Monthly Archives: February 2021
Seven African American Scholars Who Have Been Assigned New Roles or Duties in Higher Education
Here is this week’s listing of Black faculty members from colleges and universities throughout the United States who have been appointed to new positions or have been assigned new duties.
Morgan State University in Baltimore Plans to Offer Several New Degree Programs
The board of regents of Morgan State University gave its approval to a Ph.D./MBA program in higher education administration, an accelerated bachelor's/MBA program in information systems, a bachelor's/MBA program in human resources, and an online doctor of public health degree program.
Five African Americans Appointed to Administrative Posts at Colleges and Universities
The five African Americans appointed to new administrative posts are Aisha Jackson at the University of Colorado Boulder, Melvin Jackson at North Carolina State University, Mechell Clark McCrary at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, Kevin Joseph at the University of Kansas, and Kristie L. Kenney at Talladega College in Alabama.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Salisbury University Revamp Their Dual-Degree Program
The two universities have renewed an academic partnership that will now allow students to earn a bachelor's degree in physics at Salisbury University and a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in four and a half years.
Esther Ngumbi Honored for Work to Enhance Public Engagement With Science
Esther Ngumbi, an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Illinois, is the 2021 recipient of the Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science, an annual award given out by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Previous winners have included Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Aviation Program at Elizabeth City State University Aims to Soar to Greater Heights
Historically Black Elizabeth City State University launched its aviation science degree in 2002 and is currently training 130 students across four disciplines: flight education, professional aeronautics, aviation management, and avionics. It is the only university in the state offering a four-year degree in aviation science.
New Diversity Assignments in Higher Education for Four African Americans
The four African Americans in new diversity posts are Leon S. John Jr. at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Precious Porras at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, Alexander Patrick at Glendale Community College in California, and Marilyn Clark at the University of Kentucky.
In Memoriam: Edward W. Crosby, 1932-2021
Dr. Crosby joined the faculty at Kent State University in 1969. There he founded the Institute for African American Affairs, which later became the department of Pan-African studies. He led the Black studies programs at the university for a quarter century.
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.
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.
Auburn University Honors Two of Its African American Trailblazers
Auburn University in Alabama admitted its first Black student in 1964 under a court order. Recently the university recognized its first Black graduate and the first African American to sit on its board of trustees by naming residence halls in their honor.
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.
New Book to Detail the Work of the Colored Conventions Project
The Colored Conventions Project (CCP) is a scholarly and community research project focused on digitally preserving Black political activism from the 1830s to 1890s. The project operates two websites and its directors are releasing a new book on the initiative.
Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Appoints its First Black President
In 2016, Dr. Hemphill became the seventh president of Radford University in Virginia. Earlier, he served from 2012 to 2016 as the 10th president of West Virginia State University, a historically Black educational institution near Charleston.
The Racial Gap in College Enrollments of Recent High School Graduates
For non-Hispanic White high school graduates in 2019, 47.9 percent had enrolled in four-year colleges and universities by October of that year. For 2019 Black high school graduates, less than 32 percent had enrolled in four-year colleges and universities by the ensuing fall.
Deborah Archer Elected President of the National Board of the American Civil Liberties Union
Deborah Archer is a tenured professor of clinical law and director of the Civil Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law, and co-faculty director of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU Law. She will be the first African American woman to lead the ACLU.
How Reparations Would Have Affected the Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Transmissions
A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School shows that had reparations for slavery been awarded to African Americans prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the racial disparity in infections, hospitalizations, and death rates due to the virus would have been significantly reduced or eliminated.
C. Andrew McGadney Named the 20th President of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois
Dr. McGadney currently serves as vice president and dean of student advancement at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Prior to coming to Colby, Dr. McGadney was vice president for university advancement at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Academic Study Examines Reluctance of Older African Americans to Seek Mental Health Care
A new study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and the University of Maryland finds that older African Americans living in U.S. counties with a higher population of Black residents are less likely to pursue mental health treatment than other African American seniors.
Darrell Allison Appointed Chancellor of Fayetteville State University in North Carolina
Darrell Allison has been serving as vice president of governmental affairs and state teams at the American Federation for Children. He is a former member of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and former trustee at North Carolina Central University.
Virtual Events at the City University of New York Zoom Bombed by Racists
Several virtual Zoom events hosted by CUNY campuses were the targets of hateful attacks by individuals who infiltrated the online forums and posted racist, White supremacist messages and images. The events included campus celebrations of Black History Month.
Three African American Scholars Who Have Been Assigned New Duties
Taking on new assignments are Dana Rice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Charles DeSassure at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Virginia, and Jameliah Inga Shorter-Bourhanou at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Nursing Schools at Howard University and New York University Team Up for Research
Howard University’s College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences and New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing have formed an educational and research partnership to work together to have a greater impact on improving health and health equity in urban areas and global communities.
Nine African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education
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.
Nine HBCUs Are Partners in a New Collaborative to Promote Small Businesses in the South
Given their embeddedness in their communities, HBCUs are uniquely positioned to promote economic mobility. HBCUs that are members of the new Deep South Economic Mobility Collaborative will provide technical assistance, business support, and procurement opportunities to local small businesses.
Princeton University’s Keith Wailoo Will Share the $1 Million David Dan Prize
Keith Wailoo is the Henry Putnam University Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. He is being honored for his historical scholarship focused on race, science, and health equity; on the social implications of medical innovation; and on the politics of disease.
South Carolina State University to Establish a New Center Focusing on Social Justice
The Erasing Racism and Constructing Equity Center for Excellence and Justice, or E-RACE, will be a collaboration of faculty, staff, and prominent experts on racism, social justice, and equity. The center will address all aspects of racism through research, teaching, training, public dialogue, advocacy, and service.
Four African Americans Taking on New Positions as Diversity Officers
Appointed to posts in diversity, equity, and inclusion are Christopher Manning at the University of Southern California, Jessica Harris at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Matthew C. Chaney at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and Roderick J. Gilbert at the University of Pennsylvania.
In Memoriam: Wynetta Devore, 1929-2020
Dr. Devore began her academic career at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. She then taught at Rutgers University before joining the faculty at Syracuse University's School of Social Work in 1980. She retired in 1999.
Black First-Year Students at the Nation’s Leading Liberal Arts Colleges
In 2009, only three of the nation’s high-ranking liberal arts colleges had entering classes that were at least 10 percent Black. This year, despite the pandemic, there are eight leading liberal arts colleges that have an entering class that is at least 10 percent Black.
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.
Vandals Attack the Home of the First Black President of the University of the South
Reuben Brigerty stated that "they have trashed our lawn with beer cans and liquor bottles. They have left threatening messages on pilfered signs near our back door and they have taken measures to ensure that my family and I saw the indecent insults that they left behind."
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.
The University of Washington Creates the Center for Antiracism in Nursing
The long-term vision for the center is for it to serve as a nationally recognized hub that transforms nursing training, practice, and research as well as influences health and public policy in ways that are guided by antiracism as a fundamental principle.
A Trio of African American Scholars Who Are Taking on New Assignments
Taking on new positions or roles are John Brooks Slaughter at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Alicia E Ellis at Colby College in Lewiston, Maine, and Thomasenia Lott Adams of the University of Florida.
