Two HBCUs Recognize African Americans by Naming Auditoriums in Their Honor
The honorees are Carver Randle Sr., a practicing attorney who is a long-time supporter and former special assistant to the president of Mississippi Valley State University, and Wayne J. Riley former president of Meharry Medical College, who now serves as president of SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.
Tennessee State University to Establish the Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. Memorial Institute
The new initiative to honor Dr. Watkins at Tennessee State will have several components; an endowed scholarship fund for pre-med students, a lecture series on health care and STEM education, and on-campus societies to aid pre-med and STEM students.
Framingham State University to Honor Its First Black Graduate
Mary Miles Bibb graduated from the Massachusetts State Normal School in Lexington in 1843, The school later became Framingham State University. The university plans to name a residence hall in her honor.
New Scholarship at Vanderbilt University Honors Rev. James Lawson
Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. was a leading figure in the civil rights movement and an associate of Martin Luther King Jr. The new scholarships will be given to students from underrepresented groups who have shown a commitment to civil rights and social justice.
Honors and Awards for Four Black Scholars or Administrators
The honorees are Lance R. Collins, dean of engineering at Cornell University, La'Kitha Hughes, a facilities administrator at Jackson State University in Mississippi, architect David Adjaye, who was honored by Washington University in St. Louis and Jackie Hankins-Kent of Temple University.
Brown University Renames Building to Honor Two Early Black Graduates
The J. Walter Wilson Building will now be known as Page-Robinson Hall in honor of Inman Edward Page, one of the first two Black graduates of Brown in 1877, and Ethel Tremaine Robinson, who became the first Black woman to graduate from Brown in 1905.
New Research Institute at the University of Ghana to Be Named for Yale’s Lamin...
The new research center, which will be formally inaugurated in early 2020, will focus on designing research projects on various topics on religion and society in Africa. Professor Sanneh taught at the University of Ghana from 1975 to 1978.
Recent Honors and Awards for African Americans in Higher Education
Here is a listing of a group of African Americans in higher education who have been honored by colleges and universities or who have received notable awards from other organizations.
Princeton University’s Tera Hunter Wins Book Awards From the American Historical Association
Tera W. Hunter, the Edwards Professor of History and professor of African American studies at Princeton University in New Jersey, has been awarded the Joan Kelly Memorial Prize in women's history and/or feminist theory as well as the Littleton-Griswold Prize in U.S. law and society from the American Historical Association.
West Virginia State University Honors Alumnus Earl Lloyd, the First Black Man to Play...
Historically Black West Virginia State University will recognize Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member and alumnus Earl Lloyd with the naming of a street on campus in his honor. The basketball legend passed away on February 26, 2015.
St. Cloud State University Names Academic Building After its First Black Graduate
Ruby Cora Webster, the daughter of former slaves, was born in Ohio and moved with her family to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where she attended high school. Webster graduated from what is now St. Cloud State University in 1909 with a degree in elementary education.
Drew Lanham Wins Prize for Environmental Leadership From the National Audubon Society
J. Drew Lanham, the Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University in South Carolina, will receive this year's Dan W. Lufkin Prize for Environmental Leadership, which honors individuals who have dedicated their lives to the environment and conservation.
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Revokes Honor for Professor Angela Davis
In September of 2018, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute selected Angela Davis to receive the Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award at its annual gala in February. That decision has now been changed and the event has been cancelled. Dr. Davis believes her support of Palestinian rights prompted the decision.
A Trio of African Americans Who Have Been Selected to Receive Prestigious Honors
The honorees are Mercy Mumba of the College of Nursing at the University of Alabama, Paulette Brown Bracey, professor of library science at North Carolina Central University, and LaDelle Olion, professor of special education at Fayetteville State Univeraity in North Carolina.
Saint Elmo Brady Honored With a National Historical Chemical Landmark
Professor Brady was the first African American to earned a Ph.D. in chemistry. He will be honored with plaques at the University of Illinois, where he earned his doctorate, and at schools where he served on the faculty: Fisk University, Tuskegee University, Howard University, and Tougaloo College.
University of Arkansas Names Residence Halls After Its First African American Faculty Members
Dr. Margaret Clark began her teaching career at the University of Arkansas in 1969 and taught world languages and education. Dr. Gordon Morgan was hired as an assistant professor in the department of sociology in 1969 and eventually worked his way up to the rank of University Professor.
Notable Honors and Awards for Six African Americans in Higher Education
The honorees are Nafissa Thompson-Spires of the University of Illinois, Gregory S. Carr of Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Tayari Jones of Emory University in Atlanta, Jamilla Lyiscott of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Wilma Mishoe of Delaware State University, and Vinette Gordon of Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
Honors and Awards in Higher Education for Five African Americans
The honorees are Andrea Porter of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Howard Henderson at Texas Southern University in Houston, Jackie Sibblies Drury of the Yale School of Drama, Mary Frances Early of the University of Georgia, and Robert J. Rivers Jr. of Princeton University in New Jersey.
Norman C. Francis Receives the 2019 Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame
Established at the University of Notre Dame in 1883, the Laetare Medal was conceived as an American counterpart of the Golden Rose, a papal honor that dates from the 11th century. The award honors an individual who "has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church, and enriched the heritage of humanity.”
Five African American Faculty Members Honored With Prestigious Awards
The honorees are Paul C. Clement of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Tressie McMillan Cottom of Virginia Commonwealth University, Mary Atwater of the University of Georgia, Ronke Olabisi of Rutgers University in New Jersey, and Connie Dacus of Alabama State University.
Johnnetta Cole to Be Honored by the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity
Dr. Cole is being honored as a role model and leader for others through her personal achievements and excellence in a chosen field; commitment to human, civil rights, and social issues; and contributions to the betterment of society.
Four African American Men Who Have Received Notable Honors or Awards
The honorees are Gregory Robinson at Tennessee State University, Echol Nix Jr. at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Reginald Hamilton at Pennsylvania State University, and Forest M. Pritchett at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
A Quartet of African American Women Who Have Been Selected for Notable Honors
The honorees are Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, president of Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, Karen Robinson, associate professor of nursing at Marquette University, Gabrielle Abelard a clinical assistant professor of nursing at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Benita Powell, assistant general counsel at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
Keisha N. Blain Wins Book Award from the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
Dr. Blain is an associate professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, where she has served on the faculty since 2017. Her book examines the activism of Black nationalist women who challenged White supremacy and advocated for full citizenship and human rights for people of African descent.
Four African American Scholars Honored With Notable Awards
The honorees are Gilda Barabino dean of engineering at City College of New York, Lovoria Williams, an associate professor of nursing at the University of Kentucky, WIlliam M. Jackson Jr., professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of California, Davis, and Nicole R. Howard of the University of Redlands.
Spelman College President Mary Schmidt Campbell Wins 2018 Hooks National Book Award
Mary Schmidt Campbell's An American Odyssey is a telling biography of the artist Romare Bearden, whose iconic collages conveyed the richness and complexity of African American life in the civil rights era.
College of Charleston Renames Award to Honor Educator James E. Campbell
James E. Campbell, who was born in 1925, is an African American educator and civil rights activist. He worked as a teacher in Baltimore, Maryland, New York City, and Tanzania. He later became an administrator with the New York City public school system and in retirement has remained active in educational initiatives in South Carolina.
Johnnie Hamilton-Mason to Receive the 2019 Feminist Scholar Award
The Simmons University professor of social work will be honored at the Council on Social Work Education's annual program meeting in Denver, Colorado on October 26. Dr. Hamliton-Mason has taught at the Simmons School of Social work since 1991.
University of Virginia’s Kevin Everson to Receive a 2019 Heinz Award
The Heinz Awards, now in their 24th year, honor individuals who have made extraordinary contributions in five categories: arts and humanities; environment; the human condition; public policy; and technology, the economy and employment. Professor Everson will be honored for his body of work in film on October 17 in Pittsburgh.
Harold Martin Sr. to Receive the Educational Leadership Award From the TMCF
Harold L. Martin Sr., chancellor of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, has been selected to receive the Educational Leadership Award from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. He will be honored at the association's Anniversary Awards Gala on October 19 in Washington, D.C.
Framingham State University to Honor its First Black Graduate: Mary Miles Bibb
After graduating in 1843, Bibb went on to become one of the first African American woman teachers on the continent. She opened several schools for Black children during a 23-year teaching career in Canada. The university will rename a residence hall in her honor.
North Carolina A&T State University Names Its College of Business and Economics
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro has announced that will name its College of Business and Economics after Willie A. Deese. This is the first time that a person has been used in a college's name at the university.
International African-American Historical and Genealogy Society Book Award to Walter Curry Jr.
Walter B. Curry Jr., who teaches online graduate courses in the master of education degree program at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, was honored for his book on the Thompson family of Salley, South Carolina.
Winston-Salem State University Honors Retiring Chief of Police
Patricia Norris stepped down as chief of campus police at Winston-Salem State University on December 31. Her husband, Robert Norris, made a secret donation to the university so that the police and public safety building on campus would be renamed in her honor.
Hampton Honors Dean With More Than 50 Years of Service to the University
Jewel B. Long, dean of residence life at Hampton University in Virginia, is stepping down from her post. In recognition of her 54 years of continuous service to the educational institution, Hampton University is naming the lobby of a residence hall in her honor.
Former Tennessee State University Faculty Member Given Posthumous Honor
The Tennessean, the daily newspaper in Nashville, has named a conference room in its headquarters to honor the late Getahn Ward, a reporter for the paper and an alumnus and adjunct faculty member at historically Black Tennessee State University.
