Monthly Archives: February 2023

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.

The College Board and Governor Ron DeSantis Add Fuel to the Fire Over Black Studies Course

On February 11, the College Board issued a statement that said, "we are proud of this course. But we have made mistakes in the rollout that are being exploited. We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander." On February 13, Governor Ron DeSantis said that Florida may reevaluate Florida's entire relationship with The College Board.

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’s Tiya Miles Wins Another Award for Her Book Ashley’s Sack

Tiya Miles, the Michael Garvey Professor of History and the Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at Harvard University, recently was awarded the 2022 Cundill History Prize by McGill University in Montreal. The $75,000 prize is given for a book that embodies historical scholarship, originality, literary quality, and broad appeal.

Seven HBCUs Receive Funding to Enhance Their Technology Infrastructure

These grants from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, totaling more than $33.5 million, were awarded to 12 minority-serving colleges and universities in 10 states. Seven of the recipients are historically Black colleges and universities.

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.

African Americans Making Progress in STEM Fields, But a Large Racial Gap Remains

A National Science Foundation report finds that blacks were 14 percent of the U.S. population between the ages of 18 and 34 in 2020. They earned 10 percent of the associate's degrees awarded in science and engineering fields, 9 percent of the bachelor's degrees, 11 percent of the master's degrees, and just 7 percent of the doctoral degrees.

Danielle Holley Will Be the Twentieth President of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts

In 2014, President-elect Holley was named dean and a professor of law at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. Previously she was associate dean and a professor of law at the University of South Carolina Law School. Earlier in her career, she taught at the Hofstra University School of Law in New York.

Racial Disparities in School Discipline: How Much Can Be Explained by Teacher Bias?

A new study by Jayanti Owens, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management, found that teachers tend to blame Black boys more than White boys for identical misbehaviors and are more likely to send them to the principal’s office.

Nicolle Parsons-Pollard Appointed Provost at Georgia State University in Atlanta

Since arriving at Georgia State in January 2020 as associate provost for faculty affairs, Dr. Parsons-Pollard has created, implemented, and championed a variety of faculty development programs to support and strengthen faculty in teaching and research, as well as leadership programming for department chairs and other administrators.

The Generational Damage From the Unequal Incarceration Rates of African Americans

Overall, 40 percent of American adults have ever had immediate family incarcerated, 34 percent have ever had extended family incarcerated, and more than half of adults have ever had any family incarcerated. For Blacks, 60 percent of adults have experienced an immediate family member’s incarceration, 53 percent have experienced extended family incarceration, and 74 percent have experienced either of those events.

Ruth Simmons Is Resigning Her Presidency of Prairie View A&M University Three Months Early

Last spring Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas, announced that she planned to retire on June 1, 2023. Now Dr. Simmons has said she will step down from her post at the end of February.

Three Black Scholars Promoted to Full Professor at Winston-Salem State University

Historically Black Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina has announced that seven faculty members have been promoted to full professor. Three of these scholars are Black: Ike Okonta in philosophy, Tennille Presley in chemistry, and Pamela Jones in biological sciences.

Daniel Dawes to Lead the New Global Health Equity Institute at Meharry Medical College in Nashville

The Global Health Equity Institute is the first step in achieving the goal of creating a School of Global Public Health at Meharry, which will be the first school of its kind at a historically Black college or university. Meharry hopes to enroll its first cohort of students in the School of Global Public Health in 2026.

Tressie McMillan Cottom Is the Winner of the Gittler Prize from Brandeis University

The Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize was created in 2007 by the late Professor Joseph B. Gittler to recognize outstanding and lasting scholarly contributions to racial, ethnic, and/or religious relations. The annual award includes a $25,000 prize and a medal.

Lane College Creates a New Pathway for Students to Obtain Advanced Degrees in Nursing

Historically Black Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, is partnering with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Under the agreement, students that earn an associate's degree can gain admission to bachelor's degree programs in nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

New Administrative Duties for Five African Americans in Higher Education

Taking on new administrative roles are Johnny M. Smith at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, Kori Harris at Hampton University in Virginia, Kimberly Woods at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Jamar Jones at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, and Annya Lott at the University of California, Riverside.

Simmons College Forms a Partnership With the University of Kentucky

The agreement calls for collaborative programs offering opportunities for students of both institutions to further professional and personal development. The initial focus will be on educational and career opportunities for Simmons College students through the College of Law, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Education at the University of Kentucky.

Robert Bullard Honored by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education honors outstanding leaders (both academics and practitioners) who have made significant contributions to the advancement of sustainability in higher education over their lifetimes. Dr. Bullard, Distinguished Professor at Texas Southern University, is the fifth recipient of this award.

A Trio of African American Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to University Diversity Posts

Taking on new roles relating to diversity are Steven H. Kenney, Jr. at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Felicia Benton-Johnson at Clemson University in South Carolina, and Sonia Toson at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.

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.

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.

Jason King Named Dean of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California

Dr. King currently serves as chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at the Tisch School of the Arts of New York University. He is the institute’s founding full-time faculty member. He will become dean of the School of Music at the University of Southern California on July 1.

Harvard University’s Tiya Miles Wins Another Award for Her Book Ashley’s Sack

Tiya Miles, the Michael Garvey Professor of History and the Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at Harvard University, recently was awarded the 2022 Cundill History Prize by McGill University in Montreal. The $75,000 prize is given for a book that embodies historical scholarship, originality, literary quality, and broad appeal.

Addressing the Very Low Numbers of African Americans Earning Doctorates in Geography

A study by researchers at Michigan State University found that between 1997 and 2019, 4,918 doctoral degrees were awarded by U.S. universities in the discipline of geography. Only 86 of these doctorates, or 1.64 percent, were awarded to African Americans. The differential awarding of degrees was related to the differential funding by race to support the completion of doctoral degrees in the field.

Gregory L King Appointed the Fourteenth President of the University of Mount Union in Ohio

Since 2008, King has served the institution as the vice president for advancement. During his tenure as the institution’s chief fundraising officer, Mount Union has successfully completed and exceeded three fundraising campaigns. Since 2021, King has also served as interim vice president for enrollment services.

Harvard-Led Study Finds Racial Disparities in Opioid Relief for Dying Cancer Patients

In a study of 318,549 Medicare patients over the age of 65, researchers found that Black patients were 4.3 percentage points less likely to receive any opioid and 3.2 percentage points less likely to receive long-acting opioids near the end of life than White patients. Researchers also found that when Black patients received opioids, they tended to receive lower doses.

In Memoriam: John H. Bracey Jr., 1941-2022

Professor Bracey was a leading figure in the fields of African American studies and U.S. history. He joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts in 1972 and helped create one of the nation’s first doctoral programs in African American studies.

John L. Jackson Jr. to Be the 31st Provost at the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Jackson is currently the Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and the Richard Perry University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He was previously dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice and senior advisor to the provost on diversity at the university.

Rand Corporation Reports Examines Teachers’ Response to Curriculum Restrictions on Race

Roughly one-quarter of teachers reported not knowing whether they were subject to restrictions on how they can address topics related to race or gender, and only 30 percent of teachers in states with restrictions reported them as being in place.

Bonita Brown Is the New Leader of Northern Kentucky University

Since 2019, Brown had been serving as vice president and chief strategy officer at the university. Prior to her role at NKU, Brown served as the vice president for network engagement at Achieving the Dream, a national nonprofit leader that champions evidence-based institutional improvement in community colleges across the country.

Ingrid Thompson-Sellers Appointed President of Atlanta Metropolitan State College in Georgia

In 2017, Dr. Thompson-Sellers was appointed president of South Georgia State College in Douglas. Previously, she was a professor of business information systems at Georgia State University in Atlanta and had served as senior associate dean at the university. Earlier she taught at Georgia Perimeter College in Decatur and at what is now Iona University in New Rochelle, New York.

A Quartet of Black Faculty Members Who Are Taking on New Assignments

Stacy Gee Hollins was appointed interim associate provost of academic affairs at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis and Getiria Onsongo was granted tenure at Macalester College in St. Paul Minnesota. Candis Watts Smith was named interim vice provost for undergraduate education at Duke University and Terrell Brown was appointed director of the master of social work degree program at Jackson State University in Mississippi.

Howard University Receives $90 Million Award for the Air Force’s Tactical Autonomy Research

The United States Department of Defense recently announced that it is establishing its fifteenth university-affiliated research center at Howard University in Washington, D.C. It's the first university-affiliated research center associated with one of America's historically Black colleges and universities and the first sponsored by the Air Force.

Howard University Receives $60 Million Award for the Air Force’s Tactical Autonomy Research

The United States Department of Defense recently announced that it is establishing its fifteenth university-affiliated research center at Howard University in Washington, D.C. It's the first university-affiliated research center associated with one of America's historically Black colleges and universities and the first sponsored by the Air Force.

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