Monthly Archives: May 2022
Noose Found Hanging From a Tree on the Campus of Stanford University in California
Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. It is the third time in the past three years that a noose had been found on the university's campus.
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.
The University of Portland Names Robert Kelly as Its Twenty-First President
Robert Kelly has been appointed the twenty-first president of the University of Portland in Oregon. When he takes office in August, Dr. Kelly will be the first layperson and the first African American to hold the position in the 121-year history of the educational institution.
How Stress in the Academic Environment Impacts the Health of Black Women
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Texas have found that the high-stress environment of higher education may negatively impact the mental and physical health of Black women in the academic world.
Darrell Wheeler Selected to Be the Next President of SUNY-New Paltz
Since 2018, Dr. Wheeler has been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. Previously, he was s professor and dean of the School of Social Welfare and vice provost for public engagement at the University at Albany of the State University of New York.
Study Finds Telemedicine May Be Closing the Racial Gap in Primary Care Visits
A study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that racial gaps in access disappeared for their patients during the initial phase of the pandemic. Once “normal” in-office appointments returned, the historic inequities stayed erased.
Three Universities Announce the Appointments of Black Scholars to Dean Positions
Stephanie Shonekan was named dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland. Bimbola Akintade was named dean of the College of Nursing at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, and Troy McKenzie was appointed dean of the New York University School of Law.
Student Loan Debt is Not the Only Financial Concern for Young Black Americans
Black millennials report carrying substantially more medical debt compared to other generations. Of those respondents who could estimate their medical debt, Black millennials self-reported they have on average $11,469 in medical debt.
The Inaugural Leader of the New Community College System in Connecticut
The new system is merging 12 community colleges throughout the state. Together they will enroll more than 32,000 students. John Maduko, who has been serving as vice president of academic and student affairs for Minnesota State Community and Technical College, will lead the new Connecticut State Community College.
Jim Crow Confronts Delaware State University Students on a Georgia Highway
Sheriff's deputies in Georgia stopped a bus carrying the Delaware State University women's lacrosse team for traveling in the left lane. But police officers used dogs to search luggage stored in bins under the bus for 30 minutes.
Salamishah Tillet of Rutgers University-Newark Wins the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
Salamishah Tillet, the Henry Rutgers Professor of Creative Writing and African American and African Studies, is being honored for her commentaries in The New York Times on "Black stories in art and popular culture - work that successfully bridges academic and nonacademic critical discourse."
HBCU Medical Schools Team Up to Increase Organ Donorship Rates Among African Americans
The Consortium of HBCU Medical Schools has announced a new initiative to increase the number of African Americans who register to be organ donors. The initiative will also seek to find ways to eliminate racial disparities among recipients of donated organs.
New Administrative Posts in Higher Education for Five African Americans
Taking on new administration positions are Dakota Doman at Texas Southern University in Houston, Reneé Watson at Central Michigan University, Chanelle Reese at the University of Iowa, Romy Riddick at Princeton University in New Jersey, and Vincent Champion at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Anonymous Donor Clears the Account Balances of All Wiley College 2022 Graduates
At commencement ceremonies on May 7, Herman J. Felton, Jr., president of Wiley College in Texas, surprised attendees by announcing that the remaining account balances for all graduating students had been fully paid by an anonymous donor. The amount contributed to clear all the students' balances was about $300,000.
Vicki Crawford of Morehouse College Awarded France’s Legion of Honor
Vicki Crawford, an associate professor of African American studies and director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Collection at Morehouse College in Atlanta, was honored for her academic work as well as her efforts to spread the teachings and the philosophy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Princeton University Launches Research Partnerships With Five HBCUs
Princeton researchers and researchers from Howard University, Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University, Spelman College, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore will co-lead research projects. Princeton will fund the research.
Four African American Women Who Have Been Appointed to University Diversity Posts
Taking on new duties as diversity officers are Belinda Waller-Peterson at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Tiffany G. Townsend at Purdue University Global, Kristin Dukes at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, and Narketta Sparkman-Key at James Madson University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
In Memoriam: Lionel Johnson Sr.
Johnson was appointed to the newly formed Southern University System in 1974 by then-Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards. Johnson was subsequently elected as chair, a position he held for 10 years.
Presbyterian College Has Expelled Four Students for Racist Behavior on Campus
Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, expelled four students and suspended another student for one year for an incident that included the racist and sexist harassment of the women's lacrosse team from historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C.
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.
North Carolina A&T Acquires the The Justice Henry E. and Shirley T. Frye Archival Collection
Shirley Frye was a longtime administrator at North Carolina A&T State University and nearby Bennett College. Henry Frye was a district attorney, legislator, judge, and chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Alexander Conyers Selected to Be the Next President of South Carolina State University
After a long career in the U.S. Army, in March 2021, Conyers was appointed vice president for strategic alliances and initiatives at the university. The board named Conyers acting president on July 13, 2021, and changed the designation to interim president on August 25, 2021.
Study Looks at the Mental Health and Help-Seeking of College Students of Color
Researchers found that the mental health of college students across the United States has been on a consistent decline over the past eight years. Mental health issues take a particular toll on African American and other students of color.
David Hood Appointed Provost at Minnesota State University Mankato
Dr. Hood is currently the associate provost for undergraduate education and the founding dean of University College at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Earlier, he was dean of University College at North Carolina Central University.
National Academies Report Finds Low Defense Department Research Funding for HBCUs
The National Academies analysis used data from fiscal years 2010 to 2020. It indicated that there has not been a significant expansion in the funding for research projects or research capacity awarded to the vast majority of HBCUs, despite legislation and departmental efforts with this stated intent.
Muskegon Community College in Michigan Names John Selmon as Its Next President
A widely respected administrator at the college since coming to campus in May 2011, Dr. Selmon currently serves as the provost/executive vice president providing leadership and oversight for academic affairs, athletics, facilities, and student services.
Study Finds Higher Levels of Black Maternal Mortality Due to Effects of Racism ad Sexism
The data revealed a much greater disparity between women of color and White women than had been determined in other studies. The authors found that maternal mortality rates for Black women in their early 20s are consistent with those of White women in their mid-30s or older.
Two African Americans Selected to Serve as University Deans
Stephanie J. Rowley has been appointed the dean of the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia and J. Lin Dawson was named dean of exercise science and collegiate athletics at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
White Student at Middlebury College Charged With a Hate Crime
A White student at Middlebury College in Vermont reported to local police that he had been attacked by a group of Black students while he was walking across campus. It was later determined that the White student had allegedly been the aggressor and had assaulted a group of students after making racially charged statements to them.
Two African American Scholars Who Have Been Named to Endowed Faculty Posts
Byron D. Ford was appointed to the M. Wharton Young Endowed Chair in Anatomy at the Howard University College of Medicine and Allison Curseen has been appointed the Cooney Family Assistant Professor at Boston College.
Morris Brown College in Atlanta Is Once Again Fully Accredited
Historically Black Morris Brown College in Atlanta was founded in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 2002, the college lost its accreditation due to an unstable financial position. Now, 20 years later, Morris Brown College is once again fully accredited.
Morgan State University in Baltimore Has Named Five Black Women to Administrative Posts
The five Black women to administrative positions at Morgan State University in Baltimore are Chevonie Oyegoke, OluwaTosin Adegbola, Laura Dorsey-Elson, Erin Oliver-James, and Sonya Clyburn.
