Four Black Men Who Are Taking on New Faculty Assignments

Calvin Nobles was named chair of the department of information technology and management at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. A retired United States Navy officer, Dr. Nobles comes to Illinois Tech after serving as a vice president at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Nobles’ academic experience includes teaching university courses at Arizona State University and the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Dr. Nobles holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in management from Northcentral University. He earned a Ph.D. at Capital Technology University in Laurel, Maryland, and a doctorate in business administration from Temple University in Philadephia.

Jeffrey Wray, professor and associate chair of undergraduate studies in the English department at Michigan State University, was appointed to the Timnick Chair in the Humanities. He is the second holder of the endowed chair. Filmmaker, screenwriter, and educator, Wray has served as a core faculty member in the university’s film studies program since 2002.

Professor Wray is a graduate of Hiram College in Ohio, where he majored in communication. He earned a master of fine art degree in filmmaking from Ohio University.

Dexter Gordon, the Dolliver NEH Distinguished Professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, was selected to serve as executive vice president at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Dr. Gordon also has been serving as director of the University of Puget Sound’s African American studies program and the founding director of the university’s Race and Pedagogy Institute.

Professor Gordon is a graduate of the Jamaica Theological Seminary. He earned a Ph.D. in rhetoric, culture, and African American studies from Indiana University Bloomington.

Chris Walker has been named the new director of the Division of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a professor in the School of Education’s department of dance.

Walker attended Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica, where he completed a professional diploma in dance and theatre production before receiving both bachelor and master of fine arts degrees in dance from the State University of New York at Brockport.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

North Carolina A&T State University Establishes Doctorate in Pharmacy Pathway Program

The Early Assurance Program will provide North Carolina A&T University students who are interested in pursuing a doctorate in pharmacy with the opportunity for assured admission to the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

Five African Americans Appointed to Administrative Positions in Higher Education

The appointments are Courtney Phillips at Louisiana State University, Pamela Richardson at Hampton University, Shani Crayton at Alabama State University, James Ham at North Carolina Central University, and Caroline Ebanks at Columbia University.

In Memoriam: Faith Ringgold, 1930-2024

Ringgold was a mixed media artist, best known for her narrative quilts which centered around African American and women's representation. She was a professor emerita of art with the University of California, San Diego where she taught for 15 years.

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.

Featured Jobs