Daily Archives: Mar 16, 2026

In a focus-group study of Black alumni from undergraduate and graduate programs at for-profit colleges and universities, nearly all participants said they would not choose to attend the same school in hindsight.

“It is an honor to be selected as the next president of Tougaloo College, an institution with a profound legacy of academic excellence and social transformation,” said Dr. Wiggins. “I look forward to working collaboratively with the board of trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the broader Tougaloo community to advance the college's mission and strengthen its future.”

“This research helps to quantify HBCUs' impact on their local communities, which we think should be an important finding for policymakers, especially considering that about half of HBCUs are public universities that are highly dependent on state legislatures for their funding,” said Russell Weinstein of the University of Illinois.

“I am honored to join North Carolina A&T, a university with such a rich history of excellence and a clear vision for the future,” said Dr. Daire. “I look forward to working with faculty, staff, and students to build on the university’s momentum and ensure that every Aggie has the support they need to succeed.”

Using survey data on a range on industries, occupations, and unions in the South, the study discusses the challenges facing Black workers and their viewpoints on unions.

Dr. Williams comes to his new role from California State University, East Bay, where he served as dean of the College of Education and Allied Studies. Earlier in his career, he was a professor of counseling and associate dean of the Graduate College of Education at San Francisco State University.

During a Lincoln University of Pennsylvania homecoming celebration in October 2025, 20-year-old Jujuan Jeffers was shot and killed. Jeffers' family has recently filed a lawsuit against the HBCU, seeking punitive damages and an audit of Lincoln's safety policies.

Ibram X. Kendi is the inaugural Carter G. Woodson Endowed Chair in History at Howard University in Washington, D.C. James Lee III is the Endowed Professor in Composition and Theoretical Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

Through the new Partnership for Southern Impact, scholars from Fisk University and the New York University School of Law will work together with communities and civic groups throughout the South to make local and state governments more representative.

Oregon State University has honored Natasha Trethewey of Northwestern State University for her literary achievements. A Pulitzer Prize-winner and former Poet Laureate of the United States, Professor Trethewey is the author of five poetry collections, one monograph, and a memoir.

“This award represents both an honor and a responsibility,” said Alabama A&M University Professor Mebougna Drabo. “It reflects confidence in our research capabilities and our commitment to excellence.”

The five appointments are Breana M. Ware at Spelman College, Dianne Pledger at Winston-Salem State University, Kevin White at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Angelique D. Stallings at North Carolina Central University, and LaVada R. Rice at Voorhees University.

In 1995, Dr. McPhail was named the first woman and first African American president of Cypress College in California, where she served for three years. Over two decades later, she served as president of historically Black St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.

Jelani Favors examines the late Jesse Jackson's time at North Carolina A&T State University and how the HBCU cultivated in him the importance of character, civic engagement, and service.

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.

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.

In 1955, Coates enrolled as one of seven Black students in her freshman class at the University of Maryland, College Park. She was the only one to persist to graduation, earning her bachelor's degree in 1959 and becoming the university's first Black woman graduate.

“By ensuring HBCUs are full partners in our national AI research network, we are building a more equitable innovation economy and ensuring that the talent and excellence at our HBCUs help lead the future of artificial intelligence,” said U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee of North Carolina.

In 1972, Dr. Simmons co-founded what would become Sojourner-Douglas College in Baltimore. Named for Black abolitionist leaders Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, the college was not officially designated as an HBCU, but enrolled a predominately Black student body. It closed its doors in 2016 after losing its accreditation.