Monthly Archives: December 2020
Universities Announce the Appointment of Four African Americans to Administrative Posts
Taking on new administrative roles in higher education are Ashley Irvin at Xavier University in New Orleans, Lamont Sullivan at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Starsha Jamerson at Mississippi State University, and DeOnte Brown at Florida State University.
In Memoriam: Leith Patricia Mullings, 1945-2020
After teaching for six years at Columbia University, Dr. Mullings joined the faculty at the City University of New York in 1983. There she eventually became a distinguished professor of anthropology at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center.
Four African Americans Named Mitchell Scholars
The US-Ireland Alliance recently announced the 12 members of the George J. Mitchell Scholar Class of 2022. Four of the 12 Mitchell Scholars this year are African Americans.
New Evidence Discovered That Shows Johns Hopkins Owned Slaves
Johns Hopkins, the founder of the university in Baltimore that bears his name, has been thought of as a staunch abolitionist. But new evidence has come to light that one enslaved person was listed in his household in 1840 and four enslaved people were listed in 1850.
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.
In Memoriam: Edward Joseph Perkins, 1928-2020
Edward J. Perkins was the first African Amerian to serve as ambassador to the Republic of South Africa and later taught at the University of Oklahoma.
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.
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: Melvin Richardson Todd, 1933-2020
After many years as an administrator in Oklahoma public schools, in 1975, Dr. Todd went to work in the Chancellor's Office of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, eventually becoming vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Two Black Students at American Universities Win International Rhodes Scholarships
Beauclaire Mbanya graduated from the University of Rochester in May with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and Fitzroy ‘Pablo’ Wickham from the nation of Jamaica is a senior at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
The Persisting Racial Gap in College Graduation Rates at Flagship State Universities
At 21 flagship state universities in states with large Black populations, 15 have a racial graduation rate gap of 10 or more percentage points. The widest gap is at the University of Mississippi. There the Black graduation rate of 42 percent is 23 percentage points below the rate for White students.
L. Song Richardson Will Be the Next President of Colorado College
Richardson, who is of African American and Korean descent, currently is the dean and chancellor’s professor of law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. When she was appointed to that post in January 2018, she was the only woman of color to lead a top-30 law school.
Racial Microaggressions May Be Pushing Black Students Out of STEM Disciplines
The study by researchers at the University of Illinois found when students of color in STEM majors felt excluded, invisible, or isolated on their college campus because of their race, sometimes combined with discouraging experiences in academic settings, they were less likely to continue in STEM.
Gregory Fowler Has Been Named President of University of Maryland Global Campus
Dr. Fowler has spent nearly nine years at Southern New Hampshire University, where he served in a dual role as chief academic officer and vice president for academic affairs. He was promoted to president of the university's Global Campus in September 2018.
The Impact of Education and Race on Tobacco Use by American Adults
In 2019, 20.7 percent of African American adults used tobacco products compared to 23.3 percent of non-Hispanic White adults. White adults were nearly seven times as likely as Black adults to use smokeless tobacco products.
The Next Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont
Most recently Dr. Noma Anderson was dean of the College of Health Professions at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Earlier, she was dean of the School of Health Sciences at Florida International University in Miami.
Good HBCU News: Accrediting Agency Removes Denmark Technical College From Probation
Denmark Technical College, a historically Black two-year educational institution in Bamberg County, South Carolina, was removed from probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. A year ago, the accrediting agency placed the college on probation due to declining enrollments and an unstable financial outlook.
A Quartet of Black Faculty Members Who Have Been Named to New Positions
Taking on new roles or positions are Jedan Phillips at Stony Brook University in New York, Florastina Payton-Stewart at Xavier University of Louisiana, Eric Darnell Pritchard at the University of Arkansas, and Wallace D. Best at Princeton University in New Jersey.
Congress Looks to Help HBCUs Get a Bigger Share of Government Contracts and Grants
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation titled the HBCU Propelling Agency Relationships Towards a New Era of Results for Students Act (PARTNERS). The legislation will require federal agencies to submit plans on how to increase the capacity of HBCUs to compete effectively for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.
The American Society of Criminology Honors Book by Berkeley Professor Nikki Jones
Nikki Jones, a professor of African American studies at the University of California, Berkeley, has won the 2020 Michael J. Hindelang Award from the American Society of Criminology. The award recognizes a book published within the past three years that makes the most outstanding contribution to research in criminology.
Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina Partners With Vance-Granville Community College
Transfer students must complete an associate of arts, an associate of science, or an associate of fine arts degree from Vance-Granville Community College. They must also maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Once students complete their associate degrees, they are guaranteed admission to Elizabeth City State University.
Six African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Posts in Higher Education
The new diversity officers are Jarvis Watson at the College of the Visual Arts, Lorie Johnson-Osho at the University of Pittsburgh, Mill Etienne at New York Medical College, Ty-Ron Douglas at the University of California, Berkeley, Eboni Britt at Syracuse University, and Quinn Capers IV at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
In Memoriam: Alphonso Walter Grant, 1970-2020
Dr. Grant joined the faculty at the University of Arkansas in 2017 as a visiting professor of art education. He also was affiliated with the African and African American studies, political science, and gender studies programs at the university.
Ten African Americans Are Among This Year’s 32 Rhodes Scholars From the United States
This year, 10 African Americans were chosen as Rhodes Scholars. In 2017, there were also 10 African American Rhodes Scholars. This is the most in any one year in the history of the scholarship.
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: Roosevelt D. Steptoe, 1934-2020
Dr. Steptoe led the flagship campus of the Southern University System from 1975 to 1982. Later, he served as vice president for academic affairs at Alabama State University in Montgomery.
Student Project Details the History of Housing Segregation in Miami
Using a platform that combines maps with narrative text, images, and multimedia content, the students wrote the history of Miami’s segregation, slum clearance, public housing, and gentrification and detailed the tactics used to remove Black residents from their homes and neighborhoods.
In Memoriam: Walter Edward Williams, 1936-2020
Walter E. Williams was the conservative economist, syndicated newspaper columnist, and long-time professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He died on December 2, shortly after teaching his last class.
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: Millie Ruth McClelland Charles, 1923-2020
Millie Charles was the founder of the School of Social Work at Southern University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She served on the faculty at the university for 40 years.
Grading the Nation Top-Ranked Universities on Graduating Their Black Students
All of the 20 highest-ranked universities in the United States according to ratings by U.S. News & World Report have Black student graduation rates far higher than the national average of 48 percent. Harvard has the highest rate at 98 percent, followed by Yale and Princeton.
The New Chancellor of the Anderson Campus of Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana
Before being named interim chancellor of the Anderson campus this past summer, Dr. Anderson was vice chancellor for academic affairs at the Muncie campus of Ivy Tech. She has been with Ivy Tech for more than 12 years.
Latest Data on U.S. College Students Who Studied Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa
Of all U.S. students studying abroad, 13,455, or 3.9 percent, attended universities in sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan African nations send 3.1 times as many students to American universities as America sends to sub-Saharan African universities.
The First Woman to Be Named Dean of the College of Engineering at Ohio State University
Dr. Howard is currently chair of the School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Earlier in her career, she developed robotic devices for space exploration at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Some Progress in Increasing Black Faculty in Accounting But There Is a Long Way to Go
The data shows that there are 211 Black faculty members teaching accounting at the nation's business schools. They make up just 3.2 percent of all faculty at these schools. Of the 211 Black faculty members, 107 are women and 104 are men.
