Monthly Archives: May 2016
Texas Southern University Chooses Its Next President
Austin A. Lane has been serving as executive vice chancellor of Lone Star College System based in The Woodlands, Texas. From 2009 to 2015, Dr. Lane was president of the Montgomery campus of Lone Star College.
Study Ranks Colleges Where Twitter Use Is the Most Derogatory Toward Blacks
Researchers at CollegeStats.org examined tweets on the social media platform Twitter made on or near the campuses of 1,537 colleges and universities. They found that the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences had the highest percentage of content derogatory toward Blacks.
University of Chicago Historian Thomas Holt Elected to the American Philosophical Society
Thomas C. Holt is the James Westfall Thompson Distinguished Service Professor of American and African American History at the University of Chicago. Other African Americans elected members of the society are Roger W. Ferguson of TIAA-CREF and Risa J. Lavizzo-Mourney of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
How African American Parents Talk to Their Young Children About Race
A new study led by a researcher at New York University, finds that when African American parents talk to their children about racial issues, they tend to emphasize equal rights and opportunity rather than racism or discrimination.
Long-Time Educator Wins $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
Ed Roberson is an artist-in-residence at Northwestern University. Roberson was a professor of literature and creative writing at Rutgers University and has also taught at the University of Chicago and Columbia College in Chicago.
Why Churches Remain the Most Racially Segregated Institutions in America
A new study led by a sociologist at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has found that church congregations that make an effort to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of their membership tend to lose more members than they gain.
Legislature Eliminates Funding for the Office of Diversity at the University of Tennessee
Administrators in the diversity office at the university had angered legislators by calling for the use of gender-neutral pronouns and the suggestion that office holiday parties not be "Christmas parties in disguise."
University of Maryland Eastern Shore to Offer a New Master’s Degree Program in Cybersecurity
To be accepted into the new master's degree program in cybersecurity, students need a bachelor’s degree in a related technology field or have experience in cybersecurity in the workforce.
Five African American Men in New University Administrative Roles
The appointees are Cedric Gathings at Marshall University, Aaron Whigham at Pennsylvania State University-Greater Allegheny, Rodney C. McClendon at Carnegie Mellon University, Herman Frazier at Syracuse University, and Walter Davenport at Saint Augustine's University.
Tennessee State University Gives Major Tuition Discount to Some Out-of-State Students
Under the 250-Mile Radius Rate undergraduates taking 15 credit hours will pay $5,903 per year in tuition, a reduction of 43 percent from the current out-of-state tuition charge. The new rate plan also applies for graduate students.
Tufts University Names Residence Hall After Its First Black Tenure-Track Faculty Member
Bernard W. Harleston was hired as an assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University in 1965. He later held an endowed chair in psychology and served as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the university. In 1981, Dr. Harleston was named president of City College of New York.
Morehouse School of Medicine Awards a Record Number of Degrees
This spring, the Morehouse School of Medicine awarded 118 degrees, the largest number in its history. Among the degrees conferred at spring commencement were 57 medical doctorates and 10 Ph.D.s in biomedical sciences.
Five Black Women Scholars Appointed to New Posts
Taking on new roles are Melissa Gilliam at the University of Chicago, June Manning Thomas at the University of Michigan, Yolanda Banks Anderson at North Carolina Central University, Cynthia A. Nance at the University of Arkansas, and Tomisha Brock at Mississippi Valley State University.
In Memoriam: Thelma Vernelle Cook, 1939-2016
Cook was an administrator at Oklahoma State University and Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. She served as chair of the board of regents of Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis.
Raymond Burse Resigns as President of Kentucky State University
President Burse has been highly critical of budget cuts made by new Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin. Burse said in the past that the cuts would be so devastating to the university that it may have “to declare financial exigency and/or prepare a closure plan.”
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 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. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.
Black Identical Twins Each Had the Highest GPA at FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing
Shalisha and Shonda Witherspoon are identical twins. They recently graduated from the College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University in Miami with identical 3.95 grade point averages, the best in the college.
In Memorian: Michael Steven Harper, 1938-2016
Michael S. Harper, who taught at Brown University in Providence for 43 years, was the first poet laureate of the state of Rhode Island.
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.
University of Kansas to Honor 1965 Civil Rights Campus Protestors
On March 5, 1965, about 150 students - both Black and White - marched to the administration building and staged a sit-in outside the office of the chancellor. They had a list of seven demands relating to eradicating segregation in housing and student organizations on campus, particularly fraternities and sororities.
The Last American Born in the 19th Century, a Granddaughter of Slaves, Has Died
Susannah Muschatt-Jones was accepted into college but could not afford the tuition. Later in life she used her savings from her domestic work to establish a college scholarship fund for low-income African American women at her high school.
Documentary Prepared by Baylor University Students Examines a 1916 Lynching
After Jesse Washington, a Black teenager, was sentenced to death for the raping and killing of his boss's wife, he was dragged out of Waco, Texas, courtroom and lynched in front of more than 10,000 spectators.
Federal Study Documents Increasing Segregation in K-12 Education
A new report from the U.S Government Accountability Office finds that the percentage of the nation's K-12 public schools that have a large majority of low-income, Black or Hispanic students has grown significantly since the turn of the century.
Lisa Mims-Devezin Selected to Lead Southern University at New Orleans
Dr. Mims-Devezin has been serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the university since 2014. She joined the faculty at Southern University at New Orleans in 1993 as an assistant professor of biology.
New Data on Hate Crimes on College and University Campuses
In 2013, there were 781 hate crimes on college and university campuses that were reported to police and other law enforcement agencies. Race was the most common motivation in these hate crime incidents.
Amherst College Awarded the $1 Million Cooke Prize for Equity in Educational Excellence
The no-strings-attached award, given out by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, recognizes an institution’s accomplishments in enrollment, financial aid, academics and student support services for low-income students.
Black Children Are Far More Likely to Be Identified as Gifted If They Have a Black Teacher
A new study finds that that African American children with a Black elementary school teacher were three times as likely to be identified for gifted education programs than African American children with a White elementary school teacher.
The New Dean of Students at Clemson University in South Carolina
Christopher Miller has served as vice president for student affairs at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and vice chancellor for student affairs and administrative services at the University of Illinois-Springfield.
Racially Offensive T-Shirts Made by Samford University Sorority
A sorority at the Baptist university in Birmingham, Alabama, produced a T-shirt promoting its spring formal dance that had a map of the state of Alabama that included images of a Black man eating watermelon and slaves picking cotton.
Expected Huge Increase in First-Year Enrollments at Fayetteville State University
As of the beginning of May, 630 students have made a deposit indicating that they attend to enroll this fall at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. This is up from 493 in last year's entering class. This is an increase of 30 percent.
Four African American Women Named to New Administrative Posts at Major Universities
Taking on new positions are Sheree M. Marlowe at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, Linda McCabe Smith at North Carolina State University, Caroline Laguerre-Brown at George Washington University, and Monica Terrell Leach at North Carolina Central University.
Mississippi Valley State University to Offer New Master’s Degree in Convergent Journalism
Convergent journalism includes text, audio, and visual communication that can be accessed by consumers on demand. Mississippi Valley State says there are only nine other similar programs nationwide that will be offered this fall.
Morehouse School of Medicine Hires Two Physicians for New Surgical Posts
Shaneeta M. Johnson is an expert in robotic minimally invasive surgery. Larry Hobson has completed more than 8,200 surgeries.
Former Faculty Team Up to Help Florida A&M Achieve Institutional Excellence
The new group, called the FAMU Forward Think Tank, will focus on designing ways to further institutional excellence at the university and enhance outreach and engagement with all stakeholders in the community.
Three Black Scholars Making News
Duane Lee Holland Jr. has been hired as the first hip-hop dance faculty member at the Boston Conservatory. Sydney Freeman Jr. of the University of Idaho is named a certified online instructor and Emily Greenwood was named chair of the department of classics at Yale University.
