Monthly Archives: November 2022
University of Arkansas to Offer a Master’s Degree in Black Sacred Music
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville has announced that beginning next fall it will offer a master's degree program in Black scared music. The university states that this will be first degree program of its kind in the United States.
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.
Williams College in Massachusetts to Add an Africans Studies Major
The nine-course major will consist of three required courses and six electives. Currently, there has been a five-course concentration in Africana studies that consists of two required courses and three electives. With the addition of African studies as a major, the concentration will be eliminated by 2026.
The Racial Graduation Rate Gap Between All Students and Student Athletes
For White students who entered college between 2012 and 2015 on an athletic scholarship, 73 percent earned their degree from the same institution within six years. For Black student athletes in the same period, 59 percent earned their degree within six years at the same school. This gap is significantly less than the racial gap for students as a whole.
Charles Robinson Appointed Chancellor of the University of Arkansas Fayetteville
Before being named interim chancellor in July 2021, Dr. Robinson was provost and executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. He was named provost in 2020 and has served as vice chancellor of student affairs since 2015. Dr. Robinson’s time at the University of Arkansas spans more than 20 years, beginning as an assistant professor of history.
Study Finds Foods Companies Increasingly Marketing Unhealthy Products to Blacks
American food and beverage companies disproportionately target Black and Hispanic consumers with advertising for high-calorie, low-nutrient products, including candy, sugary drinks, and snacks, according to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health at the University of Connecticut.
Wenatchee Valley College in Washington State Names Faimous Harrison as Its Next President
Dr. Harrison has more than 20 years of experience working in the Washington state community and technical college system. He currently serves as dean of the Stockton campus of California State University, Stanislaus. He will become
The Large Racial Gap in Educational Attainment Rates, Particularly for Men
In 2021, 28.7 percent of African Americans over the age of 25 had obtained at least a bachelor's degree. For Whites, the figure was 41.9 percent. White men were nearly twice as likely as Black men to hold an advanced degree.
Rosana Reyes Will Be the Next President of Lamar Community College in Colorado
Dr. Reyes currently serves as vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. Earlier, Dr. Reyes served as associate vice president of the Newburgh campus of the State University of New York. She will take on her new duties at Lamar Community College in March.
Three Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to New Positions
Associate professor of English Adrienne Brown has been appointed director of the University of Chicago’s Arts + Public Life initiative. Bobby Donaldson is the inaugural holder of an endowed chair at the University of South Carolina, and Lisa T. Alexander was named the Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Professor at the Boston College School of Law.
Florida A&M University to Establish a New Center on Indoor Air Quality
The new Indoor Air Quality Center of Excellence will recommend methods and technology to effectively improve indoor air quality with active air monitoring, filtering, and ventilation. The center also will facilitate workshops and training to educate the public on the importance of air quality monitoring and develop a Statewide IAQ Management Plan.
A Quartet of African Americans in New Administrative Positions in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative duties are Damon R. Wade at William Peace University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Sherrie Johnson at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland, Donte McFadden at the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York System, and Ahyana Kingat Haverford College in Pennsylvania.
Bowie State University Teacher Education Programs Buck the National Trend
While many teacher education programs across the country are showing declining enrollments, the opposite is true at historically Black Bowie State University in Maryland. The number of students enrolled in bachelor's education programs at Bowie State grew from 221 students in 2018 to 319 in 2021, almost a 50 percent increase.
Imani Perry Wins the National Book Award for Nonfiction for South to America.
Imani Perry, the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, won the National Book Award in the nonfiction category. She was honored...
Morris Brown College Partners With the Technical College System of Georgia
Associate degree graduates of the 22 campuses of the Technical College System of Georgia can now seamlessly transfer as juniors to Morris Brown College to pursue bachelor's degree programs in organizational management and leadership and hospitality management.
A Trio of African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Posts in Higher Education
Zebadiah Hall will be the first full-time vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Wyoming. Sandra Mitchell will become the inaugural senior diversity officer at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and Nicole Arleane Roberson is the new vice chancellor of diversity, equity, and inclusion and chief diversity officer at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
In Memoriam: Daniel L. Blash, 1968-2022
Since 2019, Daniel L. Blash was vice dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion and chief diversity officer for the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Earlier, he served as the assistant dean of diversity and inclusion at Washington University's School of Medicine.
Black Student at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania Victimized in Racist Attack
The Black student was walking on the street near campus when he was approached by two White males, according to police reports. The White men hurled racial slurs and then one of the attackers punched the Black student in the face.
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.
African Americans and Rhodes Scholarships
Typically the Rhodes Trust does not reveal the race or ethnicity of scholarship winners. Of this year's 32 Rhodes Scholars from the United States, it appears that four are African Americans.
University of Rochester in New York Establishes a Black Studies Department
The new Black studies department will work in close collaboration with the university’s Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies, which was established in 1986.
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.
The Significant Racial Gap in Marriage Rates in the United States
In 2021, nearly 54 percent of the White population over the age of 15 was married compared to 31.2 percent of the Black population. Only 27.5 percent of the White population had never been married compared to half of the Black population.
Tomikia LeGrande Chosen to Lead Prairie View A&M University in Texas
Since 2018, Dr. LeGrande has served as vice provost for strategic enrollment management at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Earlier, she was vice president for strategic enrollment management at the University of Houston-Downtown. Prior to her duties in Houston, Dr. LeGrande worked at North Carolina A&T State University and Winston-Salem State University.
African Americans Are Overrepresented in Law Enforcement’s Crime Posts on Social Media
Researchers at the law schools of Duke University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago examined close to 100,000 crime-related posts from 14,000 Facebook pages maintained by U.S. law enforcement agencies between 2010 and 2019. They found that these posts overrepresented Black suspects by 25 percentage points relative to local arrest rates.
Gary Bennett Appointed Dean of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University
Dr. Bennett has been serving as vice provost for undergraduate education. He also is the Bishop McDermott Family Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Global Health, and Medicine at Duke. Dr. Bennett worked as a faculty member at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute prior to joining Duke in 2009.
Don’t Blame History for Black Americans’ Mistrust of the Healthcare System
New research by psychologists at the University of California, Los Angeles shows that vaccine hesitancy and mistrust of medical professionals among Black Americans may hinge more on their current unsatisfactory healthcare experiences than on their knowledge of past wrongs.
Kim Armstrong Will Be the Next President of Clovis Community College in Fresno, California
Dr. Armstrong, who holds three degrees in neuropsychology, currently serves as the vice chancellor for student, equity, and community affairs at Arkansas State University Three Rivers. Earlier, she was vice president of student affairs at the College of Ouachitas in Malvern, Arkansas.
Saddiq Dzukogi Awarded the Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry
Saddiq Dzukogi, an assistant professor of English at Mississippi State University, is the winner of the third annual Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry. The prize is presented to a living poet who is not a U.S. citizen for a full-length book of poems published in the previous year.
Atlanta University Center Consortium to Launch an Institute on Dual-Degree Engineering Programs
The new Institute for Dual-Degree Engineering Advancement (IDEA) will be a national hub for collaboration between 250 dual-degree engineering programs across the nation, providing models for best practices for dual-degree engineering students.
Four Black Scholars in New University Teaching Roles
Taking on new teaching assignments are Ericmoore Jossou at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Audrey Sorrells at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Chaudron Carter Short at Temple University in Philadelphia, and Francis Annan at the University of California, Berkeley.
Bowie State University Begins a Bachelor’s Degree Program at a State Prison in Maryland
Incarcerated citizens at Maryland’s Jessup Correctional Institution can now earn a bachelor's degree in sociology. Incarcerated students who apply and are accepted into the university will have all fees and tuition covered by Pell Grants. Bowie State is the first HBCU in Maryland to offer a degree program for individuals incarcerated at a state correctional facility.
T. Elon Dancy II Honored by the Critical Race Studies in Education Association
T. Elon Dancy II, the Helen S. Faison Endowed Chair in Urban Education and executive director of the Center for Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh, recently received the 2022 Derrick Bell Legacy Award. The award honors critical race theorists, critical race studies scholars, and progressive educators-activists committed to advancing social justice and educational race equity.
Morehouse College Establishes the Center for Broadening Participation in Computing
Morehouse College, the nation's only historically Black liberal arts institution dedicated to educating and developing men, and the Information Technology Industry Council, a global technology trade association representing 80 of the world's most innovative companies, are partnering together to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech ecosystem.
Three African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to University Administrative Positions
Taking on new administrative duties are Maurice Edington at Florida A&M University, Venus D. Boston at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, and Donavan D. McCargo at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
