Appointments & Awards

Danielle Speller Recognized by the National Society of Black Physicists for Early-Career Accomplishments

Danielle Spencer currently serves as an assitant professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She was honored by the National Society of Black Physicists for her research into dark matter and her mentorship of the next generation of physicists.

Three African Americans Appointed to Administrative Roles at Universities

The three appointments to administrative posts are Norris Edney III at Vanderbilt University in Nahville, Seyvion Scott at Syracuse University in New York, and Robert Owens at Tennessee Tech University.

Arizona State University Law Presents the O’Connor Justice Prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Johnson Sirleaf was the first woman democratically elected head of state in Africa. She was elected president of Libera in 2005 - just two years after the end of a decades-long civil war.

New Faculty Appointments for Three Black Scholars

The Black scholars taking on new faculty roles are Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha at Tufts University, Willie Jennings at Yale University, and Timothy Lewis at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

‘Dimeji Togunde Honored for Lifetime Achievement in Global Education

Dr. 'Dimeji Togunde is the vice provost for global education at Spelman College. Since joining the college's faculty in 2011, he has more than doubled the number of study abroad destinations for Spelman students.

Three African Americans Appointed to Administrative Roles in Academia

The African Americans appointed to new administrative posts are Jonathan Whitfield at Berea College in Kentucky, Felicia Johnson at Virginia State University, and Ariella Robbins at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

New Faculty Positions for Three Black Scholars

The faculty appointments are Lauren Bullock at Temple University in Philadelphia, Margo Brooks Carthon at the University of Pennsylvania, and Munene Mwaniki at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Monic Ductan Receives Inaugural Tennessee Book Award in Fiction

Monic Ductan was honored for her first book, Daughters of Muscadine: Stories. She currently teaches creative writing and literature at Tennessee Tech University.

A Trio of African Americans Taking on New Administrative Responsibilities in Higher Education

The three African Americans appointed to administrative posts in higher education are De'Onqua Isaac at Morris College in South Carolina, Karin Vinson at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, and Jamillah Williams at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Two Black Scholars Selected for Endowed Professorships at Ivy League Universities

The two Black scholars appointed to endowed faculty positions at Ivy League schools are Vaughn Booker at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorceta Taylor at Yale University.

Kemeshia Swanson Receives 2024 Eudora Welty Book Prize

Dr. Swanson, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University, has been recognized for her new book, Maverick Feminist: To Be Female and Black in a Country Founded Upon Violence and Respectability.

New Administrative Roles for Three African Americans in Higher Education

The three African Americans appointed to administrative posts in higher education are Chandra Dorsey-Felton at Florida Memorial University, Quaneshia Hamms at Grambling State University in Louisiana, and BJ Abrams at Michigan State University.

New Faculty Appointments for Six Black Scholars

Here is this week’s roundup of Black scholars who have been appointed to new faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

UNCF President Michael Lomax Receives Andrew Jackson Young Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Lomax is currently in his twentieth year as president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund. He has dedicated his five-decades-long career to civic duty and education, including service as the fifth president of Dillard University in New Orleans.

Three Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Roles at Universities

The African Americans appointed to administrative posts in higher education are Kweli Zukeri at Howard University, Kevin Nesfield at Florida Memorial University, and Apryle Gladney at Washington University in St. Louis.

Five Black Leaders Selected to Lead Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives in Higher Education

The appointments are Rhea Roper Nedd at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Robert Shorty at Grand Valley State University, Rassheedah "Eda" Watts at the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, Janice Hall at Virginia Tech, and Romona West at the University of Arkansas.

New Faculty Appointments for Six Black Scholars

Here is this week’s roundup of Black scholars who have been appointed to faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

Berkeley Professor Walter Hood Wins National Award for Excellence in Architecture and Landscape Design

Hood is a professor and chair of the department of landscape architecture & environmental planning and urban design at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a practicing architect and a past recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Grant.

Five Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Roles at HBCUs

Taking on new administrative duties are Ashley F. G. Norwood at Jackson State University in Mississippi, Jamal Sowell at Florida A&M University, Lorri Saddler at Clark Atlanta University, Cedric Mobley at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Lovelle McMichael at North Carolina A&T State University.

Gene Jarrett Receives Award for His Biography of Paul Laurence Dunbar

Gene Jarrett's book, Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird, tells the story of Dunbar's life as an African American writer in the late 1800s.

Grinnell College Dedicates Building in Honor of First Black Alumna Edith Renfrow Smith

Renfrow Smith, who recently celebrated her 110th birthday, is Grinnell College's first Black alumna and oldest living alum. The newly established Renfrow Hall will serve as a space for the college and local community to collaborate on civic engagement projects.

Kimberlé Crenshaw Honored With Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal

Presented by Harvard University, the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal is considered the university's highest honor in the field of African and African American studies.

Seven Black Scholars Receive Faculty Appointments at Colleges and Universities

Here is this week’s roundup of Black scholars who have been appointed to new faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

Barbara Savage Receives Book Award for Her Recent Biography of Merze Tate

The Before Columbus Foundation has honored Barbara Savage, professor emerita at the University of Pennsylvania, with their 2024 American Book Award for her book, Merze Tate: The Global Odyssey of a Black Woman Scholar.

Six African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education

Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

New Faculty Appointments for Five Black Scholars

The appointments are Eddie Branch at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Jamila Kareem at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Derek Griffith at the University of Pennsylvania, Dereck Barr-Pulliam at the University of Louisville, and Don Simmons at Simmons University.

Edmund W. Gordon Honored for Lifetime Achievement in Pre-K-12 Education

Dr. Gordon's career in education spans nearly seven decades, and includes roles in both public service and academia. He currently serves as a professor emeritus at both Columbia University and Yale University.

Five Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Roles at Colleges and Universities

The appointments are Jennifer Wiggins at Virginia Tech, Kimberly Woodard at Stillman College, Robert Earl at Borough of Manhattan Community College, Parnell Lovelace at Jessup University, and Tim Abney at Lincoln University of Missouri.

New Faculty Appointments for Seven Black Professors

The new appointees are Elisa A. Mitchell, Keisha Green, Hayden Dawes, Sherritta Michelle Williams, Walter Lee, Breonte Guy, and Quin'Nita Cobbins-Modica.

Gilda Barabino Awarded the 2024 Carnegie Mellon Dickinson Prize in Science

Dr. Barabino, president of Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Massachusetts, has conducted extensive research on the understanding of sickle cell disease and orthopedic tissue engineering, as well as advancing diversity and belonging in engineering education and research.

Seven Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Here is this week’s roundup of Black leaders who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

Three Black Social Scientists Join the Boston University Faculty

The new Boston University Black faculty members in the social sciences are Bradley Craig, Brooke Durham, and Pamela Zabala Ortiz.

Berkeley Law Establishes New Democracy Research Center in Honor of Christopher Edley, Jr.

The Edley Center on Law & Democracy will focus its efforts on advancing the understanding of threats to America's democracy. The center's namesake, Christopher Edley, Jr., served as dean of Berkeley Law from 2004 to 2013. He passed away on May 10, 2024.

New Faculty Appointments for Five Black Scholars

The faculty appointments are Jude Sandy at Swarthmore College, Jean Beaman at CUNY's Graduate Center, Seth Gaiters at North Carolina State University, Andrew Waaswa at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Alex Alston at Bryn Mawr College.

W. Paul Coates Honored With a Lifetime Achievement Award From the National Book Foundation

Coates served as the African American studies manuscript and reference librarian in the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University for over a decade. He also taught as an adjunct instructor of African American studies at Sojourner-Douglass College in Maryland.

Eight African Americans Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

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