Monthly Archives: February 2022
Survey Shows How Students at HBCUs Were Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
The report from the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University in Philadelphia in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Historically Black Colleges and Universities at Virginia Union University, found that during the pandemic two-thirds of all HBCU students experienced basic needs insecurity.
The Southern University System Appoints Dennis Shields as Its New Leader
Shields has been the chancellor for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville since 2010. Prior to his current position in Wisconsin, Shields held administrative positions in admissions at the University of Iowa College of Law, University of Michigan Law School, and the Duke University School of Law.
Age, Race, and Early-Life Disadvantage Among College-Educated Mothers Impacts Birth Weights
According to a new study by researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Black infants experience disproportionately high risks of low birth weight compared with non-Hispanic White infants, particularly among mothers with high educational attainment and greater socioeconomic advantage.
Walt Jacobs Will Be the Next Provost at California State University, East Bay
Since 2015, Dr. Jacobs has served as the dean of the College of Social Sciences at San José State University. Prior to his arrival in California, he was the founding dean of the College of Social Sciences and Professional Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Study Finds That Hypertension Is a Major Factor in the Rise of Black Maternal Mortality Rates
Chronic hypertension is contributing substantially to maternal deaths in the United States, with particular risk among Black women, according to new research led by scholars at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The study found a 15-fold increase over the past 40 years in maternal mortality rates as a result of the condition.
University of Michigan Provost Susan Collins to Lead the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
When she takes office on July 1, Susan Collins will be only the second Black president and first Black woman to head one of the 12 Federal Reserve banks in the century-plus history of the institution.
Sonya Smith to Lead the State University of New York’s Small Business Development Center Network
Sonya Smith was named the SUNY State Director of the New York Small Business Development Centers. She is the first woman and first African American appointed to lead New York’s vast SBDC network in its nearly 40-year history.
The Center for an Equitable and Sustainable Society Created at Howard University
Historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C. will participate in a $40 million program to establish multidisciplinary academic centers dedicated to reimagining the relationships among markets, governments, and people. Scholars at the new academic centers will investigate how economies should work in the 21st century and the aims they should serve.
Five African American Faculty Members Who Have Been Appointed to New Positions
The five Black faculty members taking on new roles are Lance Freeman at the University of Pennsylvania, Aerial Ellis at North Carolina Central University, Salamishah Tillet at Rutgers University-Newark, Marcelle Haddix at Syracuse University in New York, and Charlene Gilbert at Ohio State University.
Hampton University to Develop a New Robotics Program With Funding From Amazon
Amazon funding will assist with establishing a new research laboratory in an existing space; a one-year faculty position dedicated to artificial intelligence and machine learning; and the establishment of a senior capstone course where students will receive side-by-side mentorship from leading researchers, software developers, and engineers at Amazon.
Barbara Ransby Selected to Receive an Award From the Caribbean Philosophical Association
University of Illinois Chicago historian Barbara Ransby has been named a recipient of the Caribbean Philosophical Association’s Frantz Fanon Lifetime Achievement Award. She was selected for the award “because of the historical and political importance of her writings, her tireless work as an institution-builder and activist."
Xavier University Students Are Eligible for Early Assurance Program for Admission to Dental School
Historically Black Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans has entered into a partnership with the School of Dentistry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sophomores at Xavier University who are accepted into the program will be offered conditional early acceptance into the UAB School of Dentistry.
Universities Announce the Appointments of Four African American Administrators
Taking on new administrative roles are Kevin Hoult at Jackson State University in Mississippi, Dawn M. Nail at North Carolina A&T State University, Steven Byrd at Xavier University in New Orleans, and Victoria Nichols at Virginia Union University.
In Memoriam: Dorothy L.W. Smith, 1939-2022
Dorothy Smith taught at Long Beach City College, Grossmont Community College, and later San Diego City College, where she was a professor for 24 years. Smith also lectured at San Diego State University. She was the first Black woman to be elected to public office in San Diego, serving on the school board for nearly eight years.
Sarah Price of Florida A&M University Recognized for Her Leadership in the Field of Kinesiology
Sarah L. Price, associate dean for the College of Education at Florida A&M University, recently received the Jerry R. Thomas Distinguished Leadership Award from the American Kinesiology Association.
The University of Alabama Renames Hall Honoring a KKK Member, and Then Renames It Again
Graves Hall, honoring former Governor Bibb Graves, a Grand Cyclops of the KKK, was renamed Lucy-Graves Hall to also honor Autherine Lucy the first Black student at the university. After an outcry that Lucy's name should not be joined with the name of a KKK leader, the university renamed the building Autherne Lucy Hall.
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.
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.
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.
Three Former Coaches at Highland Community College in Kansas Have Filed a Lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges Highland administrators sought to discourage Blacks from attending the school, intimidated Black student-athletes into leaving, and told coaches not to recruit African Americans.
A Snapshot of the Status of Black Teachers in the Nation’s K-12 Schools
New data from the U.S. Department of Education examines the background and school settings of Black or African American teachers in public and private schools in the United States before the coronavirus pandemic. During the 2017-18 school year, 7 percent of all teachers were Black or African American.
Arizona State University Scholar Is the New Head of the National Endowment for the Arts
Maria Rosario Jackson is an Institute Professor in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Professor Jackson, who is of Mexican American and African American descent, also holds an appointment in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State.
Researchers Find That El Niño Impacted the Volume of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
El Niño, an oceanic phenomenon that affects worldwide weather patterns, significantly affected the number of enslaved Africans transported from West Africa to the Americas between the mid-1600s and mid-1800s, according to an interesting new study from the University of California, Davis.
Livingstone College President Jimmy Jenkins Announces That He Will Retire on July 1
Dr. Jenkins has served as president of the historically Black college for the past 16 years. He is credited with saving the college from closure from its accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Black Patients More Likely Than Whites to Be Described by Physicians in Negative Terms
Researchers at the University of Chicago searched the electronic health records of over 18,000 adult patients, including over 40,000 history and physical notes. They found that Black patients were 2.54 times as likely to have at least one negative descriptor in their medical records compared to White patients.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions
The four scholars appointed to dean positions are Ulysses Taylor at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, Marla Harris at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina, Walter T. Tillman Jr. at Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida, and Stella Bridgeman at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In Memoriam: Valerie Jean Boyd, 1963-2022
Valerie Boyd was an award-winning author and served as the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence and director of the master of fine arts in narrative nonfiction program at the University of Georgia.
Temple University’s Africology and African American Studies Adds Four Faculty Members
There are four new faculty members in the department of Africology and African American studies in the College of Liberal Arts at Temple University in Philadelphia: Ifetayo Flannery, Kimani Nehusi, Reynaldo Anderson, and Nah Doe.
Coppin State University Teams Up With Charles Schwab to Boost Diversity in Financial Services
Coppin State University in Baltimore has entered into a partnership with the investment firm Charles Schwab Advisors and the Charles Schwab Foundation that aims to increase diversity in the financial services industry. Currently, 76.3 percent of finance professionals are White.
New Administrative Positions for Five Black Women in Higher Education
The five Black women in new administrative roles are Linette White at Purdue University in Indiana, Joy Cook at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, Dawn Smallwood at Stony Brook University in New York, Jessica White at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Mavis Asiedu-Frimpong at Rutgers University-Camden in New Jersey.
Howard University Establishes the Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities
The Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities will be established utilizing $3 million of the $40 million gift that philanthropist Mackenzie Scott donated to Howard in 2020. Professor Morrison, who won the Nobel Prize in literature, was a graduate of Howard University and also taught there.
Emory University’s Carol Anderson to Receive the Gittler Prize from Brandeis University
The Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize honors those who have made outstanding and lasting scholarly contributions to racial, ethnic, and religious relationships. The award and a $25,000 prize will be presented at a ceremony on the Brandeis campus this coming fall.
Fisk University Starting a Women’s Gymnastics Team
Fisk will be the first historically Black college or university to have a women's gymnastics team. Fisk also plans to host several conferences, clinics, and invitationals in partnership with organizations like Brown Girls do Gymnastics.
Three Black Women Appointed to Administrative Posts Relating to Diversity
Taking on new position relating to diversity, equity and inclusion are Monique L. Akassi at West Liberty University in West Virginia, Sherrica Davis-Hunt at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Ophelie Rowe-Allen at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.
Racist Graffiti Found on the Campus of Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts
Racist graffiti was found in men's restrooms in a residence hall and the athletic field house on the campus. Hateful graffiti including a swastika had been found on several occasions in the past month at the college.
Black First-Year Students at the Nation’s Leading Research Universities
Recent admissions cycles have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But most of the nation's leading research universities continue to make significant progress in increasing Black enrollments.
