Monthly Archives: December 2019
In Memoriam: Paul Elritt Meacham, 1936-2019
Dr. Meacham was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in education at the University of Texas and the first African American to serve as president of a college or university in the state of Nevada.
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.
Dickinson College in Pennsylvania Examines Its Historical Ties to Slavery
The final report of the Dickinson & Slavery Initiative recommends “a deliberative process” for improving the commemoration of the college’s ties to slavery and anti-slavery, including consideration for renaming some buildings on campus that have been honoring former slaveholders.
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.
Stanford University Presented an Interactive Art Exhibit on African American History
The main attraction involved a walk-through of 23 exhibits depicting various scenes throughout history. The exhibit used lights, sounds, smells and trained theater actors to bring these scenes to life.
The New Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture at Pennsylvania State University
B. Stephen Carpenter II joined the faculty at Pennsylvania State University in 2011. He is a professor of art education and African American studies and has been serving as interim director of the School of Visual Arts at the university.
JBHE’s Annual Checkup of Black Students at Medical Schools in the United States
In 2019, 21,869 students enrolled in medical school for the first time, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Of these, 1,916, or 8.8 percent, were Black. The number of Black matriculants was up 3.2 percent from 2018 and by 37.2 percent from 2013.
Michael L. McFrazier to Lead the College of Education at Prairie View A&M University in Texas
Dr. McFrazier began his professional career as a public-school teacher and administrator in the Waco Independent School District. He joined the faculty at Prairie View A&M in 1998.
The Racial Gap in College Participation Rates in the United States
If we look only at those students who graduated from high school in the spring of 2018, we find that 64.1 percent of Black students had enrolled in postsecondary education by October 2018. For 2018 non-Hispanic White high school graduates, the college participation rate was 71.3 percent.
The New Dean of Students at Historically Black Hampton University
Aleczander M. Whitfield has had a 17-year career in higher education. For the past three years, he has served as assistant dean of judicial affairs and housing at Hampton University.
Black Enrollments at Ivy League Law Schools
Black students make up at least 11 percent of total enrollments at all five Ivy League law schools. Leading the group is Columbia University in New York where there are 39 Black students out of a total enrollment of 124. Thus, Blacks are 31.2 percent of the total enrollments.
University of Michigan Study Examines Young Black Women’s Access to Birth Control Resources
A new study found that young African American women tend to live closer to pharmacies than White women, but those pharmacies are less likely to provide easy access to condoms and other resources relating to reproductive health.
Economist Finds Speech Patterns Impact Wages, Particularly for African Americans
A new University of Chicago study found that speech patterns strongly affect a person’s wages, particularly for African Americans. The study found that workers with racially and regionally distinctive speech patterns earn lower wages compared to those who speak in the mainstream.
Was a White Power Hand Symbol Used at the Army-Navy Football Game?
During the pregame telecast, students were seen using an upside-down OK hand gesture that has been ruled a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League. The OK hand symbol used upside down is said to form the letters WP and has been used by some far-right groups as a symbol for "White Power."
Southern University of New Orleans Aims to Shore Up Its Financial Position
Recently the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges voted to continue the accreditation probation of Southern University New Orleans. The commission placed the university on probation this past summer.
Two African Americans Named University Athletic Directors
Elliott Charles was appointed director of intercollegiate athletics at Chicago State University and Kortne Gosha is the new vice president and director of athletics at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
UNCF Funds Liberal Arts Innovation Centers at Four Historically Black Colleges and Universities
The HBCUs that are participating in the new UNCF program are Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina, Talladega College in Alabama, and Dillard University in New Orleans.
Rice University Lecturer Wins the 2019 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
The award has been given out for the past 13 years by Baton Rouge Area Foundation. It recognizes the work of African American fiction writers and honors the legacy of author Ernest J. Gaines who died last month.
Clark Atlanta University Partners With Augusta University for Cyber Security Research
The department of cyber-physical systems at Clark Atlanta University and the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University will join forces to promote research on making complex-cyber-physical systems efficient, reliable and secure.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Posts at Universities
Taking on new administrative roles are DeLaine Priest at the University of Central Florida, Linda Gunn-Jones at St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Joseph Montgomery at Tuskegee University in Alabama, and Qiana M. Watson at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
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.
African American Woman Endows Scholarship for Black Students at Oxford University
Arlan Hamilton is the founder and managing partner of California-based Backstage Capital, a fund that is dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT.
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.
IUPUI Seeks to Boost Research Opportunities for Underrepresented Students in Neuroscience
The new program includes a summer bridge program and a first-year science seminar that introduces students to neuroscience. The program also provides paid research opportunities, making it possible for students to conduct research in lieu of a paid job off-campus.
In Memoriam: Tejumola Olaniyan, 1959-2019
A native of Nigeria, Dr. Olaniyan was the Louise Durham Mead Professor of English and the Wole Soyinka Professor of the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Three African American Women Scholars Taking on New Roles in Higher Education
Mignon R. Moore was promoted to full professor of sociology at Barnard College in New York. Professor Suzanne Weekes was named associate dean at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Tracy L. Jackson will direct the physicians assistant program at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York.
The Large Racial Gap in Undergraduate Student Attrition Rates
In October 2018, there were 715,000 African American first-year students in all undergraduate institutions, 638,000 African Americans in their second year, 552,000 in their third year and 389,000 African Americans in their fourth year of college.
University of Maryland System Chooses the Next President of Coppin State University
Since July 2016, Dr. Anthony Jenkins has served as president of West Virginia State University, a historically black land-grant research university near Charleston, where today African Americans are only 8 percent of the undergraduate student body.
University of Washington Study Finds That African Americans Face Increased Risk From Air Pollution
A new study by researchers at the University of Washington reports that fine particulate matter from power plants producing electricity is responsible for 16,000 premature deaths each year in the United States. And African Americans are more likely than Whites to be exposed to this pollution.
Education in the Arts Can Provide a Way Forward for Formerly Incarcerated Black Men
The University of Houston study found that formerly incarcerated Black men enrolled in an alternative school with arts-based programming showed healthier social and emotional development and higher academic achievement as they transitioned to adulthood.
Katherine Clay Bassard Will Be the Next Provost at Rhodes College in Memphis
Dr. Bassard currently serves as a professor of English and interim senior associate dean for faculty affairs in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. Earlier, she was senior vice provost for faculty affairs at VCU.
Rating the Effectiveness of Ph.D. Bridge Programs in STEM Disciplines
A new study by scientists at California State Polytechnic University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Southern California, finds that Ph.D. bridge programs can be a potent mechanism to empower students, foster diversity and spur a more holistic approach to graduate education.
Nina Gilbert to Direct the Center for Excellence in Education at Morehouse College in Atlanta
Dr. Gilbert is the former senior advisor on education reform for the Morehouse Research Institute. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Morehouse College and at the Tift College of Education at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
Presidential Candidate Cory Booker’s Plan to Support the Nation’s HBCUs
In a new proposal, Senator Booker pledges $100 billion in support to the nation's HBCUs. That is equivalent to nearly $1 billion for each and every HBCUs in the nation.
