Monthly Archives: April 2020
Physician Assistant Program Ready to Roll at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
The program will be 28 months in duration and include didactic and experiential education components. Students in the program will complete over 2,000 hours in rotations including family medicine, general surgery, and mental health training.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Posts
Taking on new administrative roles in higher education are Mikki Allen at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Doneisha Posey at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, TaJuan Wilson at Georgia Southern University, and Joan Williams at Salisbury University in Maryland.
In Memoriam: Ellis Louis Marsalis, 1934-2020
Ellis Marsalis, a jazz pianist, the patriarch of jazz's royal family, and a former professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and the University of New Orleans, died on April 1 from complications of the COVID-19 virus.
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: Lenard Wells, 1950-2020
Dr. Wells began teaching criminal justice at the University of Memphis in 2013. Before coming to Memphis, he was appointed by the governor to serve as the Parole Board Chief in Wisconsin. He also served as a lieutenant with the Milwaukee Police Department for 27 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.
Black Students Admitted to Highly Selective Colleges and Universities
In an ear, when selective colleges and universities typically hold their admissions statistics for Black student close to their vests, a few have announced how many Black students were admitted to the Class of 2024.
In Memoriam: David Clyde Driskell, 1931-2020
In 1977, Driskell joined the faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park. He taught there until his retirement in 1998. In 2001, the university established the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora.
President Linda Rose of Santa Ana College in California Announces Her Retirement
Dr. Rose has been president of Sant Ana College since 2016. Previously, she had been the president of Los Angeles Southwest College.
The Long-Term Impact of State Affirmative Action Bans on Black Enrollments in Higher Education
Averaging across 19 public universities in states that enacted affirmative action bans, Black enrollments declined immediately after the bans took effect and have expanded since that time.
Kenneth Long Selected to Lead East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania
Long currently serves as vice president of administration and finance for East Stroudsburg University, a position he has held for nearly seven years. Previously, Long served for five years as assistant vice president of administration and finance at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.
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.
Report Claims Conservative Cities Do a Better Job in Educating Children From Racial and Ethnic Groups
The study analyzed data from 12 conservative cities and compared it to the data from 12 liberal cities. The data showed that the progressive cities have, on average, a 15.1 point math achievement gap for Black students and a 13.5 percent reading achievement gap for Black students.
William Tate IV Will Be the Next Provost at the University of South Carolina
Currently, Dr. Tate is the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences and dean of the Graduate School at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2019, he was one of four finalists for the presidency of the University of South Carolina.
Data Shows Huge Racial Disparities in Impact of COVID-19 Virus
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Blacks make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but over 33 percent of the patients admitted to hospitals with the COVID-19 virus. In some cities Blacks are dying from the virus at rates double their percentage of the population.
The New Executive Director of the College Art Association
Before joining the College Art Association, Omogbai served as a member and past board chair of the New Jersey Historic Trust, one of four landmark entities dedicated to the preservation of the state’s historic and cultural heritage. She also served on Montclair State University’s Advisory Board.
Howard University Creates an Emergency Fund to Help Students Impacted by the Pandemic
All of the money in the fund will be used to give immediate, need-based scholarships to prospective May graduates in all 13 schools and colleges of the university, to assist them as they continue working towards their diplomas as planned.
The Next Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Professor Kecia Thomas currently serves as senior associate dean in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia. She is the division dean for the social and behavioral sciences and also manages the college’s faculty affairs functions. Dr. Thomas is also a professor of industrial/organizational psychology and African American studies.
HBCUs Do Not Fare Well in Rankings of the Nation’s Best Graduate and Professional Schools
U.S. News and World Report recently released its 2020 rankings of the best graduate and professional schools in the United States. Some of the graduate and professional schools at historically Black colleges and universities were included in the rankings, but in all cases, they were far down the list of the best schools and programs.
Danielle Conway Honored by the George Washington University Law School
Danielle M. Conway, dean of the Dickinson Law School at Pennsylvania State University, was named the 2020 recipient of the Belva Ann Lockwood Award from George Washington University Law School. The award recognizes the accomplishments and pioneering spirit of women leaders in the legal profession.
Tennessee State University on the Front Lines of the Battle Against COVID-19
Tennessee State University is using its 3D printing assets to design and manufacture headbands that are one of three components of face masks that are used by healthcare professionals. The College of Agriculture is producing hand sanitizer.
Two Women Who Have Been Appointed to Administrative Posts at the University of Arkansas
April Daniel was appointed assistant director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance at the University of Arkansas and Chantel Moseby is the new assistant director for registered student organizations in the Office of Student Affairs.
In Memoriam: Cheryl Ann Wall, 1948-2020
Professor Cheryl Wall focused on African-American literature, American literature, and feminist criticism. She first joined the faculty at Rutgers University in 1972. and had planned on retiring this year.
Idaho Bans the Use of Affirmative Action in Admission Decisions at State Universities
Idaho governor Brad Little has signed into law a bill that prohibits the consideration of race in hiring and admissions decisions at state-operated colleges and universities in the state. Idaho becomes the ninth state to ban race-sensitive admissions at state colleges and universities.
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.
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.
In Memoriam: Denise Michelle Chapman Montgomery, 1959-2020
Dr. Montgomery was the founding dean of the College of Health Sciences at Alabama State University. Earlier in her career, she taught at Langston University in Oklahoma and Florida A&M University.
Professor at Wake Forest University Apologizes for Reading the N-Word Aloud in Class
In teaching a class on free speech, a Wake Forest University professor read portions of a Supreme Court decision that included the n-word.
In Memoriam: Richard L. Marquess-Barry, 1940-2020
In 1965 Richard Marquess-Barry entered the Virginia Episcopal Theological Seminary. He was the only Black student enrolled at the seminary at that time. He went on to become a priest and educator.
Three African American Women Scholars Who Are Embarking on New Assignments
The three women scholars who are taking on new duties are Joelle A. Murchison of the University of Connecticut, Marietta Simpson, a Rudy Professor of Music in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and Erica Cooper of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Discrimination Incidents Against African Americans Spike During COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers at the Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research at the University of Southern California found that that 14 percent of Asians and 10 percent of non-Hispanic Blacks had experienced discrimination or racist behavior during the pandemic, as opposed to 4 percent of non-Hispanic Whites.
The Next Dean of the University of Connecticut School of Law
Eboni S. Nelson currently is associate dean for academic affairs and professor of law at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Before joining the faculty at the University of South Carolina in 2007, she taught at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston.
Speech Recognition Systems Make Double the Mistakes on Words Spoken by Blacks
Research led by scholars at Stanford University found that on average, the speech recognition systems developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, and others misunderstood 35 percent of the words spoken by Blacks but only 19 percent of those spoken by Whites. Error rates were highest for African American men.
Gilda Barabino Will Be the Next President of the Olin College of Engineering
A respected researcher in the study of sickle cell disease, Dr. Barabino became dean of the Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York in 2013. She also serves as the Daniel and Frances Berg Professor at City College.
University Study Shows How the Slave Trade Has Lingering Effects on African Businesses
Businesses in countries that were active in the slave trade are more often tightly controlled by individuals or families — often because they have limited access to equity funding and shared ownership. Meanwhile, businesses in African countries less affected by the slave trade have more diversified ownership structures.
