Monthly Archives: October 2022
Academic Disciplines Where African Americans Received Few or No Doctorates in 2021
African Americans earned only 1.4 percent of all doctorates awarded in mathematics and 1.2 percent of all doctorates in physics that were awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents in 2021. Blacks earned 4 percent of all doctorates in computer science, 4 percent of all doctorates in chemistry, and only 4.1 percent of all doctorates awarded in engineering disciplines.
Jonathan Lee Walton Appointed the Eighth President of the Princeton Theological Seminary
Dr. Walton has been serving as dean of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He also holds the Presidential Chair of Religion and Society at the divinity school and is dean of Wait Chapel on campus. Before coming to Wake Forest in 2020, Dr. Walton was the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the University’s Memorial Church at Harvard University.
The Persisting Racial Gap in Scores on the SAT College Entrance Examination
The results showed that only 19 percent of African American test takers met the college and career readiness benchmark for both reading and mathematics, the lowest level of any racial or ethnic group. Some 53 percent of Whites met the readiness benchmarks in both reading and mathematics. Some 54 percent of all Black test takers did not meet the minimum benchmark in either reading or mathematics. For Whites, the figure was 21 percent.
Two African American Women Appointed to Dean Positions at Southern Universities
Margaret I. Kanipes was named dean of the new Honors College at North Carolina A&T State University and Leah Tolbert Lyons was appointed dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University
College-Educated Black Women Have Fewer Children Than Their White Peers
Overall, they found that college-educated women across racial and ethnic groups have fewer children than those who did not graduate college. The difference in fertility between college-educated Black and White women is driven mainly by the smaller proportion of Black mothers giving birth to a second child, the study found.
In Memoriam: Calvin Otis Butts III, 1949-2022
Calvin O. Butts was the long-time president of the State University of New York at Old Westbury, civil rights activist, and the pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. In 1999, Dr. Butts was named president of SUNY Old Westbury. He served in that role until 2020 and was the longest-serving president in university history.
Three African American Men Who Have Been Appointed to New Faculty Positions
Thomas W. Mitchell has joined the faculty at the Boston College Law School. Jarvis Givens has been promoted to associate professor at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University and Walter T. Tillman was named an associate professor of education at Hampton University in Virgina.
Howard University Posts a Record Year in Grants and Contracts for Research
In 2018, historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C. announced a goal of raising $100 million in grants and contracts for research by 2024. Today, Howard surpassed that goal two years early by raising $122 million in its 2022 fiscal year. This is a record sum for any historically Black college or university.
Universities Announced the Appointments of Six Black Administrators
Taking on new administrative roles are Scott Hamilton Adams at California Lutheran University, Olivia Lapeyrolerie at New York University, Kristi Smith at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Oliver M. Thomas at North Carolina A&T State University, Anne Edwards at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and Paulette G. Curtis at Florida State University.
North Carolina A&T State University to Debut a Physician’s Assistant Degree Program
Nationwide, African Americans are 7.4 percent of all physician assistants. In North Carolina, where Blacks make up 22 percent of the state's population, African Americans are just 4.5 percent of all physician assistants. This new degree program aims to address the shortage of African American physician's assistants in North Carolina.
Linda Darling-Hammond Wins the $3.9 Million Yidan Prize
Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor emeritus at Stanford Graduate School of Education has been awarded the 2022 Yidan Prize for education research. She now serves as president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, a nonprofit focused on education research.
Tuskegee University Students Offered an Accelerated Path to a Law Degree
The new 3+3 degree program allows for Tuskegee students to attend the first year of law school at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, after finishing their junior year at Tuskegee, therefore earning a bachelor’s degree followed by a juris doctorate in six years instead of seven.
A Quartet of African Americans Who Have Been Assigned New Diversity Duties in Higher Education
Taking on new roles relating to diversity in higher education are Barbara Lofton of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, Linwood B. Whitten at Cleveland State University, Shawna Nesbitt at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and Nicole Hodges Persley at the University of Kansas.
In Memoriam: Lawrence Arnette Davis, Jr., 1937-2022
At the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Dr. Davis served as an assistant professor, associate professor, full professor, chair of the department of mathematics and physics, dean of Arts and Sciences, and dean of Liberal and Fine Arts. He was named chancellor of the university in 1991 and served in that role for 21 years.
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.
Yale Law School’s New Initiative to Boost Diversity in the Legal Profession
Yale Law School has announced the establishment of its Launchpad Scholars Program. The new program aims to help members of underrepresented or underserved communities navigate the law school application and admission process from start to finish.
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.
Princeton University Enhances Its Financial Aid Programs for Middle-Income Families
Under the new plan, most families earning up to $100,000 a year will pay nothing, and many families with income above $100,000 will receive additional aid, including those at higher income levels with multiple children in college. The university estimates that one-quarter of all students will attend Princeton for free, including room and board.
Scores on the ACT College Entrance Examination Drop and Large Racial Gap Persists
For the fifth year in a row, the average score for African American students dropped. The most striking statistic is that only 5 percent of all Black test takers were rated ready for college-level courses in all four areas of English, mathematics, science, and reading. Whites were nearly six times as likely as Blacks to be prepared for college-level work in all four areas.
FeRita Carter Is the New Leader of Riverside City College in California
Dr. Carter has been serving as vice president of student services at the college. Prior to joining the staff at Riverside City College, Dr. Carter was the dean of the School of Business and Technology and a full-time political science faculty member at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In African American Doctoral Awards, Women Gained and Men Saw a Drop in 2021
Of the 2,431 African Americans who earned doctorates from U.S. universities in 2021, 1,552 were women. Thus, women earned 63.8 percent of all doctorates awarded to African Americans in 2021. This is up from 62.3 percent in 2020. The number of African American men who earned doctorates in 2021 was the lowest number since 2017.
Wendi Williams Is the New Provost at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California
Dr. Williams is the former dean of the School of Education at Mills College in Oakland, California. Earlier, she was the associate dean of academic affairs at the Bank Street College, Graduate School of Education in New York City. Prior to these roles, she provided academic leadership as program coordinator and department chair for counseling and school psychology at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.
Black Enrollments in Higher Education Are Down But Not as Much as White Enrollments
A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center finds that Black enrollments are down by 1.6 percent this fall compared to a year ago. White enrollments have dropped by 3.6 percent. Since 2020, Black enrollments have declined by 6.9 percent compared to 9.6 percent for Whites.
Corey Walker to Serve as Dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity
Dr. Walker will continue to serve as a professor of the humanities and director of university’s African American studies program. Before joining the faculty at Wake Forest University in 2020, Dr. Walker was dean of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond.
Six Black Faculty Members Who Are Taking on New Assignments
The six Black faculty members who have been appointed to new posts are Ernest Nkansah-Dwamena at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, Deon Benton at Vanderbilt University, Tomi Obe at the University of Arkansas, Eric Buckles at Dillard University in New Orleans, Kenneth Johnson at the College of Charleston, and Sonya Donaldson at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
Charles R. Drew University Gets Approval to Establish Its Own Medical Doctorate Program
Up to now, medical students at Charles R. Drew University complete their training in a joint program with the University of California, Los Angeles. Now, the university has received preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education to establish an independent medical doctorate program.
New Administrative Duties for Six African Americans in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative duties at colleges and universities are Rolundus Rice at Tuskegee University in Alabama, Marquisha Frost at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Tiffany Murphy at Dillard University in New Orleans, Joe Brooks at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Joy L. Jefferson at Hampton University in Virginia, and John Gardner at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.
Edward Waters University Teams Up With the University of Florida College of Nursing
Edward Waters University does not have a nursing program. This partnership gives qualified biological sciences majors at Edward Waters University who are interested in a nursing career the option to pursue a nursing degree at the University of Florida. This is the first partnership between an HBCU and the University of Florida College of Nursing.
Anita Allen Honored by the Hastings Center for Her Work in Bioethics
Anita L. Allen is the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and professor of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Allen was recognized for outstanding contributions to law and philosophy and to their practical applications in medicine, science, and public affairs.
Tougaloo College Partners With the Southern Illinois University School of Law
The two educational institutions have instituted a 3+3 dual degree program agreement for qualified college students. Successful students will have the opportunity to complete both their bachelor’s degree and law degree in six years.
Three African Americans Who Have Been Named to Diversity Positions in Higher Education
The three African Americans appointed to diversity posts in higher education are Christopher Smith at the Arkansas College of Health Education in Fort Smith, Dana Murray Patterson at Wingate University in North Carolina, and Keisha Booker at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.
In Memoriam: Constance Jordan Wilson, 1951-2022
Dr. Wilson joined the faculty at Alabama A&M University in 1979, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in urban and regional planning. In 1988, Professor Wilson became head of the department of community planning and urban studies.
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.
Iowa State University Planning a Year-Long Celebration Honoring Jack Trice
Jack Trice was the first African American to play intercollegiate sports at Iowa State University. A student of animal husbandry, Trice suffered severe injuries in his second collegiate football game against the University of Minnesota and died two days later on October 8, 1923. He was 21 years old.
