Monthly Archives: February 2020
Claflin University Plans to Offer a Master’s Degree Program in Nursing This Fall
The proposed program still needs to be authorized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. If approved, Claflin will be the first historically Black educational institution in South Carolina to offer a graduate degree program in nursing.
A Quartet of Black Scholars Who Are Taking on New Assignments in Higher Education
Jane Andayi Opiri has joined the faculty at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Donald Mitchell Jr., a professor of higher education, was named chief diversity officer at Bellarmine University in Louisville. Latesha Warren was promoted at Georgia Gwinnett College and Professor Anne Mungai was named associate provost at Adelphi University in New York.
Texas Southern University and Former President Austin Lane Reach a Settlement
The university has announced that after a 13-hour meeting with a mediator, Dr. Lane, whose contract was terminated in early February, would cut all ties to the university. He will be paid $560,000 — $100,000 of that compensation for "alleged emotional distress, damage to reputation and mental anguish."
Texas Woman’s University Scholar to Be Honored by the Public Leadership Education Network
Mary Saunders, a retired major general of the U.S. Air Force and the founding executive director of the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership at Texas Woman's University, has been selected to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Public Leadership Education Network.
Bowie State University Opens Pantry to Combat Food Insecurity of Students
Bowie State University, the historically Black educational institution in Maryland, has opened a new food pantry to benefit students with food insecurity; not having enough money to adequately address hunger or proper nutrition. The food pantry was opened in collaboration with Food Lion Supermarkets and the Capital Area Food Bank.
Five African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to University Administrative Posts
Taking on new administrative roles are Sibby Anderson-Thompkins at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Michael E. Ayewoh at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Michelle Martin at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, Dwayne Chambers at Morgan State University in Baltimore, and Donna Stewartson at Simmons University in Boston.
In Memoriam: Katherine Williams Phillips, 1972-2020
Katherine W. Phillips was the Reuben Mark Professor of Organizational Character and the director of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at the business school at Columbia University in New York City.
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.
Wake Forest University Apologizes for its Historical Ties to Slavery
The university was founded on the grounds of an old plantation near Raleigh in 1834 before moving to its current location in 1956. In 1860, 14 enslaved humans were auctioned for a total of $10,718 that added to the university's endowment.
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.
Mississippi State University Digitizes Records of Enslaved People
This undertaking involves digitizing 19th-century documents from across the South. The database will utilize records created or used by slave owners or the legal system to track enslaved persons, such as inventories, bills of sale, and probate and other court records.
A Trio of African American Scholars Who Are Leaving Their University Posts
Stepping down from their university positions are Endia Beal at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, Jabbar R. Bennett at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and Theodore H. Curry II at Michigan State University.
Once Again, Racist Graffiti Found on the Campus of Salisbury University in Maryland
Charles Wright, president of Salisbury University, canceled classes for one day after racist graffiti was found in two campus buildings. A day later, the university announced that a suspect had been identified.
Mary Dana Hinton Appointed President of Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia
Since 2014, Dr. Hinton has served as president of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Before becoming president at the College of St. Benedict, Dr. Hinton was vice president for academic affairs at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York.
Study Finds Where You Went to College Can Impact the Interest Rate You Pay on Loans
A new report from the Student Loan Protection Center finds that graduates of historically Black colleges or universities who seek out a private lender to refinance their student loan debt, tend to pay higher fees and interest rates than graduates of predominantly White institutions.
Denise Murchinson Payton Elected President of the Intercollegiate Music Association
Dr. Payton joined the faculty at Fayetteville State University in 2008. She also has served as minister of music at the Bethel A.M.E. Zion Church for the past 36 years. Dr. Payton has been nominated for a Grammy Award.
Teachers Rate Black Students’ Academic Abilities Lower Than Whites With Same Test Scores
The study found that teachers rated Black students lower in math skills compared to White students with identical non-cognitive abilities and test scores. Teachers penalized Black students relative to White students exhibiting similar approaches to learning.
A Trio of African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions in Higher Education
Sonja S. Watson was appointed dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Texas Christian Univesity in Forth Worth. Dorsey Spencer Jr. will be the next dean of students at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and Rosita Sands was selected as dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Columbia College in Chicago.
University of Washington Study Discovers a Huge Racial Gap in Eviction Rates
A new University of Washington study of eviction rates in Washington State found that Black adults are almost seven times more likely to be evicted from their homes than White adults. The authors of the study state that "this severe racial disparity makes evictions a civil rights issue."
How Black Colleges Must Prepare Now for the Coming Enrollment Bust
Professor Terrell L. Strayhorn looks at how the projected significant drop in college enrollments will impact the nation's historically Black colleges and universities.
Chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden Announces She Is Stepping Down on July 1
Phoebe A. Haddon became the chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden in July 2014. From 2009 to 2014, Haddon was dean of the Carey School of Law at the University of Maryland. Chancellor Haddon will remain at the university as a professor of law.
15 HBCUs to Have the Opportunity to Design STEM Teacher Preparation Programs
The National Math and Science Initiative has received a planning grant from the Fund II Foundation to design UTeach STEM teacher preparation programs at up to 15 historically Black colleges and universities in six states and the District of Columbia.
Two Black Women Faculty Members Who Are Taking on New Assignments
Sekile M. Nzinga has been gi en the added duties of interim chief diversity officer and associate provost for diversity and inclusion at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and Karleah Harris has been appointed assistant professor in the department of human sciences at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Morehouse College in Atlanta is the First Historically Black College to Field a Polo Team
Historically Black Morehouse College in Atlanta has announced that it has become a member of the United States Polo Association. Only one member of the team has any prior experience with horses.
Four African American Scholars Receive Notable Honors or Awards
The honorees are Paul Adams of the University of Arkansas, Constance Smith Hendricks of Tuskegee University in Alabama, Sakeena Everett of the University of Georgia, and the late Judge Damon Keith, a distinguished alumnus of Howard University School of Law.
Accrediting Agency Delivers a Blow to Pharmacy Doctoral Program at Hampton University
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education withdrew the accreditation of the pharmacy doctorate program at historically Black Hampton University in Virginia. The withdrawal will not impact current students and the program will remain accredited while the appeals process moves forward.
Five African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to University Administrative Positions
Appointed to new posts are Myron L. Pope at the University of Alabama, Olabisi Ladeji Okubadejo at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Lisa McClinton at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, Keith McGee at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, and Bryant Nall at Fisk University in Nashville.
Black First-Year Students at the Nation’s Leading Research Universities
After requesting data on Black student acceptance rates from 29 leading universities this year, we received data from only nine schools. When JBHE began collecting this data in the early 1990s, almost all high-ranking universities complied with our request for data on Black student acceptance rates.
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.
University of Georgia Has Mounted an Oral History Project of Early Black Students
While some of the recollections are memories of forging new paths, other stories reflect a continued culture change on campus with stories of racism, bias, and protests in classrooms, dorms and around 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.
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.
Carnegie Mellon University Created a Map That Excluded Some Black Neighborhoods of Pittsburgh
The map labeled some of the neighborhoods near the university. But there were oddly-shaped blank spaces on the map. As it turns out some of these blank spaces were neighborhoods with predominantly Black populations.
Preserving the Writings of Anna Julia Cooper
Recently, the Humanities Center at Syracuse University partnered with the Colored Conventions Project to host a local transcribe-a-thon of the writings of Anna Julia Cooper. The community service project's goal was to transcribe the writing of Dr. Cooper and create a digital archive of her work.
White Supremacists Are Increasingly Targeting College Campuses to Spread Their Propaganda
Approximately one-fourth (630) of the total (2,711) White supremacist propaganda incidents in 2019 took place on campus – nearly double the 320 campus incidents counted in 2018. During the 2019 fall semester, ADL counted 410 incidents on campus – more than double any proceeding semester.
