Monthly Archives: February 2022
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.
MIT Press Launches New Grant Program to Promote Diversity in Academic Publishing
The Grant Program for Diverse Voices will expand funding for new work by authors whose voices have been excluded and chronically underrepresented across the arts, humanities, and sciences.
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.
Vanderbilt University Invests in Venture Fund Supporting Black Healthcare Firms
Vanderbilt University in Nashville is among the founding investors in Jumpstart Nova, the first venture fund in the United States to invest exclusively in Black-founded and Black-led companies at the forefront of health care innovation.
Nikky Finney Selected to Receive the 2022 Thomas Robinson Prize for Southern Literature
Nikky Finney, the John H. Bennett Jr. Chair in Creative Writing and Southern Letters at the University of South Carolina, will be honored in April by the Spencer B. King Jr. Center for Southern Studies at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
Study Finds That Black Male Teachers May Face Bias From Classroom Evaluators
A new study finds that when comparing similarly credentialed teachers whose pupils achieved at about the same level, White and female teachers were rated higher than Black men. Poor evaluations may lead to lower job satisfaction, fewer promotions, and more Black men leaving the teaching profession.
Oklahoma City Community Colleges Names Mautra Jones as its Eleventh President
Dr. Jones has been serving as vice president of institutional advancement and external affairs at Langston University. She is the site administrator for the university’s Oklahoma City campus, as well as the executive director of the Langston University Foundation.
Census Report Details Racial Differences in Family Makeup in the United States
Living arrangements can impact a child's education. Single parents may have less opportunity to read to their children, attend school functions, or offer help with homework. Single-parent families tend to have lower incomes and as a result, may be less able to afford educational resources.
Talitha Washington Selected to Lead the Association for Women in Mathematics
Talitha Washington, a professor of the mathematical sciences at Clark Atlanta University and the director of the Atlanta University Center Data Science Initiative, has been named president-elect of the Association for Women in Mathematics. She will become president of the organization in 2023.
Harvard Study Documents the Persisting Problem of Environmental Racism
The term "environmental racism" was first used about 40 years ago and brought attention to the fact that African Americans are more likely than their White peers to be exposed to air, water, and other types of pollution. New research shows that environmental racism is still very much an issue.
Michael Lindsey Named Dean of the School of Social Work at New York University
Dr. Lindsey is the Constance and Martin Silver Professor of Poverty Studies at New York University. He also serves as executive director of the university’s McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research.
Four Black Scholars Who Are Taking on New Assignments at Major Universities
The Black scholars appointed to new posts are Deval L. Patrick at Harvard University, Kristie Soares at the University of Colorado Boulder, Kirsten Pai Buick at the University of New Mexico, and Jane Okech at the University of Vermont.
Census Bureau Looks to Bowie State University to Boost Diversity in Data Science
The U.S. Census Bureau has partnered with the Bowie State University College of Business to provide expertise and resources to support students studying data science and analytics and help build a high-quality, diverse workforce in the growing field.
Six African Americans Who Have Been Named to Administrative Posts at Colleges and Universities
Taking on new administrative duties are Kareem S. Mumford at Rutgers University, L. Simone Collis at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, Jerry Womble at Fayetteville State University, Tennette Elie at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Tim H. Cox at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, and Tommy McMasters at Elizabeth City State University.
Tuskegee University Enters Partnership With USAID
In support of the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative to end hunger, Tuskegee University and USAID will partner domestically and internationally in the areas of food safety and security, farming and extension, animal health and pathology, and human health and welfare.
Cornell University Scholar Wins the Best Book Prize From the African Studies Association
Dr. Naminata Diabate is an associate professor of comparative literature at Cornell. The prize recognizes the most important scholarly work in African studies published in English and distributed in the United States during the preceding year.
FedEx Strengthens Its Partnerships With HBCUs
The company has announced a multi-year commitment to offer relief support to help students, faculty, and staff at four HBCUs who have suffered adverse economic impact due to COVID-19. The company has also launched a Student Ambassador program to train and mentor students at HBCUs.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed Diversity Administrators in Higher Education
Taking on new roles as diversity officers are Charles E. Gibson III at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, Kendra N. Cadogan at the State University of New York-Oswego, Donyell Roseboro at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and Keithen Mathis at Florida State University.
Black First-Year Students at the Nation’s Leading Liberal Arts Colleges
There are 100 Black students in the Class of 2025 at Amherst College. They make up 19.5 percent of the class. This is the largest percentage of Black students in an entering class in the history of our surveys.
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.
University at Buffalo Creates the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education
The center, founded and directed by Black history education scholar LaGarrett King, will use research, teacher professional development, networking, and advocacy to answer the enduring question: What is Black history education?
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.
Yale Divinity Schools Examines Its Ties to Slavery and Begins to Make Amends
Yale Divinity School recently acknowledged its historical complicity in slavery and racism. It is allocating $20 million to fund 10 social justice scholarships each year for incoming students who are dedicated to social justice work.
Rodney Bennett Announces He Will Step Down as President of the University of Southern Mississippi
Rodney Bennett, who has served as president of the University of Southern Mississippi since 2013, announced that he will step down from his post at the end of his contract in 2023. He is the first African American to serve as president of one of the state's five predominantly White public universities.
Higher Education Benefits Heart Health for All, But Less So for Blacks
A new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh finds that individuals with a college degree were 4.12 times more likely to have an ideal cardiovascular health rating compared to those who did not have a high school degree. For Blacks, the benefit of higher education on heart health was far less.
Robin Holmes-Sullivan Chosen to Be the 26th President of Lewis & Clark College in Portland
Dr. Homes-Sullivan is currently the vice president for student life and dean of students at the college. She came to Lewis & Clark in 2019 from the University of California System, where she served as vice president for student affairs. Earlier, she spent 27 years at the University of Oregon rising to the position of vice president of student life.
University of Houston Law Center Study Examines Racial Disparity in Marketing by Lenders
A new study by researchers at the University of Houston Law Center found the payday lending industry often targets Black and Latino communities in advertising their products, while the mainstream banking industry targets White consumers.
Mark Melton to Serve as Provost at Saint Augustine’s University
Dr. Melton has been serving as a professor of biology and dean for the School of Sciences, Mathematics, and Allied Health at the university. During his tenure at the university, Dr. Melton has been chair of the department of biological and physical sciences and director of the honors program.
The Long-Term Effects of Redlining on Public Health in Black Neighborhoods
A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland shows that people in areas long ago labeled as “red” (hazardous) or “yellow” (definitely declining) on infamous government housing maps in the 1930s, today have about a five-year shorter life expectancy than those living in areas that had been categorized as favorable for home mortgage lending.
Lonnie T. Brown Jr. Will Be the New Leader of the College of Law at the University of Tennessee
Lonnie Brown is currently the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and holds the A. Gus Cleveland Distinguished Chair of Legal Ethics and Professionalism at the University of Georgia School of Law. He will begin his new duties on July 1.
Two African American Women Appointed to Dean Positions in Massachusetts
Gretchen Long, the Frederick Rudolph ’42 – Class of 1965 Professor of American Culture at Williams College in Williamstown, will serve as the next dean of the college and Margaret Vendryes has been appointed dean of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Medford.
The Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics Launched at Howard University
The center, funded by a grant from mastercard, will offer a master’s degree in applied data science and a thought leadership series on racial equity and inclusive growth. It will also conduct research examining how data science can contribute to minimizing racial bias in credit approval processes.
Eastern Connecticut State University Names Science Building After Its Former President
Serving as president from 1988 to 2006, Dr. David G. Carter was the first African American to lead a four-year institution of higher education in Connecticut and also in New England. He later served as chancellor of the state university system.
Stillman College in Alabama Creates a Pathway for Graduates to Attend Law School
Under the agreement, Stillman College, a 761-student historically Black institution in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Law will engage in collaborative academic activities that promote a path for Stillman College students to enroll in the law school and earn their law degree.
