Monthly Archives: April 2022
Rosephanye Powell Wins the Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award From Harvard University
Professor Powell teaches applied voice, art song literature and vocal pedagogy at Auburn University in Alabama. She also serves as the Women’s Chorus conductor and the Auburn University Gospel Choir’s co-conductor.
Xavier University of Louisiana May Open a New Medical School
For decades, Xavier University in New Orleans has consistently produced more African American undergraduate students who go on to obtain medical degrees and Ph.D.’s in the health sciences than any other higher education institution in the nation.
Four Black Scholars Who Are Taking on New Faculty Assignments
Taking on new faculty duties are Anita Plummer at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Fiemu Nwariaku at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Maxine Montgomery at Florida State University, and Michael Hill at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
Jarvis Christian College to Transition to University Status With Addition of Master’s Degree Programs
Jarvis Christian College, a historically Black educational institution in Hawkins, Texas, has received approval to offer a master's degree in business administration and a master's degree in criminal justice. As a result, the college plans to change its name to Jarvis Christian University.
Two African Americans Among the Eight Winners of the 2022 Windham-Campbell Prizes
Administered by Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, the awards are conferred annually to eight authors writing in English anywhere in the world. Two of this year's winners are African American women with ties to the academic world.
Florida Memorial University Expects Good News From Its Accrediting Agency
On Thursday, June 17, 2021, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges voted to place the Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens on "probation for good cause." After a campus visit from the accrediting agency, the university believes it will be removed from probation in June.
New Administrative Appointments for Six African Americans in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative roles are Germaine Gross at Grinnell College in Iowa, James M. DuBose, Jr. at Elizabeth City State University, Andre Perry at the University of Iowa, Aisha Jackson at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Deacue Fields at the University of Arkansas, and Warren Perry at Howard University.
In Memoriam: Delores Ann Richburg Greene, 1935-2022
A long-time educator in several public school systems in Virginia, Dr. Green concluded her career serving as dean at both Virginia Union University and Virginia State University.
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.
Some Top Colleges and Universities Divulge Data on Admission of Black Students
Highly selective educational institutions are increasingly unwilling to disclose data on the racial and ethnic makeup of the students they admit. Instead, they tout high numbers of students of color without giving a more detailed breakdown.
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.
Harvard University Issues Extensive Report on Its Ties to Slavery
Harvard presidents and other leaders, as well as its faculty and staff, enslaved more than 70 individuals, some of whom labored on campus. Harvard is creating a $100 million endowment to help remedy past wrongs and the lingering effects of slavery on people of color.
In Memoriam: Paul Jefferson, 1944-2022
Dr. Jefferson joined the faculty at Haverford College in Pennsylvania in 1981. He taught in the department of history at Haverford for nearly 30 years until his retirement in 2010.
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.
Helene D. Gayle Appointed the Eleventh President of Spelman College in Atlanta
Dr. Gayle is currently president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, one of the nation's oldest and largest community foundations. Earlier, she was CEO of the international humanitarian organization CARE and spent 20 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ericke Cage Named the 13th President of Historically Black West Virginia State University
President Cage joined the university in July 2021 as vice president and chief of staff and served as the university’s chief operating officer managing the day-to-day operations of the university from July 30 to his appointment as interim president in November 2021.
Racial Disparities in Sleep Duration Impact Overall Health Inequalities
A new study led by researchers at Yale University finds that Black people had the highest prevalence of both short sleep duration [fewer than 7 hours] and long sleep duration [more than 9 hours]. The percentage of Blacks with inadequate sleep duration has grown significantly in recent years.
The First Black Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association
Dr. Bibbins-Domingo is a professor and chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. She also serves as the medical school's first vice dean for population health and health equity.
Tracking Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Exposure to Harmful Pesticides
The researchers found that higher exposure to pesticides has potentially serious health effects. Twelve out of 14 markers for harmful pesticides, tracked over the past 20 years, were found in the blood and urine of Black and Mexican Americans at levels up to five times higher than those found in White Americans.
Beverly Daniel Tatum Selected to Lead Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts
Dr. Tatum served as president of Spelman College in Atlanta from 2002 to 2015. Previously she was a professor of psychology and dean of the college at Mount Holyoke College. Earlier in her career, she taught at Westfield State College in Massachusetts and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
During the Pandemic, There Was a Large Racial Gap in the Use of Telemedicine
The research team examined electronic medical records from 55 individual clinics in six different counties in Texas. They found that African Americans were 35 percent less likely than Whites to use telemedicine. But the main reason for the disparity was not mistrust of the medical establishment, but rather the racial digital divide.
Irvin T. Clark is the New President of Southern Crescent Technical College in Griffin, Georgia
Dr. Clark has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, including leading Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s Economic Development division since 2017. Earlier, he was vice president and CEO at the Harrisburg Campus of Harrisburg Community College in Pennsylvania.
Fisk University to Offer a New Bachelor’s Degree Program in Kinesiology
Physical activity will be examined from multiple angles, including biological, physiological, and sociological analyses, as well as its effects across a range of tasks, including exercise, daily living, play, sport, and employment. Dr. Andrea K. Stevenson has been chosen to head up the new program.
Six Universities Announce the Appointments of African Americans to Administrative Posts
Taking on new administrative posts are Kenitra Horsley at Queens University of Charlotte, Dwayne Murray at Syracuse University in New York, Sharron T. Burnett at Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida, J. William Nicholas at Tuskegee University in Alabama, Tamara Michel Josserand at the University of Washington, and Catherine Edmonds at North Carolina Central University.
Howard University Joins the U.S. Space Force’s University Partnership Program
With a focus on workforce development, the Space Force University Partnership Program aims to provide a consistent pipeline of talent through internships, mentorship, scholarship, and fellowship. The UPP also provides research opportunities for university students.
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Honors Emery N. Brown
Emery N. Brown is the Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Computational Neuroscience and Health Sciences and Technology in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science at MIT and the Warren M. Zapol Professor at Harvard Medical School.
Alcorn State University Teams Up With the U.S. Agency for International Development
The partnership will contribute to USAID’s efforts to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce by creating opportunities and pathways for Alcorn State students to get involved with the Agency’s work and pursue careers in international development.
Three African Americans Appointed to Diversity Posts at Universities
Crasha Townsend has been promoted to assistant provost for diversity and inclusion at Virginia Tech. Sean Edmund Rogers was appointed interim vice president of community, equity, and diversity at the University of Rhode Island and Dionne Jackson is the inaugural vice president for institutional equity at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
In Memoriam: Thomas Winston Cole Jr., 1941-2022
In 1987, Dr. Cole was named president of both Atlanta University and Clark College, to simultaneously manage both institutions and create a consolidation plan. President Cole was appointed the founding president of Clark Atlanta University in 1988. He served in that role until 2002.
Long-Time Clemson University Executive Honored for Her Recent Doctoral Dissertation
Altheia Richardson, assistant vice president for strategic diversity leadership at Clemson University in South Carolina, has received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. The award recognizes a completed dissertation that has contributed substantially to the literature and the field of diversity and inclusion in higher education.
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.
Four African Americans Honored With Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
The Cleveland Foundation's annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards are the only national juried prize for literature that confronts racism and explores diversity. Four of the winners this year are African Americans who have academic ties.
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.
Meredith College in North Carolina Removes Name of Former Trustee From Campus Building
The board of trustees of Meredith College in Raleigh recently announced that Joyner Hall, named for an individual who advocated for white supremacy and unequal funding for schools based on race, will be renamed. "The racist ideas James Yadkin Joyner, who served as a trustee for 55 years, stood for throughout his lifetime, are antithetical to Meredith College’s mission, vision, and values,” the board said.
Hampton University Names its Thirteenth President
U.S. Army retired Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams has been named the thirteenth president of Hampton University in Virginia. He will replace William R. Harvey, who retires on June 30 after leading Hampton for 44 years. General Williams retired from the U.S. Army in 2020 after 37 years of service. His last leadership position was director of the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency.
