Honors & Awards

Wellesley College President Paula Johnson Wins Lifetime Achievement Award Named for Cato T. Laurencin

Presented by Dr. Laurencin himself, the award recognizes Dr. Johnson's career-long contributions to medical research, women's health, health equity, and leadership in science and education.

Tyffani Monford Honored for Contributions to Preventing Sexual Violence

Tyffani Monford, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, has been recognized by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Violence for her outstanding research and clinical contributions to the treatment and prevention of sexual harm.

Kenya Beard Receives National Award for Advancing Diversity in Nursing and Healthcare

Currently serving as the inaugural dean of the School of Nursing at Mercy University in Dobbs Ferry, New York, Dr. Beard is a nationally recognized leader in health equity, policy, and nursing education.

Jason Moore is Paul Quinn College’s First Fulbright Scholar

“Being named Paul Quinn’s first Fulbright Scholar is an incredible honor that reflects not just a personal milestone but the power and promise of a supportive Paul Quinn community,” said Dr. Moore, who will spend the upcoming academic year teaching business development and entrepreneurship to students at Bethlehem Moravian College in Jamaica.

Karleah Harris Receives National Recognition for Leadership in Family and Consumer Sciences

“Leadership is not about individual accomplishments – it is about empowering others to be successful,” said Dr. Harris. “That is why it is critical that we continue to make a positive impact and work collaboratively.”

Aaron Thompson Receives National Recognition for Career Contributions to Higher Education

Dr. Thompson is the first Black president of the Council on Postsecondary Education. His background in academia spans over four decades, including a stint as interim president of Kentucky State University.

Morgan State University Graduate Students Win Top Prize at National Innovation Venture Competition

A team of four Morgan State University graduate students have recently won $100,000 in seed funding for their project, AgroVision. The award-winning venture is as scalable AI-integrated smart farming system that aims to tackle food insecurity, climate volatility, and resource scarcity in framing.

Cato Laurencin Lauded for Contributions to the West Indian Foundation

Dr. Laurencin, professor at the University of Connecticut, has been a dedicated supporter of the West Indian community. In 2015, the West Indian Foundation presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Earlier this year, Dr. Laurencin was knighted by King Charles III of England through the Governor-General of St. Lucia.

Three Black Professors Have Been Recognized by PEN America

PEN America has honored Frank X Walker of the University of Kentucky, Kali Nicole Gross of Emory University in Atlanta, and Charles Henry Rowell of Texas A&M University for their achievement in poetry, African American history, and magazine editing, respectively.

Yale’s Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Wins the Tony Award for Best Play

Professor Jacobs-Jenkins recent win for his drama, Purpose, makes him the first Black playwright to receive the Tony Award for Best Play since 1987. Additionally, he is now the first Black playwright to win back-to-back Tony Awards. Last year, his play Appropriate won Best Revival of a Play.

UNC’s Becky White Receives Citation Award from the HIV Medical Association

Dr. White, an associate professor in the division of infectious diseases at the UNC School of Medicine, was recognized for her pioneering research and leadership in improving care and reducing health disparities among prisoners with HIV.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Wins the Newberry Library Award

Throughout his long career in academia, Dr. Gates has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the genealogical history of African Americans. His work has resulted in dozens of books, documentaries, and the popular "Finding Your Roots" series on PBS.

Temple University’s Kymberlee Norsworthy Inducted Into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame

Norsworthy, an assistant professor at Temple University, is being recognized for her work elevating faith-based recording artists to mainstream media outlets.

JBHE Contributor Chuck Stone Receives Posthumous Honor From the Pulitzer Prize Board

While teaching at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Professor Stone collaborated with The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education compiling a number of directories of African Americans who held endowed professorships at U.S. colleges and universities.

Three Black Professors Receive 2025 Pulitzer Prizes

Percival Everett of the University of Southern California, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins of Yale University, and Edda Fields-Black of Carnegie Mellon University have received Pulitzer Prizes in fiction, drama, and history, respectively.

Matthew Morrison Receives Book Award from the Association of American Publishers

The Association of American Publishers has presented the 2025 PROSE Excellence Award in Humanities to Matthew Morrison for his book Blacksound: Making Race and Popular Music in the United States.

Emory’s Crystal Sanders Wins Two Awards for New Book on Graduate Education During the Jim Crow Era

Crystal Sanders' award-winning book, A Forgotten Migration: Black Southerners, Segregation Scholarships, and the Debt Owed to Public HBCUs, explores Black southerners' efforts to secure post-baccalaureate education during the era of legal segregation.

Rust College’s A’Cappella Choir Receives Top Award at International Competition

"I am immensely proud of our students," said Karl Twyner, dean of humanities at Rust College. "They worked diligently to prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Through it, they gained international exposure for themselves and the college, received valuable feedback from world-class judges, and created lifelong memories."

Susan Gooden is the First Black Recipient of the American Society for Public Administration’s Waldo Award

A leading authority on social equity in government, Dr. Gooden currently serves as dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Hampton University Wins the 2025 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

The Honda All-Star Challenge is an annual academic competition for students and faculty at historically Black colleges and universities. This year's top finisher, Hampton University, received a $100,000 grant for their win.

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