Monthly Archives: May 2019
65 Years After Brown: America’s Public Schools Remain Racially Segregated
According to a new report from The Civil Rights Project at UCLA, White students, on average, attend a school in which 69 percent of students are White. Black students, who account for 15 percent of enrollment, as they did in 1970, attend schools that on average have Black enrollments of 47 percent.
Northeastern Illinois University Appoints a New Chief Academic Officer
Currently, Dr. Dennis Rome serves as a professor and dean of the College of Letters and Sciences at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. Prior to that, he held various positions at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Family Income Is a Better Predictor of Success for Young Students Than Academic Achievement
According to a new report, children who come from affluent backgrounds and have low school test scores are more likely than their less-affluent peers with high test scores to be in the highest quartile of socioeconomic status by the age of 25.
Dereck Rovaris Named President of American Association of Blacks in Higher Education
Since 2014, Dereck J. Rovaris Sr. has served as vice provost for diversity at Louisiana State University. Earlier, he was associate vice chancellor for academic and multicultural affairs at the Louisiana State University Heath Sciences Center in New Orleans.
Study Finds Persistence of Stereotypical Negative Images of Black Women in Tech
The report notes that in 1995, Black women accounted for 5.10 percent of all bachelor's degree in computer science. By 2014, this figure had dropped to 2.61 percent. In 2012, 70 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded to African Americans in computer science went to men.
Marcella David Appointed Provost at Columbia College in Chicago
Currently, Professor David serves as the Betty T. Ferguson Visiting Professor of Law at Florida State University. Previously, she served as the chief academic officer at Florida A&M University.
Black Billionaire to Pay Off Student Loan Debt of Morehouse College’s Class of 2019
Robert F. Smith, a billionaire who is CEO of Vista Equity Partners, told the graduates of Morehouse College in Atlanta that he would commit up to $40 million dollars to eliminate the student debt of all 396 graduates of the Class of 2019.
Report Finds Significant Increase in Patents Produced by HBCUs
A new report shows that there are currently 30 HBCUs across the country that own patent rights. The Morehouse School of Medicine holds the most patents of any HBCU with 63 patents generated from 2000 to 2019.
Four Black Scholars Appointed to New Faculty Roles at Major Universities
Taking on new assignments are Daniel A. Summerhill at California State University, Monterey Bay, Sharlene Newman at Indiana University, Meleko Mokgosi at at the Yale School of Art, and William H. Robinson at Vanderbilt University.
Four African American Men Who Have Received Notable Honors or Awards
The honorees are Gregory Robinson at Tennessee State University, Echol Nix Jr. at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Reginald Hamilton at Pennsylvania State University, and Forest M. Pritchett at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
Xavier University of Louisiana Teams Up With the University of Southern California
Xavier University of Louisiana has partnered with the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California to create a pipeline program for students studying physical therapy. Xavier students can apply to the program in the spring of their sophomore year.
Syracuse University College of Law Partners With Three HBCUs in Atlanta
The new program will allow students to earn a bachelor's degree from their respective HBCU and a juris doctorate from Syracuse University. Participating students will spend three years completing undergraduate coursework at their HBCU and then spend three years at Syracuse's College of Law.
Seven African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Administrative Posts in Academia
Taking on new roles are Thomas C. Segar at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Diane Crawford at Syracuse, Carol Burton at Western Carolina, Stephanie Danette Preston at Penn State, Shiera D. Goff at the University of Massachusetts, Adanna Johnson at Georgetown and James Harper at Tuskegee University.
In Memoriam: Shirley Bradley LeFlore, 1940-2019
In addition to serving as poet laureate for the city of St. Louis, LeFlore was an educator. She was the first African American assistant dean of students at what is now Webster University in Missouri.
Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers
Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.
Fisk University Launches New Bachelor’s Degree in Data Science
The new program in data science will consist of a multi-disciplinary curriculum made up of courses that teach students how scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems can be used to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data.
In Memoriam: Onyekwere E. Akwari, 1942-2019
Dr. Akwari was recruited to Duke after the university desegregated its hospital. He joined the faculty as an associate professor, making him the second African American tenure-track faculty member in the School of Medicine.
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.
Higher Education Grants or Gifts of Interest to African Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Fayetteville State University Partners With Piedmont Community College
The agreement will allow students who graduate with associate degrees from Piedmont Community College to complete an online bachelor's degree at Fayetteville State University for no more than $10,000.
Edward Waters College to Launch First-Ever Online Degree Program
The program will provide students with the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in organization management through a completely online virtual environment.
In Memoriam: Clifton Hennessee Kearney Sr., 1925-2019
Clifton Hennesse Kearney Sr. was the director and coordinator of transfer students in the School of Engineering at Morgan State University. He served on the staff at the university for 31 years. He also chaired the Howard University Alumni Association.
Two African American Scholars Announce Their Impending Retirements
Joyce E. Smith, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, has announced she will retire in summer 2020 and Eddie A. Holloway, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Southern Mississippi, will retire in June.
Four Black Scholars Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
This year's results are an improvement from recent years. JBHE's analysis determined that in 2018, there were no African Americans among the 84 new members. In both 2016 and 2017, there was only one African American scholar among the new members.
New Report Offers Strategies for Preserving the Future of HBCUs
The report describes the challenges facing HBCUs today and offers possible solutions to these challenges. First and foremost, sustaining and growing student enrollment is the key to a brighter future.
Linda Strong-Leak Will Be the Next Provost at Berea College in Kentucky
Dr. Strong-Leak joined the faculty at Berea College in 2002. She currently serves as vice president for diversity and inclusion, associate vice president for academic affairs, and professor of women's and gender studies at the college.
UNCF Report Calls for Reforms in the Accreditation Process for HBCUs
Since 2000, four HBCUs who were members of the UNCF have lost accreditation. In addition, nine of the 37 private HBCUs that comprise UNCF membership — almost a quarter — were sanctioned between 2015 and 2018. About one third of all institutions sanctioned in 2017 and 2018 were HBCUs.
Christopher Bracey to Lead the George Washington University Law School
Currently, Professor Bracey serves as vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of law. He joined the faculty in 2008 and previously served for four years as the law school's senior associate dean for academic affairs.
Researchers Find Nonwhite Children Are More Likely to Be Mistreated at the Dentist
The results of a study led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that Whites were 2.26 times more likely to have reported positive dental experiences, while upsetting incidents were much more common among low-income and non-White families.
Garikai Campbell Appointed Provost at the University of North Carolina at Asheville
Currently, Dr. Campbell serves as provost and dean of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Earlier in his career he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Morehouse College, a historically Black institution in Atlanta, Georgia.
Elizabeth City State University Partners With Two North Carolina Community Colleges
The new agreements will allow students to be admitted to Elizabeth City State University and either community college simultaneously, and move their studies to the university after completion of their associate's degree.
Three African-American Scholars Join the Department of English at Cornell University
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, recently announced that it had hired three African American scholars to teach in its English department this coming fall. They are Derrick Spires, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, and Chelsea Mikael Frazier.
Howard University and the National Institutes of Health Join Forces to Train Junior Faculty
The partnership program aims to help junior faculty acquire the requisite skill sets to procure external grants and enhance scholarly productivity. It will also facilitate mentoring opportunities, lecture exchanges, shared equipment, and student training initiatives in biomedical research.
New Administrative Appointments in Higher Education for Seven African Americans
Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Alabama State University Creates Pipeline Program With Wallace State Community College
The community college is named for former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace who vowed in his inaugural address in 1963 "Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!"
Four Black Faculty Members Taking on New Academic Assignments
Assuming new duties are Dorinda Carter Andrews at Michigan State University, Nkiru Nzegwu at Binghamton University in New York, Enobong "Anna" Branch at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and Sean K. Skeete at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
