Monthly Archives: June 2020

In Memoriam: Lucius Jefferson Barker, 1928-2020

Dr. Barker, a political scientist, began his academic career at the University of Illinois. He taught at the University of Illinois, Southern University in Louisiana, and Washington University in St. Louis. Professor Barker taught at Stanford University from 1990 until retiring in 2006 as the William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science, Emeritus.

Hardin-Simmons University Student Posts Racist Video on Social Media

A student at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, is no longer enrolled at the university, after it was discovered that she posted a racist video on social media.

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: Paul L. Gaines, 1932-2020

In 1958, Gaines earned a master's degree in counseling at what is now Bridgewater State University and that same year joined the staff at the educational institution as assistant to the president for minority affairs and affirmative action.

Sonja Feist-Price Appointed Provost at the University of Michigan-Flint

Professor Feist-Price currently serves as the vice president for institutional diversity and professor in the Department of Early Childhood, Special Education and Counselor Education in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. She will begin her new job on August 1.

Stanford Scholar Finds a Huge Shortfall in Black Authors and Editors in Psychological Research

A new study led by Steven O. Roberts, an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford University, finds that prominent psychological publications that highlight race are rare, and when race is discussed, it is authored mostly and edited almost entirely by White scholars.

California Voters Have the Opportunity to Put Proposition 209 on the Trash Heap of History

In 1996 voters in California passed Proposition 209 which banned the consideration of race in admissions decisions at state-operated colleges and universities. But now the California legislature has voted to place a referendum on the November 3 ballot that would once again allow public universities in the state to consider race in their admissions decisions.

Survey Shows Widespread Racial Disparities in All Forms of Discrimination and Mistreatment

More than two thirds of African Americans say they know someone who has been unfairly stopped, searched, questioned, physically threatened or abused by the police, and 43 percent say they personally have had this experience. Some 22 percent of African Americans report that they have been mistreated by police in the past year alone.

Lynden Archer Named Dean of the College of Engineering at Cornell University

A Cornell faculty member since 2000, Dr. Archer directed the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from 2010 to 2016. In the fall of 2017, he was named the David Croll Director of the Cornell Energy Systems Institute. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

New Reports Shows How the University of Missouri Responded to the 2015 Campus Upheaval

The American Council on Education recently released a report documenting the steps the University of Missouri has taken over the past five years to address the problems that led to the widespread campus protests in 2015. While progress has been made, the report notes that there is work that still needs to be done.

University of North Carolina School of the Arts Names its Next Provost

Professor Sims currently serves as the deputy vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion and the Elzie Higginbottom Vice Provost and chief diversity officer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also the founding director of the Theatre for Cultural and Social Awareness and a professor of theater at the university.

Morehouse School of Medicine To Lead New Effort to Battle COVID-19 in Underserved Areas

The Morehouse School of Medicine will coordinate a strategic network of national, state, territorial, tribal, and local organizations to deliver COVID-19-related information to communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

Five African American Scholars Who Are Taking on New Assignments

Taking on new roles are J. Camille Hall at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Terrell Strayhorn at Virginia Union University, Shawn Ricks at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, Dwayne Mack at Berea College in Kentucky and Gerald Cannon at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio.

Robert Smith Launches New Nonprofit That Aims to Ease Student Debt at HBCUs

Robert F. Smith, a billionaire who is CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a software and technology investment firm, has launched the Student Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit organization that will offer loans to STEM students at HBCUs at far lower rates and with easier repayment terms.

University of Virginia Honors Its First African American Doctoral Graduate

In 1953, Walter N. Ridley earned a doctorate from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Dr. Ridley holds the distinction of being the first African American to earn a doctoral degree from a historically white university in the South.

New Paid Internship Program in the Music Industry for HBCU Students

Students from Howard University, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Bennett College will be the first interns in a new program launched by ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

New Administrative Posts in Higher Education for Eight African Americans

Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.

COVID-19 Will Force HBCUs to Revamp Their Business Models

Professors Al-Tony Gilmore and Walter C. Farrell Jr., both alumni of HBCUs, offer their views on how the global pandemic will impact the bottom lines of the nation's historically Black colleges and universities.

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.

South Carolina State University President Has His Contract Extended

James E. Clark was named president of the university in 2016. At that time he was a member of the university's board of trustees. Earlier, Clark had a successful career in business as a vice president of AT&T’s computer division.

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: Ken Riley, 1947-2020

Ken Riley was a four-year starting quarterback for Florida A&M University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar nominee. After playing in the National Football League for 15 seasons, he returned to his alma mater as head football coach and later as director of athletics.

University of Iowa to Launch the Midwest Institute of African American History and Culture

The Midwest Institute of African American History and Culture at the University of Iowa will focus on research opportunities, educational possibilities, seminars, and workshops so that visitors and educators can better understand Black history.

Urban Institute Report Finds Persisting Underrepresentation of Blacks at Selective Colleges

The report from the Center on Education Data and Policy of the Urban Institute finds that Black representation at nonselective and selective colleges is representative of schools’ pool of potential students, but Black students have been, and continue to be, severely underrepresented at more selective colleges.

Robert E. Johnson to Take the Helm at Western New England University

Since 2017, Dr. Johnson has been the chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. From 2010 to 2017, he was president of Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts. He will begin his new duties on August 15.

A Racial Gap in Promotion to Principal Positions in K-12 Education

Black assistant principals are systematically delayed and denied promotion to principal, compared to their White counterparts, despite having equivalent qualifications and more experience on average, according to a new study from the American Educational Research Association.

Michael Wesley Williams Named President of the Interdenominational Theological Center

Matthew Wesley Williams has been named the eleventh president of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He has served as interim president since July 2019. He is the youngest person to ever lead the educational institution.

The Experiences of Women of Color at Law Schools in the United States

Recent research found that nearly one-half of law firm offices do not have a single partner who is a woman of color. The current study examines how the experiences of women of color at the nation's law schools lead to their underrepresentation in the legal profession.

A Quartet of African American Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Posts

The new deans are Harris Smith in the College of Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico, Shelley Johnson in the School of Nursing at Florida A&M University, Amanda Bryant-Friedrich at the Graduate School of Wayne State University in Detroit, and E. Patrick Johnson in the School of Communication at Northwestern University.

A Major Gift Seeks to Aid the Nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Patty Quillin, a philanthropist, and Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, have given $40 million each to the United Negro College Fund, Spelman College, and Morehouse College. This is the largest ever individual gift in support of student scholarships at historically Black colleges and universities.

Four Black Scholars Who Have Been Assigned New Duties

Taking on new duties are Anderson Sunda-Meya at Xavier University in New Orleans, Julianne Vernon at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Malika Jeffries-EL at Boston University, and John Brown at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Kentucky’s Two HBCUs Team Up to Fight Racial Inequality

The leaders of Simmons College of Kentucky and Kentucky State University, the only two historically Black educational institutions in the commonwealth, have announced new initiatives for increased financial, political, and moral investment in Black-led institutions that will be largely focused on the city of Louisville.

Beryl McEwen Honored by the Association for Business Teaching and Research

Dr. McEwen was named interim provost at North Carolina A&T State Univerity in 2017 and provost in 2018. Earlier, she had been serving as dean of the College of Business at the university and vice provost for strategic planning and institutional effectiveness. Dr. McEwen joined the faculty at the university in 1995.

New Legislation Seeks to Boost ROTC Opportunities for HBCU Students

As a whole, African Americans make up 20 percent of all Air Force personnel. But only 1.7 percent of Air Force pilots are African Americans. Aspiring military aviators can significantly improve their career prospects with undergraduate pilot training, but ROTC scholarships do not cover flight training costs.

Five African Americans Who Are Assuming New Administrative Duties in Higher Education

Taking on new administrative posts are Marita Gilbert at Michigan State University, Dustin Fulton at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Valerie Fields at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Anna Spain Bradley at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Cheldon Williams at West Virginia University.

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