Monthly Archives: January 2015
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.
Diversity Course Requirement at UCLA Faces Another Hurdle
This past October, the members of the faculty of the College and Letters narrowly approved a requirement that all undergraduates take a course on diversity in order to graduate. Opponents have now scheduled a vote among all UCLA faculty, whose support is in doubt.
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.
Virginia Tech Creates an Online Archive of the Kenya Gazette
The historic database currently covers the years from 1977 to 1989, and will eventually include all issues of the Kenya Gazette published since the 1890s. When completed the online archive will include more than 4,000 issues.
Syracuse University Faculty and Students Helped Establish the Harriet Tubman National Park
For more than a decade, Douglas Armstrong, a professor of anthropology at Syracuse University, and his students have worked at the historic site in Auburn, New York, which includes Tubman's home, farm, and the Home for the Aged.
The University of Notre Dame’s New Effort to Promote Literacy in Haiti
Nearly half of the adult population in Haiti is illiterate. Half of all children in Haiti do not finish elementary school. Five percent of all youth attend high school and only 1 percent of all children in Haiti go on to attend college.
A Member of the Jena Six Graduates From College
In 2006, Mychal Bell was charged with attempted murder after the beating of a white high school student in Jena, Louisiana. Last month he earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies at Southern University.
Yale’s James Comer Honored by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
James P. Comer is the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine's Child Study Center. He has served on the Yale University faculty since 1968.
University Study Examines How Racial Bias Seeps Into Jury Deliberations
A study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine and the University of California, Santa Cruz finds that White men tend to be the most influential figures in jury deliberations.
University Puts Off Decision on Renaming Residence Hall Honoring a White Supremacist
The board of trustees at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, tabled a motion to change the name of Aycock Residence Hall on campus, which honors a former governor of North Carolina, who was a strong advocate of White supremacy.
A Look at Current School Desegregation Orders in the United States
The ProPublica data shows that Mississippi continues to have more open desegregation orders with 61 school districts under court order or voluntary agreement with the Department of Education. Alabama ranks second and Georgia is third.
Mount Holyoke Professor to Debut New Film on African Filmmaker Ousmane Sembene
Samba Gadjigo, a professor of French at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is the co-director of the new film Sembene. The film will be screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Ranking the HBCUs on the Debt Levels of Their Graduates
The average debt level of college graduates in 2013 was $28,400. But some HBCUs are among the schools where students have the lowest average debt and some are among the schools with the highest debt level for graduating students.
Thea James Wins the Compassionate Caregiver Award From the Schwartz Center
Thea L. James is an associate professor of emergency medicine and assistant dean of diversity and multicultural affairs at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. James has cared on site for victims of the 9-11 terrorist attack in New York, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and earthquakes in Iran and Haiti.
Bowie State University Embarks on a Year-Long 150th Anniversary Celebration
A new website has been established to promote the anniversary. The site includes a history of the university, a timeline, a schedule of upcoming events, and photo galleries documenting the university's history.
Two Black Scholars Appointed to Chair Academic Departments
Jacqueline Goldsby was named chair of the department of African American studies at Yale University and Anekewe E. Onwuanyi was named chief of cardiology in the department of internal medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine.
Alcorn State University Offers In-State Tuition Rates for All Students
In an effort to boost enrollments, Alcorn State University in Mississippi has abolished its dual tuition schedule. Now all students who enroll at the historically Black university will pay the same price, regardless of their state of residence.
Cass Cliatt Named Vice President for Communication at Brown University
She has been serving as vice president for communication at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Princeton University graduate will begin her new job on April 1.
Howard University Scientists Involved in a Pacific Ocean Research Expedition
Scientists from Howard University in Washington, D.C., are participating in a month-long expedition aboard the Ronald H. Brown, a research vessel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
