharan African Nations at U.S. Colleges and Universities, 2018-19
The Institute for International Education reports that in the 2018-19 academic year, there were 40,290 students from sub-Saharan Africa enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States. They made up 3.7 percent of the 1,095,299 foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities that year.
Rita Dove Wins the $100,000 Wallace Stevens Award From the Academy of American Poets
Rita Dove, Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia, served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993 to 1995 and won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1987. She is the only poet to receive the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts.
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.
Five Football Players Suspended for Racist Social Media Posts at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
The students ridiculed Black Male Empowerment, a student organization on campus and included a photograph of a Ku Klux Klan cross-burning ceremony with the post.
University of Georgia Scholar Honored by the American Educational Studies Association
Cynthia B. Dillard is the Mary Frances Early Professor of Teacher Education in the department of educational theory and practice of the College of Education at the University of Georgia. Dr. Dillard was honored at the association's annual conference in Baltimore earlier this month.
U.S. Commerce Department Debuts Broadband Internet Initiative With HBCUs
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration program seeks to ensure that HBCUs can successfully advance broadband connectivity on their campuses and in their surrounding communities, enabling the participation of all Americans in the digital economy.
A Quartet of Black Scholars Who Are Undertaking New Assignments in Higher Education
Taking on new roles are Renita W. Marshall at Southern Univerity in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, André J. Thomas at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University, Chassidy Bozeman at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and Akinwumi Ogundiran at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Grambling State Creates a New Academic Center for Excellence in Mathematical Achievement
Nine colleges and universities in the state of Louisiana, including Grambling State University, have Centers of Excellence that are recognized by the Louisiana Board of Regents. Grambling State is currently the only Center of Excellence that has an academic designation.
Vanderbilt University Names Its Recreation and Wellness Center for David Williams II
David Williams II was the first African American to serve as a vice chancellor at Vanderbilt. He also was the first African American to serve as an athletics director in the Southeastern Conference. He died earlier this year at the age of 71.
Alcorn State University Offers Full Scholarship to Musical Prodigy
Historically Black Alcorn State University has offered a full scholarship to Jeremiah Travis. The university hopes that Travis will accept the offer to become a drummer for the HBCU's Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite Band. Jeremiah Travis is five years old.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Posts at Universities
Taking on new administrative positions in higher education are Bill Means at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Darrell B. McMillon at Delaware State University, Amber Williams at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and Malik Washington at the University of Pennsylvania.
Black Students Confronted by Racial Slurs at the University of Florida
The Black students were in a van operated by Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol, a free service to provide safe transportation for students around campus. The van was approached by two White male students, one of whom used a racial slur.
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 Florida Opens a New Home for Its Institute of Black Culture
In 1971, the Institute of Black Culture was established after a series of peaceful protests from Black students advocating for their rights ended with 66 students arrested or suspended for occupying the university's president’s office. Now the Institute has a new home on campus.
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.
International African-American Historical and Genealogy Society Book Award to Walter Curry Jr.
Walter B. Curry Jr., who teaches online graduate courses in the master of education degree program at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, was honored for his book on the Thompson family of Salley, South Carolina.
LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis Eliminated Seven Positions to Help Close Budget Gap
One of those let go was Terrell Strayhorn, vice president of academic and student affairs. Students held a sit-in on campus to protest Dr. Strayhorn's dismissal. A drop in enrollments from around 1,000 to 836 students this fall has strained the college's financial situation.
After a Racist Incident, Syracuse University Suspends All Social Activities of Fraternities
An African American woman was targeted with a racial slur as she walked by a fraternity house. The student newspaper at the university reported that recently "at least 10 hate crimes or bias-related incidents have been reported on or near campus."
Georj Lewis Appointed President of Atlanta Metropolitan State College in Georgia
Prior to being named interim president of Atlanta Metropolitan State College this past July, Dr. Lewis was vice president of student affairs at Georgia Southern University. Earlier, he was vice chancellor for student affairs at Indiana University Northwest.
