Monthly Archives: August 2014

Vanderbilt University Honors Its First African American Administrator

Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, has announced that it is naming its newest residence hall in honor of Kelly Miller Smith, who served as assistant dean at the Vanderbilt Divinity School from 1969 until his death in 1984.

The New Provost at Lincoln University in Missouri

Said L. Sewell III is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. He was assistant provost for academic affairs at Kent State University in Ohio.

University of Cincinnati Sociologist Finds Racial Wage Gap Remains for Highly Educated Workers

The study followed a large, multiracial group of eighth graders in 1988 through the year 2000 when most of the participants were 25 years old. When educational and other factors were the same, a racial wage gap of more than $5,700 still existed.

Richard J. Powell Named Dean of the Humanities at Duke University

Professor Powell is the John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art and Art History at Duke. He served as chair of the university's department of art, art history, and visual studies department from 1996 to 2001.

Whites’ Support of Prison Reform Depends on Their Perception of the Black Prison Population

A new study by psychologists at Stanford University finds that when White Americans are informed about the disproportionate number of African Americans in prisons, they are less likely to support prison reform.

The New President of the Houston Campus of the Chamberlain College of Nursing

Dr. Vivian Lilly was academic dean at the San Antonio, Texas, campus of the Galen College of Nursing. Earlier in her career she taught nursing at the University of Texas at Arlington and Dallas Baptist University.

Ohio HBCU Enters Into a Parntership With a University in Cameroon

Central State University, the historically Black educational institution in Wilberforce, Ohio, has entered into a partnership agreement with Santa Monica University: The American International University in Cameroon.

Two African American Scholars in New Faculty Roles

Kalenda Eaton, an associate professor of English at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania, was given the additional responsibility of director of Global Learning. Cornelius Gilbert was appointed an assistant professor in adult and higher education at Northern Illinois University.

Norfolk State University Trying to Gets Its Financial House in Order

Norfolk State was placed on accreditation warning status by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools due to the commission's concerns about the university's finances. President Eddie Moore Jr. stated that the next six months were "critical to our survival and success."

Promotions for Three African American Women at Saint Augustine’s University

Yvonne M. Coston was named vice president of research and innovative programming. Carla Washington was promoted to registrar and Shelley Willingham-Hinton is the new vice president of marketing.

North Carolina A&T State University Enters the Peanut Business

A partnership with a Toronto-based firm will develop food products from hypoallergenic peanuts using a process patented by researchers in the university's School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

New Adminstrative Posts in Higher Education for Four African Americans

The new appointees are Terry L. Mills at John Carroll University in Ohio, Alanka Hayes Brown at Frederick Community College in Maryland, Derek Horne at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, and Endia Beal at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.

In Memoriam: Anna Bethel Young, 1918-2014

After graduating from Temple University in 1946, Dr. Young became one of the first African American teachers in the public school system in Philadelphia. She later taught at Temple University and several other institutions of higher learning.

Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers

From time to time, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week's selections.

Recent Books That May Be of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. Here are the latest selections.

In Memoriam: Lincoln Vernon Lewis, 1929-2014

Lincoln Lewis, a native of Anguilla in the West Indies, was an educator whose main focus was on increasing diversity in higher education. He held diversity posts at Yale, Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis, and the University of Virginia.

Higher Education Grants of Interest to African Americans

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.

Orlando Taylor Joins the Administration at Fielding Graduate University

Dr. Taylor has been serving as the founding president of the Washington, D.C., campus of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 30 years as a faculty member and administrator at Howard University.

Harvard Professor Receives a Presidential Appointment

Evelynn M. Hammonds, who holds an endowed professorship at Harvard University, was appointed by President Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

University of Georgia Scholar Honored for His Work on Climate Change

J. Marshall Shepherd, the UGA Athletic Association Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Georgia, was named a Captain Planet Protector of the Earth by Ted Turner's Captain Planet Foundation.

Three African Americans Named to Development Posts at North Carolina Central University

Chatonda Best Covington was appointed interim director of alumni relations. Corey Savage is the new director of development for the College of Arts and Sciences and Kevin M. Wilson was named associate athletics director for development.

Four African American Women Named to Positions as Deans

The new deans are Beryl McEwen at North Carolina A&T State University, Andrea E. Evans at Governors State University in Illinois, Arletha McSwain at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, and Linda Malone-Colon at Hampton University in Virginia.

A Report Card on Racial Diversity in College Sports

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida reports that the overall grade for racial hiring practices at colleges and universities rose from 81 points in 2012 to 82.3 points in 2013.

The University of Mississippi’s New Plan to Deal With Issues of Race and Diversity

The University of Mississippi has announced a new plan to foster a more inclusive and welcoming environment on campus. Perhaps the most controversial part of the plan is addressing the use of the term "Ole Miss" to refer to the university.

Maintaining Diversity in the Admissions Office Will Be a Challenge

Blacks are underrepresented in the top management levels of admissions offices at U.S. colleges and universities. And a new survey finds that a large percentage of current Black admissions officers want to find jobs in other fields.

The New President of Stillman College in Alabama

Peter Edmund Millet is the new president of Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He is the only the sixth president in the college's 136-year history. Previously, he was provost and vice president for academic affairs at the college.

Using Monetary Incentives to Improve the Diet of Low-Income Families

A new study led by researchers at New York University finds that vouchers good for fruit and vegetables at farmers' markets in urban areas can significantly improve the diets of low-income minority families.

Wiley College President Haywood Strickland to Lead National Organization

Haywood L. Strickland, president of Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, has been appointed president of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church.

Kentucky State President Takes Pay Cut to Help Low-Wage University Workers

New interim president Raymond Burse has voluntarily reduced his salary from$349,869 to $259,745 so that university employees who had been earning minimum wage would have their hourly rate boosted to $10.25.

Jacqueline Goldsby Named Chair of African American Studies at Yale University

Dr. Goldsby is a professor of English and a professor of African American studies at Yale University. Before joining the faculty at Yale, Dr. Goldsby taught at the University of Chicago.

Black Undergraduates at Two HBCUs Participate in Prostate Cancer Research

Students from two historically Black educational institutions in Mississippi - Jackson State University and Tougaloo College - participated in a 10-week program this summer involving prostate cancer research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Two African Americans Join the Dance Faculty at the University of Southern California

Saleemah E. Knight s a choreographer and performer who has worked on music videos for some of the nation’s top recording artists. Also hired as a lecturer at the dance school is d. Sabela grimes, a choreographer and educator.

Alumni Step Up to Help Wilberforce University

At a recent national alumni conference, $400,000 was donated to help the school financially and another $1.4 million was pledged. With overall debt of $23 million, a lot more work needs to be done to shore up the university's finances.

Six African Americans Appointed to High-Level Administrative Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are Jocelyn Foy at Elizabeth City State University, Danita Sims-Potter at Grambling State University, Billy Foster at Alcorn State University, Joshua Lazard at Duke, Frances Welch at Northwestern State University, and Tina Rollins at Hampton University.

In Memoriam: Jewel Limar Prestage, 1931-2014

At the age of 22, she earned a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Iowa. She was the first African American women to receive a Ph.D. in political science from an American university. She then taught for 33 years at Southern University in Baton Rouge.

Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers

From time to time, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week's selections.

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