Monthly Archives: November, 2023

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.

American Students Studying Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa

In the 2021-22 academic year, there were 4,614 American students who studied at universities in sub-Saharan Africa. This is about one tenth of the number of students from sub-Saharan Africa studying at U.S. universities.

Marcus L. Thompson Named the Thirteenth President of Jackson State University

Dr. Thompson has more than 20 years of leadership experience in early childhood, K-12 education, and higher education. He has been serving as the deputy commissioner and chief administrative officer of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, where for over a decade he has been responsible for overseeing IHL staff.

U.S. Public Schools Remain Separate and Unequal

Approximately 522,400 students, or 1 percent of overall student enrollment, attended public schools where fewer than half of the teachers met all state certification requirements. Of the students attending those schools, 66 percent were Black and Latino students.

Deborah Dyett Desir Is the New President of the American College of Rheumatology

Dr. Desir has more than three decades of experience in clinical medicine. In 1993, she started a rheumatology private practice in Hamden, Connecticut. In 2019, Dr. Desir joined the Yale School of Medicine faculty.

Hospitals That Serve Mostly Black Patients Are Less Likely to Have Core Resources to Battle Cancer

UCLA researchers looked at nearly 4,400 hospitals across the U.S., including 864 with high numbers of Black and Hispanic patients. The team looked at the availability of 34 cancer-related services at these facilities. They found that hospitals serving high numbers of Black patients were significantly less likely to offer all the core services.

Virginia State University to Be the First HBCU to Host a 2024 Presidential Debate

Virginia State University is the first historically Black college or university ever selected to host a general election U.S. Presidential Debate. The debate, scheduled for October 1, 2024, is the second of three scheduled general election presidential debates. The debate will take place in the university's Multipurpose Center.

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.

Lincoln University President Brenda Allen Gets Seven-Year Contract Extension

Brenda Allen was named the fourteenth president of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 2017. The board of trustees has extended the contract of President Brenda Allen for seven years. President Allen will now lead the university until 2030.

A Trio of Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to New Positions

Darian Longmire is a new assistant professor of art practice at the University of California, Berkeley. Associate professor Michelle Richardson was named faculty athletics representative at Coppin State University in Baltimore and Jallicia A. Jolly is a new assistant professor of American studies and Black studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

Southern University to Reorganize Its Leadership Structure

For the past eight years, the president of the Southern University System and the chancellor of the flagship campus of the system in Baton Rouge has been the same person. The positions were combined due to severe financial constraints on the system's budget. Now the Southern University System board of supervisors has voted to split the positions once again.

University of Mississippi’s Viola Acoff Honored for Her Policymaking Role in Materials Engineering

Dr. Acoff became dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Mississippi on July 1. She is the first woman and first African American to hold the position. From 2014 to 2023, she was the associate dean for undergraduate and graduate programs at the University of Alabama.

Meharry Medical College in Nashville Creates the School of Global Health

Meharry Medical College has begun the process to recruit faculty, engage partners, and secure accreditation for the School of Global Health, and anticipates beginning to enroll students in the fall of 2024.

Three African Americans in New Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Monique D’Almeida was appointed the Deknatel Curatorial Fellow in Japanese Works on Paper at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center on the campus of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Torin Moore was named assistant dean for student affairs for the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts and Christian Mills was named director of the Quality Enhancement Plan at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina.

In Memoriam: Willard R. Johnson, 1935-2023

Dr. Johnson joined the political science faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964 as an assistant professor. He was the first Black faculty member at MIT to rise through the ranks and achieve tenure from within.

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.

Bipartisan Group of U.S. Senators Introduce the HBCU Africa Partnerships Act

The legislation would expand partnerships and student exchange programs at HBCUs to build up the capacity and expertise of students, scholars, and experts from sub-Saharan Africa in key development areas, including food systems, agriculture, nutrition and farming, democracy, and public health.

Harvard Announces a Grant Program to Address Systemic Inequities for Descendants of Slavery

The Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative will offer annual funding up to $350,000 for long-term projects and $25,000 for smaller projects that address systemic inequities for descendants of slavery.

Get the FREE JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

JBHE Archives

Latest News