Tag: University of California Berkeley

Berkeley’s Nikki Jones Honored by the Western Society of Criminology

Nikki Jones, a professor of African American studies at the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded the 2020 W.E.B. DuBois Award from the Western Society of Criminology for her work in raising awareness for racial and ethic issues in criminology and criminal justice.

Professor Claude Steele Honored for a Lifetime of Work in Social Psychology

The Legacy Award from the Society of Personality and Social Psychology honors figures whose career contributions have shaped the field. Dr. Steele, a professor emeritus at Stanford University, is perhaps best known for his work on the underperformance of minority students due to stereotype threat.

Racial Disparities in Food Insecurity and Depression Among College Students During the Pandemic

New data from The Student Experience in the Research University Consortium, an academic and policy research collaboration based at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley, shows racial differences in how college students coped with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Black Homeowners Face Higher Property Taxes Than Their White Peers

Black-owned homes were assessed at higher values compared to their actual sale price, than was the cases for homes owned by Whites. The data also showed that Black families paid on average 13 percent more in property taxes than White families with similarly valued properties.

Tracy Johnson Named Dean of the Division of Life Sciences at UCLA

Dr. Johnson is a professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology and holder of the Keith and Cecilia Terasaki Presidential Endowed Chair at UCLA. She joined the faculty in 2013 and has served as associate dean for inclusive excellence in the division of life sciences since January 2015.

Na’ilah Suad Nasir Elected to Lead the American Educational Research Association

Since 2017, Dr. Nasir has been president of the Spencer Foundation, which has been a leading funder of education research since 1971. Earlier, she held the Birgeneau Chair in Educational Disparities and was vice-chancellor of equity and inclusion at the University of California, Berkeley.

The Higher Education of the Surgeon General of the United States

Each day when President Trump meets with reporters to give a daily briefing on the government's efforts to combat the COVID-19 virus, standing by his side is Jerome Adams, an African American man who serves as Surgeon General of the United States.

Berkeley Scholar Aims to Increase Retention Rates of Black Male Public School Teachers

Travis J. Bristol, an assistant professor of education at the University of California, Berkeley, has created a series of “affinity groups” for male teachers of color in public schools to address issues they share, including the lack of resources, typical feelings of isolation, and the physical and psychological effects of being men of color at these schools.

Lori White Will Be the First African American President of DePauw University in Indiana

Dr. White has been serving as vice chancellor for student affairs at Washington University in St. Louis. Earlier, she worked as vice president for student affairs and clinical professor of education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Dr. White will become president of DePauw University on July 1.

University of Washington Study Discovers a Huge Racial Gap in Eviction Rates

A new University of Washington study of eviction rates in Washington State found that Black adults are almost seven times more likely to be evicted from their homes than White adults. The authors of the study state that "this severe racial disparity makes evictions a civil rights issue."

Harry J. Elam Jr. Will Be the Next President of Occidental College in Los Angeles

Currently, Dr. Elam is vice provost for undergraduate education, vice president for the arts, and senior vice provost for education at Stanford University. He joined the university's faculty in 1990 as an associate professor in what is now the department of theater and performance studies.

The First African American Provost at Rice University in Houston, Texas

Since 2017, Reginald DesRoches has been the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering at Rice University. Previously, he served as chair of the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Katherine Clay Bassard Will Be the Next Provost at Rhodes College in Memphis

Dr. Bassard currently serves as a professor of English and interim senior associate dean for faculty affairs in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. Earlier, she was senior vice provost for faculty affairs at VCU.

Four African American Academics In This Year’s Class of MacArthur Fellows

The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation has announced the selection of 26 individuals in this year’s class of MacArthur Fellows. This year, five of the 26 MacArthur Fellows are Black. Four have current ties to academia.

In Memoriam: David L. Ferguson, 1949-2019

David L. Ferguson was department chair and Distinguished Service Professor of Technology and Society at Stony Brook University in New York. He had taught at the university since 1981.

Three Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Positions as Deans

Akinlolu O. Ojo was named executive dean of the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Robin Renee Davis will be dean of the Sydney Lewis School of Business at Virginia Union University and Linda Burton has been named dean of the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley.

In Memoriam: Walter Robinson, 1953-2019

Walter Robinson had retired from his position as associate vice chancellor of enrollment management at the University of California, Davis last September. He had a career in admissions and enrollment management in higher education that spanned nearly 40 years.

Study Finds Historically Redlined Communities Have Higher Rates of Asthma

The results found that residents of redlined neighborhoods visited the emergency room for asthma-related complaints 2.4 times more often than residents of green neighborhoods. Measures of diesel particulate matter in the air also averaged nearly twice as high in redlined neighborhoods compared to green neighborhoods.

University of Maryland Baltimore County to Expand Meyerhoff Scholars Program to California

The Meyerhoff Scholars program is recognized as one of the most effective models in the country to help inspire, recruit, and retain underrepresented students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM disciplines.

Berkeley Study Finds Increasing Racial Segregation in Bay Area Housing

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found large increases in the number of low-income people of color living in newly segregated and higher-poverty areas over the 15-year period at the beginning of this century.

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.

University Study Finds Racial Disparity in Solar Panel Installations

A new study authored by researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts and the University of California, Berkeley, has found that the deployment of solar panels has predominately occurred in White neighborhoods, even after controlling for household income and levels of home ownership.

Study Finds That Institutional Support Is Essential for Black Ph.D. Students in STEM Fields to Succeed

The research team investigated why Black graduate students were nearly three times less likely to have published a paper in an academic journal than White, Asian, and graduate students from other underrepresented groups.

Less-Educated Black Women May Face Greater Risk of Chronic Diseases Due to Discrimination

A new study from the University of California, Berkeley has found that less-educated African-American women who report experiencing high levels of racial discrimination may face greater risk of developing chronic diseases.

New Administrative Posts in Higher Education for a Quartet of Black Americans

Appointed to new administrative positions are Ronald Howell at Virginia State University, Olufemi Ogundele at the University of California, Berkeley, Dejah Carter at Stanford University, and Bryan Terry at Arkansas State University.

Neuroscientists Create a Computational Model to Predict Discrimination Based on Stereotypes

A team of researchers led by neuroscience scholars at the University of California, Berkeley has built a computational model that can predict the degree to which we discriminate against one another based on our stereotypes of groups according to their perceived warmth and competence.

NBA Legend Isiah Thomas Seeks to Increase Celebrities’ Support of HBCUs

According to a statement released by Florida Memorial University, the new program is “intended to inspire successful athletes, entertainers and other influential partners to re-commit, embrace and support historically Black colleges and universities.”

How Greater Diversity in the Physician Workforce Would Reduce Racial Health Disparities

After conducting a randomized clinical trial among 1,300 Black men in Oakland, the researchers found that the men sought more preventive services after they were randomly seen by Black doctors for a free health-care screening compared to non-Black doctors.

Pomona College in California Appoints Avis Hinkson as Dean of Students

Dr. Hinkson has been serving as dean of Barnard College in New York City. Earlier in her career, Dr. Hinkson was associate dean of admissions at Pomona College. She will begin her new job at Pomona College in Claremont, California, on August 1.

Racial Status Threat May Produce Backlash Against Federal Assistance Programs

A new study finds that when White Americans are made aware that their demographic group will no longer be majority of the population of the United States, they become more resentful of minorities and are less likely to support federal entitlement programs like welfare.

University of California, Berkeley Acquires Its First Archival Collection of a Black Photographer

The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley has acquired more than 5,000 negatives and photographic prints from 91-year-old photographer David Johnson. He was the first African American student of legendary photographer Ansel Adams.

In Memoriam: Olly W. Wilson, 1937-2018

After teaching at Florida A&M University and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Dr. Wilson joined the music department faculty at the University of California, Berkeley in 1970. He retired from teaching in 2002.

Princeton University’s Plan to Deal With the Legacy of Woodrow Wilson

At Princeton, Woodrow Wilson had refused to consider the admission of Black students. As President of the United States, he racially segregated the federal government workforce and appointed White supremacists to his cabinet.

Berkeley’s First Tenured Black Scholar Has a Building Named in His Honor

Dr. David Blackwell, an accomplished statistician, joined the mathematics department at Berkeley in 1954 and stayed on the faculty there until retiring in 1988. In 1965, he was the first African American to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.

Study by Ohio State University Economists Shows Black Politicians Matter

A new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper by Trevon Logan, a professor of economics at Ohio State University, finds that when Blacks hold political power their economic status rises. But when they lose political power, their economic fortunes dwindle.

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