Tag: Boston University

Karen Bullock Honored for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity in Palliative Medicine

As an endowed professor at Boston College and scholar at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Bullock's new award honors her dedication to improving care for underrepresented patient populations in hospice and palliative medicine.

Melissa Gilliam Will Be the First African American President of Boston University

Dr. Gilliam has been provost at Ohio State University since July 2021. Earlier, she was vice provost, the Ellen H. Block Distinguished Service Professor of Health Justice, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics at the University of Chicago. She will become president of Boston University on July 1, 2024.

Berenecea Johnson Eanes Will Be the Next President of California State University, Los Angeles

Since 2020, Dr. Eanes has served as president of York College of the City University of New York. She served as vice president for student affairs at California State University, Fullerton from 2012 to 2019. She will begin her new job in January.

Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke Is the New Provost at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey

For the past two years, Dr. Tomlinson-Clarke has been serving as senior vice provost for academic and faculty affairs. Dr. Tomlinson-Clarke joined the faculty at the university in 1989. Her research focuses on the development of culturally responsive interventions to enhance learning.

A Trio of Black Faculty Members Taking on New Roles

Makhroufi Ousmane Traoré received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of history and Africana studies at Pomona College in California. Neil Roberts, professor of Africana studies, was named associate dean of the faculty at Williams College in Massachusetts and Saida Grundy was promoted to associate professor of sociology and African American studies at Boston University.

Three Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to New Positions

Kafui Dzirasa will be the inaugural holder of an endowed chair at the School of Medicine at Duke University. Paula Austin was promoted to associate professor of history and African American studies at Boston University and Lewis R. Gordon was appointed a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor at the University of Connecticut.

Six African Americans Taking on New Administrative Duties in Higher Education

Those appointed to new administrative roles are Nick Bates at Boston University, Reinell Thomas-Myers at South Carolina State University, Joel Munza at Xavier University in New Orleans, Alisia Kirkwood at Long Beach Community College in California, Rashad Cockrell at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and Robert Raines at Alcorn State University in Mississippi.

Boston University Study Finds Racism Is a Factor in High Rates of Heart Disease Among Black Women

A team of researchers who followed more than 48,000 Black women over 22 years found those who reported experiencing interpersonal racism in employment, housing, and in interactions with the police had a 26 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who did not.

In Memoriam: Willa Elaine Johnson, 1957-2022

Dr. Johnson taught at the University of Mississippi for 23 years. Colleagues remember her as a “renaissance woman” who was an expert in many disciplines, fluent in multiple languages, and an artist. She was only the second Black woman in the U.S. to earn a doctorate in Hebrew Bible.

Boston University Study Finds Shortcomings in Federal Data Collection on Race

The Boston University report, “Toward Evidence-Based Antiracist Policymaking: Problems and Proposals for Better Racial Data Collection and Reporting,” emphasizes the need for a robust and standardized system of racial data collection, reporting, and monitoring.

Kenneth Elmore Appointed President of Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts

Elmore has been serving as an associate provost and the dean of students at Boston University, where he has been a member of the leadership team for nearly two decades. He will be the college's fourteenth president since its founding in 1865.

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.

Boston University Students Can Now Major in African American and Black Diaspora Studies

Over the past several years, the number of students signing up for the African American studies minor each year at Boston University has grown from a handful to more than 40 at one point. Now beginning this fall, students at Boston University will be able to major in African American and Black diaspora studies.

Crystal Williams Will Be the Eighteenth President of the Rhode Island School of Design

President-elect Williams has been serving as a professor of English and vice president and associate provost for community & inclusion at Boston University. She began her academic career at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. She later served as associate vice president for strategic initiatives at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

Notre Dame’s K. Matthew Dames Is the New Leader of the Association of Research Libraries

Dr. Dames came to Notre Dame this fall after serving as Boston University Librarian since 2018. Earlier, Dr. Dames was associate university librarian for scholarly resources and services at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Study Finds Higher Breast Cancer Risk for Black Women Who Were Heavy Users of Hair Relaxers

Comparing user data to incidence of breast cancer, the researchers found that Black women who were heavy users of hair relaxers (those who used hair products containing lye at least seven times a year for 15 or more years) had an approximately 30 percent increased risk of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer compared to other Black women.

In Memoriam: Esther Arvilla Harrison Hopkins, 1926-2021

Esther A. H. Hopkins was a biophysicist, chemist, educator, and environmental attorney. She taught for several years at what is now Virginia State University before embarking on a career as a research scientist.

New Administrative Posts for Five African Americans at Colleges and Universities

The five African Americans appointed to administrative positions are Erika Jordan at Boston University, Viticus Thomas at South Carolina State University, LaWanna Gilbert-Bell at the University of Louisiana Monroe, Vareva Harris at Benedict College in South Carolina, and Josie Hoover at the University of the District of Columbia.

Bryant University in Rhode Island Appoints a New Dean of its College of Arts & Sciences

Veronica McComb currently serves as dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, academic chair for the history department, and program coordinator for Africana studies at Lenoir-Rhyne University, with three campus locations in North and South Carolina.

Non-Virus Related Deaths During the Pandemic Also More Likely to Impact African Americans

As with the deaths that were directly caused by the virus, those linked to unemployment have taken a disproportionate toll on Black people, especially those with the least education. Black people make up 12 percent of the working-age population, but they comprised 19 percent of the projected excess deaths due to higher unemployment during the pandemic.

Three African Americans Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Named Profesorships

Eric Darnell Pritchard was appointed to the Brown Chair in English Literacy at the University of Arkansas. Angela Onwuachi-Willig is the first Ryan Roth Gallo and Ernest J. Gallo Professor at the Boston University School of Law and Christopher Tounsel has been named the inaugural Catherine Shultz Rein Early Career Professor at Penn State.

In Memoriam: Samuel L. Myers Sr., 1919-2021

Dr. Myers served on the faculty at Morgan State University in Baltimore from 1950 to 1963 before going to work for the U.S. State Department. He was appointed the fourth president of Bowie State University in Maryland in 1968 and served in the post until 1977.

The New Dean of the Business School at Historically Black Benedict College in South Carolina

Tracey H. Dunn has been serving as interim dean for the past three years. She has served on the faculty at Benedict College for 18 years. Previously, she worked in the corporate sector for IBM and AT&T.

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.

Blacks’ Greater Exposure to Excessive Heat May Impact the Racial Educational Gap

Researchers found that students throughout the world performed worse on standardized tests for every additional day of exposure to 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. But in the United States, the researchers found that increased exposure to heat only impacted test scores for Black and Hispanic students.

Four African American Women Who Have Been Appointed to University Diversity Posts

The four African American named to diversity positions are Sheree Ohen at Harvard University, Crystal Williams at Boston University, Belinda Robnett at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Maria Dixon Hall at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

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 Black Scholars Who Have Been Assigned New Duties

Taking on new duties are Anderson Sunda-Meya at Xavier University in New Orleans, Julianne Vernon at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Malika Jeffries-EL at Boston University, and John Brown at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

A Major Black Faculty Hire at Boston University

Ibram X. Kendi, one of the nation’s leading scholars and historians of racism, will join Boston University’s faculty on July 1 and launch the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Since 2017, he has served on the faculty at American University in Washington, D.C.

In Memoriam: Julius S. Scott Jr., 1925 -2019

Julius S. Scott Jr. served as president of two historically Black colleges and as interim president of several additional colleges and universities.

Berenecea Johnson Eanes Is the New Leader of York College of the City University of New York

Dr. Eanes has been serving as vice president for the Division of Student Affairs at California State University, Fullerton. She has been on the staff at CalState, Fullerton for the past seven years.

In Memoriam: Adelaide Cromwell, 1919-2019

Dr. Cromwell first joined the Boston University faculty in 1951. Two years later, she co-founded the university's African Studies Center. In 1969, she founded the university's African American studies program, the country's second such program and the first to offer a graduate degree in the subject.

In Memoriam: Olivia Cousins, 1948-2019

Olivia Cousins was a feminist scholar, African American historian, and long-time faculty member at the Borough of Manhattan Community College of the City University of New York. She served on the faculty there for more than 30 years.

Four African Americans Who Have Announced Their Retirements From University Posts

The four African Americans who have retired or have announced their retirements are Tommie Stewart at Alabama State University, Adolph Reed Jr. at the University of Pennsylvania, Walter Fluker at the School of Theology at Boston University, and Alfreda Horton at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Five African Americans Who Are Stepping Down From Their Current Posts in Academia

Those stepping down from their posts are Nicole Prudent at the Boston University School of Medicine, Blake D. Morant, dean of the law school at George Washington University, Frankie Jeffries at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Michael Adewumi at Pennsylvania State University, and Willie Hill Jr. at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

In Memoriam: Leon J. “Stan” Lomax, 1923-2018

Throughout his 14 years as head coach, he led Fort Valley State University to four Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships. In addition to his football tenure, Lomax served as assistant to the president of the university.

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