Monthly Archives: October 2020
The Nation Is Making No Progress in Closing the Racial Gap in Standardized Test Scores
The most striking statistic is that only 4 percent of all Black test takers were rated ready for college-level courses in all four areas of English, mathematics, science, and reading. Whites were more than six times as likely as Blacks to be prepared for college-level work in all four areas.
New York University Adds a Major Black Scholar to its Faculty
Claudia Rankine, an award-winning poet and past recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Award,” will join the faculty at New York University as a professor of creative writing. She will begin her tenure at NYU in the summer of 2021. Professor Rankine is currently the Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University
Study Finds Huge Gap in Financial Literacy Between Blacks and Whites
A new study from the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center at the George Washington University School of Business and the TIAA Institute in New York finds that Blacks are less likely than Whites to have the knowledge and understanding that enable sound financial decision making and effective management of personal finances.
Three African American Scholars Appointed to Dean Positions at Southern Universities
Sharon E. Williams was appointed interim dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Brandon Common was named dean of students at Louisiana State University and Nichole Lewis is the new dean of students at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.
Gates Foundation Teams Up With HBCUs to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic
The foundation’s three-year, $15 million investment supports up to 10 of the participating HBCUs with medical, veterinary, pharmacy, and agriculture schools to serve as diagnostic “testing hubs.”
Five African American Faculty Members Taking on New Assignments
The five Black scholars taking on new assignments are Nicole Patton Terry at Florida State University, Samuel Adu-Mireku at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Suzzette Shaw Goldmon at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Kristina Douglass at Pennsylvania State University, and Ethlyn McQueen-Gibson at Hampton University in Virginia.
Virginia Union University to Offer Master’s Degrees in Political Science and Hospitality Management
Virginia Union University, the historically Black educational institution in Richmond, has announced that it will be offering two new master's degree programs in the spring 2021 semester.
University of Chicago’s Eve Ewing Honored at the Iowa City Book Festival
Eve Ewing is an assistant professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. The Paul Engle Prize honors writers who demonstrate a pioneering spirit in the world of literature and a commitment to engaging with the issues of the day.
Grambling State University Partners With LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine
The agreement represents the desire of both parties to increase the number of African American students from historically Black colleges and universities in Louisiana who apply to the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine.
Four African Americans Appointed to Administrative Posts at State Universities
Taking on new duties are Aline Phillips at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Kelly White at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, Rollinda Thomas at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, and Keywuan Caulk at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
New Black Women’s Leadership Program Launched at Alverno College In Milwaukee
The Thea Bowman Institute for Excellence and Leadership, a program designed to serve Black women through academic leadership programming. The institute is named for a Franciscan, Catholic sister, teacher, and scholar educated in Wisconsin who made significant contributions to the church's ministry to Blacks.
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.
American University Project to Examine Slavery in the Nation’s Capital
Mia Owens is the inaugural fellow for a new, two-year Public History Graduate Fellowship in the History of Slavery and Its Legacies in Washington, D.C. The fellowship is a partnership between The White House Historical Association and Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University.
College of Engineering at Cornell University Honors Its Former Dean, Lance R. Collins
Dr. Collins served as the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering at Cornell University from 2010 to 2020. On August 1, 2020, he became the inaugural vice president and executive director of Virginia Tech’s new Innovation Campus in Alexandria, Virginia.
How Student Loan Debt Is Perpetuating the Racial Wealth Gap
The data shows that nearly 10 percent of Blacks with student debt had never made a payment. This is nearly four times the rate for Whites with student loans. Most striking is the fact that 13.1 percent of Blacks with student loans are on track to never pay off their loans.
Cynthia Nance Named Chair-Elect of the the American Bar Foundation Fellows
Cynthia Nance is dean emerita and the Nathan G. Gordon Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. Her teaching and scholarship focus on labor and employment law, workplace legislation, and poverty law.
Blacks’ Greater Exposure to Excessive Heat May Impact the Racial Educational Gap
Researchers found that students throughout the world performed worse on standardized tests for every additional day of exposure to 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. But in the United States, the researchers found that increased exposure to heat only impacted test scores for Black and Hispanic students.
University of Richmond President Announces His Intention to Step Down
Ronald A. Crutcher became the tenth president of the University of Richmond in 2015. He also serves as a professor of music at the university. When a successor takes the helm, Dr. Crutcher will take a sabbatical and then return to the faculty as a university professor.
Tracking Racial and Ethnic Enrollments in Higher Education During the Pandemic
The National Student Clearinghouse Center has released a preliminary report that shows that this fall Black enrollments in higher education are down by 6.3 percent compared to a year ago. But Black enrollments in graduate school are up by more than 8 percent.
Jamie Pleasant Is the New Dean of Graduate Education at Clark Atlanta University
Dr. Pleasant is a tenured professor in the department of marketing and management and previously served as associate dean of the School of Business Administration. Dr. Pleasant was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in management at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Four African American Scholars Taking on New Faculty Duties
Taking on new roles are Carole Boyce Davies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Major Jackson at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Wallace Best at Princeton University in New Jersey, and Christopher C. Mathis Jr. at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Xavier University of Louisiana Expands Partnership With the U.S. Coast Guard
Historically Black Xavier University of Louisiana has announced an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard will provide tuition assistance to Xavier students as well as research opportunities for faculty members at the university.
New Administrative Positions for Five African Americans in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative duties are Aishah Casseus at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, DeWayne Peevy at DePaul University in Chicago, Dallas A. Grundy at the University of Akron in Ohio, Roslyn White at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, and Georgio Douglas at Grambling State University in Louisiana.
Tamara Bertrand Jones Honored by the Association for the Study of Higher Education
Tamara Bertrand Jones is an associate professor of higher education in the College of Education at Florida State University. Her research examines the sociocultural influences on socialization during graduate education and the professional experiences of underrepresented populations, particularly Black women, in academia.
The Nation’s First Police Academy at a Historically Black College or University
The Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission has approved the establishment of a police academy at historically Black Lincoln University in Jefferson City.
Four African Americans Appointed to Diversity Posts at Educational Institutions
Taking on new administrative duties relating to diversity, equity and inclusion are Tiffany Willoughby-Herard at the University of California, Irvine, Brent Lewis at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Shawntae Jones at the Kansas City Art Institute, and Ra’Sheda Boddie Forbes at Mississippi State University.
Women’s Business Center Opens on the Campus of Alcorn State University
The center will offer one-on-one counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs on numerous business development topics, including business startup, financial management, and procurement.
State Department Expands Diversity Fellowship Program Administered by Howard University
The U.S. State Department has announced that the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship and the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship programs will be expanded for 2021. The diversity fellowships will be expanded by 50 percent and support 90 students each year.
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.
College of William and Mary Students Participate in Archaeological Dig for Historic Black Church
Ground-penetrating radar indicates that remains of an early structure used by members of First Baptist Church — originally founded in secret by free and enslaved Blacks at the start of America’s Revolution — may lie buried in Colonial Williamsburg.
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: James S. Jackson, 1944-2020
James S. Jackson was the Daniel Katz Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, at the University of Michigan. He also held appointments as a professor of Afro-American and African studies and as a research professor at the Institute for Social Research at the university.
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: Mary Turner Harper, 1935-2020
After teaching in the public schools, Dr. Turner joined the faculty at Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina, and Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte. In 1971, she was the first African American to join the English department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
