Monthly Archives: April 2021
Black Students in STEM and Health Graduate Programs Increase But a Large Racial Gap Remains
New data from the National Science Foundation show that in pre-pandemic America enrollments in graduate programs in science, engineering, and health fields at U.S. academic institutions were increasing. The increase in Black enrollments in these disciplines increased faster than the rate for enrollments as a whole.
Bennie Harris Will Be the Next Chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate
Dr. Harris currently serves as senior vice president for institutional advancement at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, a position he has held since 2014. Prior to that, he was vice president for development and alumni relations at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Racial Gap in Traditional Four-Year High School Graduation Rates
New data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that nationwide 85.8 percent of students graduate from high school within the traditional four-year period. For Black students, the nationwide high school graduation rate was 79.6 percent. This was 10 percentage points below the rate for Whites. In some states, the gap is very narrow. In others, the graduation rate gap is more than 15 percentage points.
Richard Milner to Lead the American Educational Research Association
H. Richard Milner IV is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of Education in the department of teaching and learning at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development. He will serve one year as president-elect and then become president of the AERA in 2022.
New Report Exposes Widespread Academic Racism at Pennsylvania State University
The new report presents the results of a survey of Black professors at the main and satellite campuses of Penn State regarding their experiences with racism, on the institutional and interpersonal levels, perpetrated by students, colleagues, administrators as well as the academic culture in which they work.
Four African Americans Scholars Appointed to University Dean Positions
The new deans are Trisha Clement-Montgomery at the University of Kentucky, Darryl Scriven at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, Denise Stephens at the University of Oklahoma, and Rhea Ballard-Thrower at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
A Quartet of Black Scholars Who Have Been Assigned New Faculty Roles
Taking on new positions or duties are Ernest Morrell at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, Mildred C. Joyner at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Sydney Freeman Jr. at the University of Idaho, and Chelsey Carter at the Yale School of Public Health.
Delaware State to Launch a Doctoral Program in Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences
One aspect of the interdisciplinary nature of this program is that each student will be mentored by two advisors, each of whom will be from different but related science disciplines. Students will be required to do an internship outside of their dissertation research.
New Administrative Posts for Five African Americans at Colleges and Universities
The five African Americans appointed to administrative positions are Erika Jordan at Boston University, Viticus Thomas at South Carolina State University, LaWanna Gilbert-Bell at the University of Louisiana Monroe, Vareva Harris at Benedict College in South Carolina, and Josie Hoover at the University of the District of Columbia.
Fisk University to Offer a Bonus Master’s Degree Program to Students Who Graduate in Four Years
Historically Black Fisk University in Nashville has announced a new program in which students will graduate in four years and be automatically admitted to a master's degree program at the university. Tuition for their master's degree studies will be at half price.
North Carolina A&T State University Names New Engineering Complex After Its Chancellor
The new Harold L. Martin, Sr., Engineering Research and Innovation Complex, scheduled for completion in August, is a $90-million facility that will enhance the research and instructional capacities of a college that leads the nation in the graduation of African American engineers.
Xavier University to Establish Graduate Programs in Genetic Counseling and Health Informatics
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for genetic counselors is projected to increase 21 percent over the next decade, much faster than the average of other occupations. Recent studies reveal only 2 percent of genetic counselors currently identify as Black or African American.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed Diversity Officers
Appointed to executive positions in diversity are Damita Davis at the College of Brockport of the State University of New York System, Sarah Walker at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, Bryan Samuel at the University of Texas at Arlington, and Nefertiti Walker at the University of Massachusetts.
In Memoriam: Nathaniel B. White Jr., 1945-2021
Nathaniel White was one of the first five undergraduate students at Duke University and a former administrator at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
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.
