Amherst Leads the High-Ranking Liberal Arts Colleges in the Percentage of Freshmen Who Are Black
For the previous 15 years JBHE has gathered black student admissions data on the highest-ranked liberal arts colleges. Over this long period, there have been five occasions in which Amherst College in western Massachusetts has reported the highest percentage of black freshmen.
This year Amherst once again leads the rankings. There are 49 black freshmen at Amherst College this year, making up 11.2 percent of the entering class. Amherst has maintained its top ranking from a year ago despite the fact that the number of black freshmen at the college is slightly lower than was the case in 2007.
Williams College, also in western Massachusetts, placed second with a freshman class that is 10.4 percent black.
This year blacks are 10.2 percent of the entering class at Swarthmore. This places Swarthmore third in our survey.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Director of Science Services,
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
The College of Geosciences of Texas A&M University invites applications for the position of Director of Science Services for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) and, as appropriate, Professor in one of the departments in the College of Geosciences. We seek an individual who has a strong record of scholarship and research, experience with scientific project and program management, and exceptional organizational leadership skills. The successful candidate will have responsibilities for leadership within the IODP and the College of Geosciences. Screening of applications will begin on 15 December 2008 and continue until the position is filled.
Qualifications: Requirements for this position include a Ph.D. in the physical sciences with 15 or more years of experience in research and academic leadership. Desirable qualifications include: success in scientific program management, a general knowledge of and experience with the modern tools of program management, systems engineering and organizational leadership, familiarity with IODP and national and international program planning procedures and execution, a vision for enhancing cooperation between IODP and other national and international scientific programs, demonstrated ability to cooperate and achieve results across a broad array of cultures and educational levels, and experience with academic-industry partnerships. The position involves extensive national and international travel.
Application Information: Please submit a resume or CV with the names and contact information of five individuals from whom letters of recommendation can be obtained.
Please send electronic submissions to mccannon@iodp.tamu.edu or by mail to:
IODP Director Search Committee
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
Texas A&M University
1000 Discovery Drive
College Station, TX 77845
Texas A&M University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer committed to diversity.
Historically Black University in Georgia Beefs Up Degree Program Offerings
Fort Valley State University, the historically black educational institution in Fort Valley, Georgia, has announced a wide range of new degree programs. The university is adding master’s degree programs in rehabilitation counseling and case management, plant biotechnology, animal biotechnology, applied biotechnology, and school counselor education.
The new bachelor’s degree programs are in the fields of computer information systems, computer science, electronic engineering technology, social work, special ed/early child education, and business administration.
Students Protest Mass Firings at Predominantly Black Martin University
Because it was founded only 31 years ago, Martin University in Indianapolis is not classified as a historically black educational institution. Yet its 600-member student body is 96 percent black. The university concentrates on nontraditional college students, many of whom are 40 years old or older.
Recently students at Martin University took to the streets to protest the firing of several faculty members. According to one student, as many as one half of the faculty has been dismissed since the appointment of Algeania Freeman as president of the university last December.
Dr. Freeman replaced Boniface Hardin, a Catholic priest who founded the university and served as its only president for 30 years. Freeman had previously served as president of Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Controversy Over Slave Cemetery on Land Owned by Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond bought a parking lot in a downtown area last February for $3 million. The university knew that the site was close to a 250-year-old cemetery which was used for the burial of slaves. The cemetery was used as late as 1816.
The university has agreed to donate a small piece of the parking lot for a memorial. But some in the African-American community are calling for the entire parking lot to be preserved for a memorial. There is a great deal of uncertainty of the boundaries of what was called the “Burial Ground for Negroes.” Some historians believe that the cemetery is not only near the parking lot but might extend into much of the property purchased by the university. The university has said that it would sell the property to a group that wants to preserve the site for a memorial but that it must recover the $3 million that it paid for the property.
The Persisting Myth That the Black Colleges Are Becoming Whiter
An article in Mother Jones magazine this past summer asked, "Are Whites Taking Over Black Colleges?" JBHE notes that nothing could be further from the truth.
The notion that whites are taking over black colleges comes about from the fact that two historically black institutions — Bluefield State University in West Virginia and West Virginia State University — are now more than 80 percent white. Another historically black educational institution — Lincoln University in Missouri — also has a student body in which whites are a majority.
But these schools are the exception, not the rule. Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that whites make up 11.9 percent of all students at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities. A decade ago, whites were 12.7 percent of the total enrollments at the black colleges. So the truth of the matter is that the black colleges are becoming less white, not whiter.
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
Director of Teacher Education
Responsibilities include:
The operation of the Office of Teacher Education.
He/she will supervise advisory services for undergraduate students.
He/she will be administratively responsible for the admission and retention of students in professional education and coordinate field experiences for preservice programs.
The director will be responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of the teacher education program.
The director will serve as the recommending official for the University of Wyoming regarding educational certification.
The director will serve as the primary liaison to the Wyoming Department of Education, the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board, and NCATE.
The director will articulate with the UW School of Outreach and the seven Wyoming community colleges related to preservice programs, and support work being done in partner schools.
Collaborate on the initiatives of the Wyoming School-University Partnership which is focused on the Agenda for Education in a Democracy.
The director will work with other UW colleges as collaborative undergraduate programs and certifications are developed and sustained.
The director will have responsibilities across campus and with UW administration through participation on university boards and committees and in conference and workshop sessions.
Requirements and Preferred Qualifications:
Applicants must possess an earned doctorate degree, preferably in an education or education-related field, a demonstrated record of progressively responsible administrative experience in a higher education setting, and a record of teaching, research and service that supports appointment at the full or advanced associate professor rank.
Prior experience in public school teaching is preferred.
The successful candidate should have personal attributes that include a proven record of leadership, a team-oriented management style, and the ability to communicate effectively.
Intramural Sports Center at Indiana University Renamed to Honor a Racial Pioneer and a Racial Segregationist
The Ora Wildermuth Intramural Center on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington was built in 1971. It was named after a man who served as chair of the university’s board of trustees from 1938 to 1949. He died in 1964.
Last year some old letters written by Wildermuth were discovered. In a 1945 letter to a university administrator, Wildermuth wrote, “I am and shall always remain absolutely and utterly opposed to social intermingling of the colored race with the white.”
In a second letter Wildermuth wrote to university president Herman B. Welles in 1948, he stated, “The average of the black race as to intelligence, economic status, and industry is so far below the white average that it seems to me futile to build up hope for a great future.”
When the letters came to light, current university president Michael A. McRobbie asked the 25-member All University Committee on Names to consider changing the name of the intramural center. The committee concluded that although Wildermuth’s views were offensive, it would not be right to judge him by today’s standards.
As a compromise the committee voted to change the name of the building to the William L. Garrett-Ora L. Wildermuth Fieldhouse. Garrett was the first African American to play intercollegiate basketball for Indiana University. He died in 1974 at the age of 45.
Appointments
• Daryll J. Pines was named dean and Nariman Farvardin Professor of Engineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. He has been on the university’s faculty since 1995, and since 2006 has served as chair of the department of aerospace engineering.
Dr. Pines is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from MIT.
• Evelyn Anderson was appointed internal audit director at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. She was a senior business consultant for International Profit Associates in Chicago.
Anderson is a graduate of the University of Houston and is a certified public accountant.
• Randy Groomes was named director of diversity relations and recruitment for Terry College at the University of Georgia. He was the director of multicultural programs for the university’s alumni association.
• Descatur Potier was named associate director for diversity recruitment at the undergraduate admissions office of the University of Georgia. He was an administrator for the Upward Bound program at the University of Massachusetts.
• Paul Edward Rowe was appointed to a two-year term as diplomat-in-residence on the campus of Spelman College in Atlanta. He has served in the State Department for 25 years, most recently as deputy director of the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations.
A graduate of Morehouse College, Rowe holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.
• James P. Adams Jr. was named dean of the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. He was dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama.
A graduate of Tougaloo College, Adams holds a master’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a Ph.D. in social work policy from the University of Minnesota.
• Lin Dawson was named director of athletics at Grambling State University in Louisiana. He was an athletics administrator at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dawson played for 10 years in the National Football League. He played college football at North Carolina State University but did not earn a degree there. He later finished his degree work at Northeastern University and went on to earn an MBA from Walden University.
Honors and Awards
• Isaac Crumbly, associate vice president for collaborative programs and director of the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, was named a National Role Model by Minority Access Inc.
• Horace Hodge, the United States Department of Agriculture liaison officer at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, received the Secretary’s Honor Award from the USDA. The award is the Department of Agriculture’s highest honor.
• Rochelle Ford, professor and associate dean for research and academic affairs at the School of Communications at Howard University, received the D. Parke Gibson Pioneer Award from the Public Relations Society of America.
A graduate of Howard University, Dr. Ford holds a master’s degree from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University.
African-American Voters Put Barack Obama in the White House
At JBHE we have been doing some calculations on the importance of the black vote in the 2008 presidential election. If Obama kept all the Hispanic vote that he won but lost all of the black vote that he won, Obama would have lost Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
This would have shifted 107 electoral votes to John McCain. This would have resulted in a 280-258 victory for McCain in the Electoral College.
Clearly, African-American voters were responsible for electing the nation’s first black president.
Education Department Issues New Rules to Calculate Racial Disparities in High School Graduation Rates
In the past, states have used a wide variety of ways to calculate their high school dropout rates. Now, the U.S. Department of Education has issued new regulations that require states to calculate “a uniform, accurate high school dropout” rate and to collect data on racial differences. Under the new rules, the dropout rate will be calculated by comparing the number of students who graduate to the number who entered the school in ninth grade. Minor adjustments will be made for students who moved in or out of the school district.
Under these guidelines, the Education Department estimated that nationwide, 80.6 percent of white students in public high schools go on to graduate compared to 59.1 percent of black students.
“A century ago it was Lincoln who emancipated the Negro. A generation hence, we may very well recognize that it was the Negro who helped emancipate the nation.”
— Lyndon Baines Johnson, as quoted by Nicholas deB. Katzenbach in Some of It Was Fun: Working With RFK and LBJ (W.W. Norton, 2008)
University of South Carolina Scientists Measure the Stress of Racism in Brain Activity
Tawanda M. Greer and Jennifer Vendemia, two psychologists at the University of South Carolina, have completed a landmark study that examines brain activity of people who are exposed to racism or race-related stress. The conclusion is that racism impacts brain activity in a way that other stress does not.
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the study examined images of the brains of 20 adult subjects. The images focused on the area of the brain that controls emotional reactions and decision making. The subjects, about evenly distributed between blacks and whites, were shown photographs of blacks and whites whose expressions were either happy, hostile, or neutral. The test subjects were asked whether they thought the person in the photograph could be trusted to give them good directions.
The brains of both black and white test subjects responded the same way to photographs of black and white faces that displayed either happy or hostile expressions. White subjects did not have different brain reactions when shown photographs of whites or blacks with neutral expressions.
However, for black test subjects there was little brain activity when shown photographs of blacks with neutral expressions. But there was heightened brain activity when they observed photographs of whites with neutral expressions. In addition to increased activity in the area of the brain dealing with emotional reactions, there was increased activity in the area of the brain associated with assessing threats.
Professor Greer noted that “African-American participants pored over the photos of neutral white faces looking for visual clues that would suggest that they could trust the person. The more intently they looked, the more their stress level increased. The MRIs recorded significant blood flow in social evaluative regions of the brain.”
Report Finds That Historically Black Universities in Maryland Continue to Suffer From Vestiges of Racial Segregation and Discrimination
Since 2001 the state of Maryland has given more than $400 million to its four historically black universities in an effort to alleviate the past effects of racially segregated higher education. The effort has been to bring the black universities up to par with the state’s predominantly white public universities.
However, the academic standards and graduation rates at the historically black universities remain far below those at the predominantly white schools. The black universities do not have the same quality of laboratory space and equipment, nor do they have the campus infrastructure that exists at the predominantly white institutions.
A panel of higher education experts was asked by the Maryland State Legislature to come up with a plan to improve the historically black institutions. The report, which was recently released, concluded that “substantial additional resources must be invested to overcome the competitive disadvantages caused by prior discriminatory treatment.”
But Maryland is in the midst of a severe budget crisis. It is doubtful that the legislature will take the advice of the panel it enjoined. One Democratic legislator conceded, “They need so much that we’re not going to get there.”
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
Assistant Professor,
Economics, Sociology, or Communication
The University of New Mexico requests applications for Assistant Professor. Minimum qualification: Doctorate by July 1, 2009 in one of the following three disciplines: Economics, Sociology, or Communication, or a related addictions research field.
Preference given to applicants with the following qualifications: a) demonstrated interest and experience in addictions-related research and scholarly issues; b) interest in working in multi-disciplinary research environment; c) established or emerging record of research publication; d) potential to generate external funding for research; e) promise of or record of teaching effectiveness at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels in a relevant area of academic expertise; f) ability and desire to mentor diverse students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Preferred areas of research include: policy relevant research in addictions, or methodological and statistical research in addictions. For best consideration, apply by January 5, 2009. The position will remain open until filled. Complete position description and application instructions may be viewed at http://www.unm.edu/~oeounm/_facultyjobs/faculty_jobs.htm.
UNM's confidentiality policy ("Disclosure of Information about Candidates for Employment," UNM Board of Regents' Policy Manual 6.7), which includes information about public disclosure of documents submitted by applicants, is located at http://www.unm.edu/~brpm/r67.htm
The University of New Mexico is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action employer.
Many Universities Now Stage Black Homecoming Events
Many universities hold separate graduation ceremonies for black students in addition to the regular commencement exercises. Some colleges and universities have special orientation programs for minority students.
Now some universities are holding separate black homecoming events. At the recent homecoming weekend at the University of Illinois there was a gathering for black alumni that was attended by 1,700 former students. Similar black homecoming events are scheduled at Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota. These events include step shows, jazz, hip-hop, or R&B music, dance recitals, fashion shows, and pageants with the election of an African-American homecoming king and queen.
Organizers of black homecoming events believe that social events geared toward black alumni have been successful in boosting overall attendance at homecoming weekends. In the past, it has been difficult to attract black alumni to attend traditional homecoming events.
In Big-Time College Football, It’s Black Players and White Coaches
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida recently issued a report on the status of African Americans in coaching and management positions at colleges and universities that participate in big-time college football. The report found that in the 2008 season there were only six blacks among the 120 head coaches at the schools that make up the NCAA’s Division I-A. Two of these six black head coaches have been dismissed and will not return to the same universities in 2009.
The report also found that African Americans serve as president of three of the 120 colleges and universities that participate in major college football. There are 11 African Americans who serve as athletics director at these 120 schools.
Blacks make up more than one half of the football players on athletic scholarships at these 120 colleges and universities.
6 Number of the 30 highest-ranked universities that showed a 30 percent or more increase in the number of black first-year students from 2006 to 2007.
0 Number of the 30 highest-ranked universities that showed a 30 percent or more increase in the number of black first-year students from 2007 to 2008.
source: JBHE Research Department
A Unique Major at Florida Memorial University
Seven students at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens are majoring in the school’s accredited church music degree program. Students seeking admission to the program must go through an audition with the university’s music department faculty. Students majoring in church music must become a member in one of the university’s musical ensembles. Students in the program must prepare at least one selection per semester for performance on campus. They must also participate in an internship program at a local church. Before they graduate, students in the program must pass a piano proficiency examination.
COLUMBUS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Assistant Professors, College of Applied Sciences and Arts
Columbus State Community College is seeking an experienced, enthusiastic, innovative, responsible, and highly skilled professional to provide leadership and direction for Learning Systems.
The Provost oversees divisional deans, supervisors and staff and provides leadership in the development of new programs in the academic and student services areas as well as the Community Education and Workforce Development. The Provost serves in the absence of the President and represents the college throughout the four-county district the college serves and acts as a liaison with various government and education agencies, community agencies, and other colleges.
Minimum Qualifications
Doctoral Degree in Education Administration or closely related field or an academic field of study.
Seven years progressively responsible administrative experience and a record of progressive responsibilities in leadership and teaching.
Proven managerial and leadership skills including the ability to manage multiple departments and functions from an executive level; manage a multimillion dollar budget, and apply advanced management and leadership principles to practical work situations.
Demonstrated knowledge and experience in a community college setting.
Columbus State is a learning institution that is committed to hiring flexible, creative people who seek innovative work methods and practices while promoting the college’s mission. We also offer an excellent benefits package.
Applications or resumes will be reviewed for consideration on January 31, 2009. However, resumes will be accepted until the position is filled. Interested applicants should apply by:
Completing an application on the College’s Human Resources website: www.cscc.edu and click “employment”.
Also, attach a detailed resume and a cover letter that specifically details the applicant’s experience in the following areas:
Successful history of developing new programs in the academic and student services area
Understanding of the Workforce Investment Act and Federal workforce development programs,
Successful track record in strategic planning and financial management.
Working in a collaborative environment.
EOE
Grants
• North Carolina Central University, the historically black educational institution in Durham, received a $902,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The university will develop courses relating to homeland security, terrorist threats, and first-response emergency services.
• Tennessee State University received a $1 million donation from Edith McGuire Duvall and her husband. The gift, the largest in the university’s history, will be used to establish a scholarship program to support women’s athletics. Ms. Duvall, a graduate of Tennessee State, won a gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the 200-meter dash.
• Tuskegee University, the historically black educational institution in Alabama, was awarded a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant will be used to increase opportunities in nursing for black students.
• Washington University in St. Louis received a five-year, $8.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. The research will develop communication and education strategies aimed at reducing racial health disparities.
• North Carolina A&T State University, the historically black educational institution in Greensboro, received two grants totaling $1,250,000 from the U.S. Department of Education for a program to increase the number of students training to be rehabilitation counselors.
For the previous 15 years JBHE has gathered black student admissions data on the highest-ranked liberal arts colleges. Over this long period, there have been five occasions in which Amherst College in western Massachusetts has reported the highest percentage of black freshmen. 
Fort Valley State University, the historically black educational institution in Fort Valley, Georgia, has announced a wide range of new degree programs. The university is adding master’s degree programs in rehabilitation counseling and case management, plant biotechnology, animal biotechnology, applied biotechnology, and school counselor education.
Because it was founded only 31 years ago, Martin University in Indianapolis is not classified as a historically black educational institution. Yet its 600-member student body is 96 percent black. The university concentrates on nontraditional college students, many of whom are 40 years old or older.
Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond bought a parking lot in a downtown area last February for $3 million. The university knew that the site was close to a 250-year-old cemetery which was used for the burial of slaves. The cemetery was used as late as 1816.
The notion that whites are taking over black colleges comes about from the fact that two historically black institutions — Bluefield State University in West Virginia and West Virginia State University — are now more than 80 percent white. Another historically black educational institution — Lincoln University in Missouri — also has a student body in which whites are a majority.
The Ora Wildermuth Intramural Center on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington was built in 1971. It was named after a man who served as chair of the university’s board of trustees from 1938 to 1949. He died in 1964.
• Daryll J. Pines was named dean and Nariman Farvardin Professor of Engineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. He has been on the university’s faculty since 1995, and since 2006 has served as chair of the department of aerospace engineering.
• Paul Edward Rowe was appointed to a two-year term as diplomat-in-residence on the campus of Spelman College in Atlanta. He has served in the State Department for 25 years, most recently as deputy director of the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations.
• James P. Adams Jr. was named dean of the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. He was dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama. 
• Lin Dawson was named director of athletics at Grambling State University in Louisiana. He was an athletics administrator at Virginia Commonwealth University.
In the past, states have used a wide variety of ways to calculate their high school dropout rates. Now, the U.S. Department of Education has issued new regulations that require states to calculate “a uniform, accurate high school dropout” rate and to collect data on racial differences. Under the new rules, the dropout rate will be calculated by comparing the number of students who graduate to the number who entered the school in ninth grade. Minor adjustments will be made for students who moved in or out of the school district.
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the study examined images of the brains of 20 adult subjects. The images focused on the area of the brain that controls emotional reactions and decision making. The subjects, about evenly distributed between blacks and whites, were shown photographs of blacks and whites whose expressions were either happy, hostile, or neutral. The test subjects were asked whether they thought the person in the photograph could be trusted to give them good directions.
Since 2001 the state of Maryland has given more than $400 million to its four historically black universities in an effort to alleviate the past effects of racially segregated higher education. The effort has been to bring the black universities up to par with the state’s predominantly white public universities. 
Many universities hold separate graduation ceremonies for black students in addition to the regular commencement exercises. Some colleges and universities have special orientation programs for minority students.
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida recently issued a report on the status of African Americans in coaching and management positions at colleges and universities that participate in big-time college football. The report found that in the 2008 season there were only six blacks among the 120 head coaches at the schools that make up the NCAA’s Division I-A. Two of these six black head coaches have been dismissed and will not return to the same universities in 2009.
Seven students at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens are majoring in the school’s accredited church music degree program. Students seeking admission to the program must go through an audition with the university’s music department faculty. Students majoring in church music must become a member in one of the university’s musical ensembles. Students in the program must prepare at least one selection per semester for performance on campus. They must also participate in an internship program at a local church. Before they graduate, students in the program must pass a piano proficiency examination.
