Monthly Archives: December 2022
Two African American Men Who Have Been Appointed to Distinguished Faculty Positions
Shawn Ginwright has been named professor of practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Grant Warner will serve as the inaugural Bank of America Endowed Professor of Entrepreneurship and director of the Center for Black Entrepreneurship at Spelman College and Morehouse College in Atlanta.
Dillard University in New Orleans to Offer Its First Master’s Degree Program
Historically Black Dillard University was founded in 1935 through the consolidation of New Orleans University and Straight College. Now for the first time, Dillard University has been authorized to offer graduate degrees. It will offer a master's degree program in nursing in the fall of 2023.
Three African Americans Who Have Been Selected for New Administrative Posts at Universities
Taking on new administrative duties are Jerel Drew at Clark Atlanta University, Stephanie Rogers at Dillard University in New Orleans, and April Robinson was appointed executive director of human resources at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Stillman College Creates a Pathway for Students With Autism to Earn a Degree
Stillman College, the historically Black liberal arts educational institution in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has entered into an agreement with Arts ‘n Autism. The agreement allows students in the Learning Independence for Education and Employment Program (LIFEE) to take classes for academic credit and pursue any degree the college offers.
The American Geographical Society Honors Michigan State University’s Joe Darden
Joe T. Darden, Professor Emeritus in the department of geography, environment, and spatial sciences at Michigan State University, has been selected to receive the seventh Van Cleef Memorial Medal from the American Geographical Society for his distinguished work “in the field of urban geography.”
Coppin State University Launches “All In” Marketing and Branding Campaign
The In campaign is designed to illuminate the extraordinary accomplishments of Coppin State University while deepening pride in the university from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners.
New Administrative Duties Relating to Diversity for Three African Americans in Higher Education
Taking on new diversity roles are Jay Pearson at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, Dan’Talisha Deans for the Division of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement at the University of Pittsburgh, and Gina Dent for the Humanities Division at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
In Memoriam: Walter D. Broadnax, 1944-2022
After serving as dean of the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C., in 2002 Dr. Broadnax became president of Clark Atlanta University. He served in that role for six years. At the time of his death, Dr. Broadnax was a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and International Affairs in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
Tufts Received Bomb Threats Alleging Anti-White Racism by the University
Officials at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, received an email stating there were bombs in four locations on campus. The author of the expletive-laced email stated that "Tufts University continues to fuel anti-white racism in this country." A second bomb threat was received the next day.
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.
University of Kentucky Has Allocated Funds to Remove Controversial Mural From Memorial Hall
During the Great Depression, Ann Rice O’Hanlon painted a 38 feet wide, 11 feet tall mural on Kentucky history in the University of Kentucky’s Memorial Hall. The mural depicted enslaved African Americans hunched in a field, Black musicians playing for White dancers, and a Native American threatening a White settler with a tomahawk.
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: Bobbie Brown Knable, 1936-2022
Knable joined the staff at Tufts University in 1970 beginning as an instructor in the English department. In 1980 she was appointed dean of students and remained in that role until her retirement in 2000.
Brown University Honors Its First Black Woman Doctoral Recipient
Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, is renaming its Graduate School diversity fellow in honor of the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. from the university. The Mae Belle Williamson Simmons Diversity Fellowships will honor the legacy of a trailblazing Providence native who earned a Ph.D. in 1962 and made a lasting impact on the field of child psychology.
The Education Trust Issues a New Report on Faculty Diversity
Researchers compared the Black percentage of the student body to the Black percentage of faculty at a large number of state-operated universities. They found that only 13.4 percent of these educational institutions had a Black-faculty-to-Black-student ratio of 90 percent or more. More than 70 percent of these institutions had a Black-faculty-to-Black-student ratio of below 70 percent.
Heidi Anderson Assumes the Chair of American Association of State Colleges and Universities
Before being appointed president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2018, Dr. Anderson had been a special advisor to the president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She served as provost and vice president for academic affairs there from 2015 to 2017.
Sub-Saharan African Nations Sending the Most Scholars to Teach at U.S. Colleges and Universities
In the 2020-21 academic year, there were 1,483 scholars from sub-Saharan African nations teaching at U.S. colleges and universities. Due to the pandemic, this was down more than 24 percent from the previous academic year. Foreign scholars from sub-Saharan Africa made up only 1.7 percent of all foreign scholars teaching in the U.S. in the 2020-21 academic year.
Columbia University Forms the Commission on the History of Race and Racism
This faculty-led entity will assess and establish guidelines for existing and future symbols and representations at Columbia, placing them in historical context and their relationship to racism, guided by a commitment both to historical accuracy and to an inclusive campus environment.
Study Led by Emory University Scholar Documents Alarming Racial Gap in Firearm-Related Homicides
Most alarming is that rates of fatalities by homicide amongst Black non-Hispanic men (141.8 fatalities/100,000 persons) significantly outpaced rates of fatalities among White non-Hispanic men (6.3 fatalities/100,000). Among Black non-Hispanic females, the rate of fatalities by firearm-related homicide has more than tripled since 2010.
Two African American Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions
Keith M. Howard has been named the next dean of the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences, and Technology at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, and Dorothy E. Mosby has accepted an appointment as dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.
New Administrative Position for Four African Americans at State Universities
Taking on new administrative duties are Shawn Turner at Michigan State University, Stephanie Hawkes at Wayne State University in Detroit, Larry D. Terry II at Pennsylvania State University, and Ashley Holloway at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.
Grambling State Begins an ROTC Student Exchange Program With a University in Taiwan
Grambling State University, the historically Black educational institution in Louisiana, has signed an agreement with Management College of National Defense University, a military academy located in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. The agreement establishes an ROTC Student Exchange Program. The goal is to have each institution send one or two students to the other institution annually for one to two semesters of study each year.
Yale University’s Braxton Shelley Wins Four Awards for His First Book
Braxton Shelley, an associate professor of music and sacred music at Yale Divinity School, has won four awards for his book Healing for the Soul: Richard Smallwood, the Vamp, and the Gospel Imagination. The book uses the work of renowned gospel musician Richard Smallwood to explore the significance of vamp (a recurring musical phrase or chord progression) in Black gospel tradition and its potent and transformative spiritual power.
New Center for Black Entrepreneurship Created at Historically Black Spelman and Morehouse Colleges
The new center, supported by a $5 million grant from the Visa Foundation, aims to grow the pipeline of Black entrepreneurs and connect them to investment opportunities. The grant will support the development of an entrepreneurship program, which includes hiring faculty and building curricula for students at Spelman College and Morehouse College
Universities Appoint Three African American to Positions as Diversity Officers
Taking on new administrative roles relating to diversity are Cynthia Pickett at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Monroe France at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and Tracie Ransom at Tulane Law School in New Orleans.
Declining Enrollments Have Led to a Budget Crisis at Savannah State University
The university has seen a 25 percent decline in enrollments since 2011 which have triggered mandatory cuts in state funds for operating the university. The university is facing a $11 million budget shortfall for the 2023-24 academic year. The university plans to "deactivate" several academic programs to help close the budget gap.
Harvard University’s Makeda Best Created the Photography Catalogue of the Year
Makeda Best, the Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography at the Harvard Art Museums, recently received the prestigious Photography Catalogue of the Year award at the 2022 Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards. Dr. Best was honored for her 2021 publication Devour the Land: War and American Landscape Photography Since 1970.
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.
Syracuse University Special Collections Research Center Acquires Notable Archives of Black History
Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center has announced that it has acquired the African Market Literature Collection and the papers of Masood Ali-Wilbert Warren, a Black American painter, sculptor, and Korean war Army veteran.
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.
Rutgers University Newark’s John Keene Wins National Book Award for Poetry
John Keene is a Distinguished Professor and chair of Africana studies at Rutgers University Newark. He also is a professor of English and teaches in the master of fine arts program in creative writing. Professor Keene was honored for his 234-page collection entitled Punks: New & Selected Poems.
North Carolina A&T State University Fined for Enrolling Too Many Out-of-State Students
North Carolina A&T State University has a state-imposed limit where only 35 percent of its student body can be from outside the state. In 2021, 41 percent of all students were not from North Carolina. As a result, the board of governors assessed a $2 million fine that will be allocated to need-based financial programs.
Black Student Athletes Have Made Gains in Graduation Rates, But a Racial Gap Persists
In 1991, only 33 percent of Black male student athletes on scholarship at NCAA Division I institutions earned their diplomas within six years. Today, the graduation rate for Black male student athletes is 55 percent. For Black women student athletes on scholarship at these schools, the graduation rate was 45 percent in 1991. Today, it is 67 percent.
Blacks Student Athletes Have Made Gains in Graduation Rates, But a Racial Gap Persists
In 1991, only 33 percent of Black male student athletes on scholarship at NCAA Division I institutions earned their diplomas within six years. Today, the graduation rate for Black male student athletes is 55 percent. For Black women student athletes on scholarship at these schools, the graduation rate was 45 percent in 1991. Today, it is 67 percent
