Monthly Archives: November 2021
Hate Crime on the Campus of the University of Utah
A university contractor was making a delivery to the loading dock at a residence hall on the campus of the University of Utah. Two students in a room above the loading dock shouted the N-word and threw sunflower seeds and coffee pods out the window at the individual below.
In Memoriam: Walter L. Smith, 1935-2021
Dr. Smith served as dean of Hillsborough Community College in Tampa before being named president of Roxbury Community College in Massachusetts in 1974. He was appointed president of Florida A&M University in 1977 and served in that role until 1985.
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 Reports Shows How HBCUs Are a Major Contributor to Social Mobility for African Americans
On average and across institution type, when it comes to mobility rates HBCUs outperform all other categories of educational institutions and are double the national rate. HBCUs are the primary postsecondary driver for moving Black Americans from poverty to the middle class.
Thema Bryant-Davis Has Been Named President-Elect of the American Psychological Association
Dr. Bryant Davis, professor of psychology and director of the Culture and Trauma Research Lab at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, is the youngest person to be elected president of the association and the fourth Black woman to hold the post.
Racial Disparities in Assignments of Less Invasive Prostate Cancer Screening Tests
The study found that Black men were at least 23.6 percent less likely than their White counterparts to receive an MRI exam following a prostate-specific antigen blood test. Prostate MRIs are increasingly being used to reduce the need for invasive biopsies.
Johns Silvanus Wilson Jr. Chosen to Lead the Millennium Leadership Initiative
A former president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Dr. Wilson was executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities from 2009-2013. He will now serve as executive director of the Millennium Leadership Initiative at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Students From Sub-Saharan African Nations at U.S. Colleges and Universities, 2020-21
The Institute for International Education reports that in the 2020-21 academic year, there were 39,061 students from sub-Saharan Africa enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States. This was down by 6.3 percent. But overall international student enrollment was down by 15 percent.
Janai Nelson Appointed President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund
Janai Nelson has served as associate director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund for the past eight years. Earlier, she spent nearly 10 years in academia as a full professor and high-level administrator and dean at St. John’s University School of Law in New York.
A Racial Incident on the Campus of Worcester State University in Massachusetts
A racial slur directed against African Americans was found on a window of a common area in a residence hall at Worcester State University in Massachusetts.
Three Black Scholars Appointed to New Faculty Roles
Angela Williams is moving from an administrative position to a faculty appointment at the University of Arkansas. Retired Lt. Gen. Leslie C. Smith was appointed to an endowed chair at Georgia Southern University and Rosemary Nabaweesi was named to an endowed chair at Meharry Medical College in Nashville.
Florida Memorial University Cuts 18 Academic Programs, Reduces Salaries
This past July, historically Black Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens was placed on "probation for good cause" by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The university has now taken a number of steps to comply with the accreditor's concerns.
A Quartet of African Americans Who Have Been Assigned New Administrative Duties
Taking on new roles are Allen P. Vital at Alabama A&M University, Kenya Faulkner at Emory University in Atlanta, Kinamo Lomon at Princeton University in New Jersey, and Carren Moham at Hesston College in Hesston, Kansas.
Xavier University of Louisiana Establishes a 3+3 Year Degree Program to a Juris Doctorate
Xavier University students will have the opportunity to be directly admitted into the CWRU Law School after completing three years of undergraduate study. Once admitted, the CWRU Law School JD program can be completed in three years.
University of Rochester Student From Zimbabwe Wins a Rhodes Scholarship
Kudzai Mbinda, a senior chemical engineering major at the University of Rochester in New York from Harare, Zimbabwe, was one of two Rhodes Scholars chosen from 10 finalists competing in the Zimbabwe competition. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in energy systems at Oxford.
Howard University Expands its Partnership With Alto Pharmacy
Under the new agreement, Alto Pharmacy will sponsor five scholarships for pharmacy students in each of the next three years. This expands on the paid internship program Alto Pharmacy has had with Howard University.
Four African Americans Who Will Lead Diversity Efforts at Colleges and Universities
Taking on new administrative roles relating to diversity are Crystal McCormick Ware at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Jason J. Dorsette at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon, Marsha McGriff at the University of Florida, and Andrea Cornett-Scott at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia.
In Memoriam: Clifford E. Reid, 1945-2021
Clifford E. Reid was the Charles A. Dana Professor of Economics, Emeritus at Colby College. He taught at Grinnell College in Iowa for 16 years before joining the faculty at Colby College in 1987. He taught there for 22 years.
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.
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: Richard A. Williams, 1946-2021
Williams held administrative posts at Bloomfield College in New Jersey and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth before joining the staff at Rowan University in 1984. He remained on the staff at the university until 2008.
Two Black Scholars in Georgia Share the Breakthrough Idea Award in Management
Leon Prieto, an associate professor in the College of Business at Clayton State University in Georgia, and Simone Phipps, an associate professor in the School of Business at Middle Georgia State University, were named the winners of the Breakthrough Idea Award from Thinkers50, a London based organization that ranks the world’s top management thinkers.
Are Racial Issues Discussed in the Nation’s Predominantly White Classrooms?
A new study is examining how teachers are approaching the subjects of race and inequality with their students, particularly students in kindergarten to eighth grade. They found that in both urban and rural schools in the state of Minnesota, the issue of race was rarely brought up.
The First African American President of Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland
Dr. Daria Willis currently serves as president of Everett Community College in Washington. Earlier, Dr. Willis was the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Onondaga Community College of the State University of New York and dean of academic studies at Lee College in Baytown, Texas.
Exposure to Discrimination Can Have Serious Negative Effects on the Health of Young Adults
A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles has found the effects of discrimination may be cumulative — that the greater number of incidents of discrimination someone experiences, the more their risk for mental and behavioral problems increases.
The Chair-Elect of the National Association of College Admission Counseling’s Board of Directors
Since 2018, Vern Granger has been director of undergraduate admissions in the Division of Enrollment Planning & Management at the University of Connecticut. In each of the undergraduate admissions cycles since his appointment, the university has attracted record numbers of students of color as part of the incoming classes.
The Black Percentage of All U.S. Students Who Studied Abroad Took a Big Hit From the Pandemic
In 2000, just 3.5 percent of all U.S. students studying abroad were African Americans. By the 2018-19 academic years. Blacks made up 6.4 percent of all U.S. students who studied abroad. But this progress was halted and reversed to some extent by the global pandemic.
The Next Chancellor of the North Orange County Community College District in California
Byron D. Clift Breland has been serving as chancellor of the San Jose – Evergreen Community College District located in Silicon Valley. From 2013 to 2018 he was president of San José City College. He will begin his new job on January 18.
New Positions or Assignments for a Quartet of Black Scholars
Taking on new roles are Marcus L. Johnson at the Virginia Tech School of Education, Tracey Conti at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Anthea Butler at the University of Pennsylvania, and Michael Javen Fortner at Claremont McKenna College in California.
Kirkland & Ellis Donates Its Fees Awarded in the Maryland Higher Education Desegegation Case
Kirkland & Ellis is entitled to fees of $12.5 million from the settlement of the longstanding case allocating $577 million over the next 10 years to four historically Black universities in the state of Maryland. But the law has announced that it will donate the fees to seven organizations.
Three African Americans Who Are Taking on New Administrative Duties in Higher Education
Russell L. Smyre, Sr. is the new executive director of facilities at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. Jamilyn Penn has been named interim vice president at Highline College in Des Moines, Washington, and Leslie Rodriguez-McClellon is the new senior vice president at Saint Augustine's University in North Carolina.
Grambling State University to Partner With the Environmental Protection Agency
Under the agreement, the two entities will collaborate in preparing students to enter and compete in the federal workforce. The Environmental Protection Agency will offer expertise to review and enhance Grambling's curriculum and students and faculty will participate in research efforts to promote environmental awareness.
CalTech Names Its New Mentoring Award to Honor Trustee Shirley Malcom
The California Institute of Technology has established the Shirley M. Malcom Prize for Excellence in Mentoring. The prize honors senior trustee Shirley Malcom's long-standing commitment to make STEM education and access equitable for all.
Xavier University Creates New Degree Program in Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering
The curriculum is designed for students interested in applying intelligent systems to improve the quality and performance of technology and products. The university states that the program, which will launch in the spring 2022 semester, is the first of its kind at a historically Black university.
Three Universities Have Announced the Hiring of African Americans to Diversity Positions
Kevin Thomas is the inaugural vice dean for DEI at the Duke University School of Medicine. Tiffany Taylor Smith was named vice president for diversity and inclusion at the University of Dayton in Ohio and Kiwana McClung has been named interim chief diversity officer at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.
