Tag: Smith College

Six Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to New Faculty Roles

Taking on new duties or roles are Reginald Perry at Florida A&M University, Tiffany Morris at North Carolina A&T State University, Derreck Williams at the University of Southern Mississippi, Aaron Kamugisha at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, Tonya Pinkins at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, and Alford A. Young Jr. at the University of Michigan.

In Memoriam: Evelyn Boyd Granville, 1924-2023

After serving on the faculty at Fisk University in Nashville, in 1956 Dr. Granville was hired by IBM Corporation and was assigned to work on a contract for NASA. Dr. Granville wrote programs to track orbital trajectories and calculations to ensure the safe re-entry of space vehicles into the atmosphere. She later taught at California State University and the University of Texas at Tyler.

Ruth Simmons to Take on New Role as Senior Adviser to the President of Harvard University

Ruth Simmons, who recently stepped down as president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas, will advise the president of Harvard on efforts to support the recommendations of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery. Her work will focus on engaging in meaningful and enduring partnerships with the nation’s HBCUs.

Sarah Willie-LeBreton Will Be the Next President of Smith College in Massachusetts

Dr. Willie-LeBreton currently serves as provost and dean of the faculty at Swarthmore College, where she has taught since 1997. Earlier, she served on the faculty at Colby College in Maine and Bard College in New York. She will become president of Smith College on July 1, 2023.

Four Black Women Share an Award From the Association for Women in Mathematics

The four women mathematicians sharing the award are Erica J. Graham, an associate professor of mathematics at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Raegan Higgins, an associate professor of mathematics at Texas Tech University, Candice Price, an associate professor of mathematics and statistics at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Shelby Wilson, a senior professional at the Applied Physics Laboratory Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Ruth Simmons Announces She Plans to Step Down as President of Prairie View A&M University

Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas, has announced that she plans to retire but is willing to continue serving in the role until her successor is named. Dr. Simmons came out of retirement in 2017 to lead the historically Black university.

Three Black Scholars Who Have Been Given New Teaching Assignments

Lawanda Greene was named founding director of the bachelor's degree in nursing program at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, Aaron Kamugisha is a new member of the Africana studies faculty at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Cirecie West-Olatunji is the new director of the Center for Equity, Justice, and the Human Spirit at Xavier University in New Orleans.

A Quartet of African Americans Scholars in New Faculty Positions or Roles

The four African American faculty members appointed to new ranks or positions are Lucy Mule at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, La Marr Jurelle Bruce at the University of Maryland, College Park, Rediet Abebe at the University of California, Berkeley, and Darius Scott at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Five African Americans Scholars Who Have Been Named to New Positions in Academia

Appointed to new faculty positions are Phillip Atiba Goff at Yale University, Jomaira Salas Pujols at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, Katwiwa Mule at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, Kimberly Juanita Brown at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Sonia Eden at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Deborah Archer Elected President of the National Board of the American Civil Liberties Union

Deborah Archer is a tenured professor of clinical law and director of the Civil Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law, and co-faculty director of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU Law. She will be the first African American woman to lead the ACLU.

A Quartet of African American Women Scholars in New Teaching Positions

Taking on new faculty assignments are Candice Price at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin at Pennsylvania State University, Shatema Threadcraft at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and Charrise Barron at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

A Quartet of Black Women Scholars With New Assignments at Colleges and Universities

Taking on new assignments are Abigail S. Newsome at Mississippi Valley State University, La Fleur Small at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Anaiis Cisco at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Rachel Finley at Arizona State University.

Rutgers University-Camden Chancellor to Lead the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Phoebe A. Haddon became chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden in July 2014. From 2009 to 2014, she was dean of the Carey School of Law at the University of Maryland. Chancellor Haddon will continue to fulfill all her duties at Rutgers University-Camden while serving as board chair.

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.

Amanda Williams Is the Inaugural Artist-in-Residence at Smith College

As a visual artist, Amanda Williams' creative practice employs color as way to draw attention to the political complexities of race, place, and values in cities.

Dorcas Davis Bowles to Serve as Provost at Clark Atlanta University

Dr. Bowles served as provost at Clark Atlanta University from 2003 to 2008 and she served as dean of the university’s School of Social Work on three different occasions. Earlier in her career, Dr. Bowles was a professor and acting dean of the School of Social Work at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

George Walker, Educator and a Giant of the Music Industry, Dies at Age 96

Dr. Walker composed nearly 100 pieces over his lifetime. One of his most famous is Lyric for Strings which was inspired by the death of his grandmother, a former slave. In 1996, he became the first African American recipient of the Pulitzer Price for Music.

Employee of Smith College Calls the Police After Seeing a Black Student in a Common Room

The student was sitting in a common room on campus eating her lunch. The employee, who the college has not named, called police to say that an individual who "seemed to be out of place" was on campus.

Two African Americans Appointed to Positions as Deans

Deanna Dixon was promoted to dean of admission at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and John A. Kuykendall was appointed dean of the School of Education at the University of Indianapolis.

Poet Elizabeth Alexander Named President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Elizabeth Alexander, a professor at Columbia University who was selected to write a poem and read it at President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, has been appointed president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York.

Ruth J. Simmons Appointed the Eighth President of Prairie View A&M University in Texas

Dr. Simmons has been serving as interim president of the university since July. She served as the 18th president of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, from 2001 to 2012. Before becoming president of Brown University, Dr. Simmons was president of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Ruth Simmons Appointed Interim President of Prairie View A&M University

Ruth Simmons, who served as the 18th president of Brown University, the Ivy League educational institution in Providence, Rhode Island, from 2001 to 2012, has been named the interim president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas.

Two Esteemed African American Scholars Announce Their Retirements

Kenneth Perry, an associate professor and the chair of the computer science department at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and Paula J. Giddings, the Elizabeth A. Woodson 1922 Professor of Africana Studies at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, are retiring.

Lincoln University in Pennsylvania Names Brenda Allen as its Fourteenth President

Dr. Allen has been serving as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. She is the former associate provost for institutional diversity at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

New Assignments for Two Black Faculty Members

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor was promoted to associate professor of history and granted tenure at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Oladiran Fasina was named chair of the department of biosystems engineering at Auburn University in Alabama.

The Higher Education of the First Black Woman Diocesan Bishop of the Episcopal Church

On September 11, 2001, Rev. Baskerville-Burrows was in Trinity Church in lower Manhattan just blocks away from the World Trade Center. Next April she will become the leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis.

Distinguished Honors for Two African American Scholars

The honorees are Adriel A. Hilton, executive assistant and chief of staff for the president of Grambling State University in Louisiana and Otelia Cromwell, the first African American to graduate from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Smith College Student Launches Book Series for African Children

Priscilla Takondwa Semphere, a native of Malawi, is a sophomore at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She won a contest that has provided her seed money to launch the Ekari series of books which she hopes will give African children a more positive view of themselves.

Arizona State’s Kimberly Scott to Lead the National Academic STEM Collaborative

Dr. Scott is an associate professor in the department of women and gender studies at Arizona State University. She is also the founding executive director of the Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology at Arizona State.

News of Appointments, Promotions, and Retirements of Black Faculty

Faculty members profiled here include Paul Potier of Prairie View A&M, Nnamdi Pole of Smith College, Maurice Smith of Harvard, Pamela Barber-Freeman of Prairie View A&M, John Dabiri of CalTech, Phillip Williams of Emory University, and Clarence Lusane of American University.

Six African Americans Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are Debra Bright at Montgomery College, Willie Bernard Jackson Jr. at Edward Waters College, Rosalyn Martin at UNC-Wilmington, Shelley Davis at Howard University, Dwight K. Hamilton at Smith College, and E. D'Wayne Robinson at Florida A&M University.

New Documentary on Smith College’s First African American Graduate

A new 16-minute video documentary on the life of Otelia Cromwell was shown for the first time at Smith College during the college's 25th celebration of Otelia Cromwell Day.

Six African Americans Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are: Kimberly Johnson at Auburn University, Rosalie Richards at Stetson University, Benjamin Reese at Duke University, Kemal Atkins at Kenne State College, LLJuna Weir at Alcorn State University, and Calvin J. McFadden Sr. at Smith College.

African American Scholar Promoted to Full Professor at Smith College

Kevin Everod Quashie was promoted to full professor of Afro-American studies at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. He teaches courses on cultural studies and theory.

Black Authors Named Finalists for National Book Critics Circle Awards

Included among the 30 finalists are Jesmyn Ward an assistant professor at the University of South Alabama. Hilton Als and Chimanmanda Ngozi Adichie, who have both taught at U.S. universities, are also finalists.

Carolyn Jacobs Leaving Smith College After 30 Years

Dr. Jacobs was named acting dean of the School of Social Work at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 2000 and was named permanent dean in 2003. She also serves as the Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor. She will retire next spring.

Latest News