Appointments & Awards

Three Black Scholars Selected for New Faculty Positions

Quanice G. Floyd has been tasked with developing an online arts administration degree at the University of Cincinnati. Boukary Sawadogo is chair of the department of media and communication arts at the City College of New York and Richard D. Benson II is the inaugural director of the Detroit Center for Black Studies at Wayne State University.

Boston University’s Louis Chude-Sokei Awarded for Distinguished Scholarship in Africana Studies

Dr. Chude-Sokei, an endowed professor at Boston University, is the 2026 recipient of the Teshome Gabriel Memorial Award from the University of California, Los Angeles' School of Theater, Film, and Television.

New Administrative Roles for Seven African Americans 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.

Rutgers University’s Kimberly Mutcherson Honored by the Association of American Law Schools

Professor Mutcherson was the first woman, the first Black person, and the first LGBTQ person to serve as a dean at Rutgers Law. She was recently recognized as a trailblazer in legal education by the Association of American Law Schools.

New Administrative Appointments for Four African Americans in Higher Education

The appointments are Melvin Thompson at Polk State College in Florida, Dawn Osborne-Adams at Yale University in Connecticut, Jason Frierson at the Nevada System of Higher Education, and Yulander Wells Jr. at Syracuse University in New York.

New Roles for Three Black Scholars in Higher Education

Andre E. Johnson was named director of graduate studies in the department of communication and film at the University of Memphis. Taylor Whitehead of Virginia State University was elected president of the HBCU Band & Orchestra Directors' Consortium and Paul Joseph López Oro was promoted to associate professor of Africana studies at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.

Caleb Gayle Wins Distinguished Book Prize in Great Plains Studies

The Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has honored Northeastern University's Caleb Gayle for his new book on Edward McCabe, a Black man who tried to establish a U.S. state governed by and for Black people.

Four Black Administrators Appointed to New Roles at Universities

The appointments are LeNá Powe McDonald at the University of Alabama, Sean Lyn Sr. at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, Charles Small at Syracuse University in New York, and Patricia Smith at Jarvis Christian University in Texas.

Four Black Scholars Appointed to New Faculty Positions

Duchess Harris was selected for an endowed appointment at Macalaster College and Samson Okoth Opondo was promoted to full professor at Vassar College. Christy Swinson is associate dean of the Fayetteville State University School of Nursing and La'Tesha Sampson is director of the MSW program at Seton Hall University.

Nicole Joseph of Vanderbilt University Receives National Award in Mathematics Education

Dr. Joseph, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College, was recently honored by the Mathematical Association of American for her career-long contributions to mathematics education for K-12 and undergraduate students.

New Appointments for Five Black Americans in Higher Education

The appointments are Sean D. Burns at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Shawna Lynch-Watkins at Meredith College in North Carolina, Robert E. Nobles III at Florida A&M University, Tyrell Warren-Burnett at Georgia State University, and Catherine Edmonds at North Carolina A&T State University.

Princeton’s Nell Irvin Painter Recognized by the Society of American Historians

Professor Painter has been awarded for her distinguished scholarship in American history. Currently a professor emerita at Princeton University, she has authored nine books throughout her career.

New Appointments for Three Black Administrators in Higher Education

Terrence Brooks is associate vice provost for campus engagement at Rice University. Victoria Neason Wallace will serve as vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions at Bates College in Maine and Eric Burns is director of athletics at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.

Thavolia Glymph Elected to the American Philosophical Society

Dr. Glymph is the Peabody Family Distinguished Professor of History, professor of history, and professor of law at Duke University in North Carolina. She was the first Black woman to serve as president of the American Historical Association.

Two Black Women Scholars Selected for Endowed Professorships

Margarita Guillory is the C. Allyn and Elizabeth V. Russell Professor of Religion and Culture in the United States at Boston University. Candis Watts Smith was named the Robert O. Keohane Professor of Political Science at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Barbara Ransby Receives National Award for Contributions to American History Research

The Organization of American Historians has honored the University of Illinois Chicago's Barbara Ransby for her decades of scholarship, mentorship, and public engagement. Her work has helped shape the study of African American history, social movements, and Black feminist thought.

Six Black Administrators Selected for New Roles in Higher Education

Taking on administrative roles are Jamarco Clark at Wichita State University in Kansas, Marques Dantzler at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, Antionette Marbray at Rollins College in Florida, Tashni-Ann Dubroy at the United Negro College Fund, William J. Young at Alabama A&M University, and Chadwick Wilson at Middle Georgia State University.

Two African Students Elected President of Graduate Student Groups at American Universities

Nichesius Godwin has been elected president of the LEAP Graduate Student Network at the University of Georgia, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in education. Vanessa Macamo has been elected president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council at the University of Arizona, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in special education.

New Appointments for Four Black Scholars in Academia

The Black scholars named to new posts are Ozzie Abaye at Virginia Tech, Suban Nor Cooley of Michigan State University, A. Bolu Ajiboye at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and Dustin Bessette at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon.

Two Black Professors Honored for Their Distinguished Service to Architecture Education

Carla Jackson Bell of Tuskegee University in Alabama and David Hughes of Kent State University in Ohio have each received an Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor Award in honor of their contributions to architecture education.
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