Here is this week’s news of grants to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
L. Raki Jones of the University of the District of Columbia, has received a grant from the Fetzer Institute to fund a documentary film on the life of George Bridgetower. A 19th-century violinist of African descent, Bridgetower was taught by Franz Haydn and was a friend of Ludwig van Beethoven. The film is based on the book, Sonata Mulattica, by University of Virginia professor Rita Dove.
The Council of Graduate Schools is awarding $30,000 grants to 21 universities to track the progress of Black and other minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The universities will study factors that impact minority students ability to complete their degree programs. For the next three years, the universities will track all students who enter doctoral programs in STEM fields. None of the participating universities is a historically Black institution.
Michigan State University received a $74,542 grant from the National Institute on Aging for a study to examine why African Americans over the age of 70 are four times as likely as older Whites to be diagnosed with dementia. The research will include a study on life expectancy by race of those who have been determined to suffer from dementia.
