Appointments & Awards

A Pair of Black Scholars Selected for Endowed Faculty Positions at Historically Black Universities

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.

Northwestern University’s Natasha Trethewey Honored for Her Outstanding Literary Career

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.

New Leadership Roles for Five Black Administrators in Higher Education

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.

Cato T. Laurencin Named Top Orthopaedic Surgery Scholar in the United States

ScholarGPS has ranked Dr. Laurencin as the top scholar of orthopaedic surgery in the United States and the eighth best in the world. He currently teaches as an endowed professor at the University of Connecticut and CEO of the university's Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering.

Vanderbilt’s Velma McBride Murry Honored by the American Psychological Association

In her research, Dr. Murry investigates how social stressors shape the everyday life experiences, development, and well-being of African American youth and their families, especially in rural and under-resourced communities.

New Leadership Positions for Three Black Administrators in Higher Education

The administrators who have been selected for new leadership roles are Yurandol Thompson at the University of Phoenix, Allen Vital at Albany State University in Georgia, and Sheila Thimba at Kingsborough Community College in New York.

Ohio State’s James L. Moore III Recognized for Outstanding Contributions to STEM Education

An Ohio State faculty member for over two decades, Dr. Moore is currently on loan to the U.S. National Science Foundation, serving as the assistant director for its Directorate of STEM Education. He was recently honored by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's STEM Education Consortium for his remarkable contributions to STEM education.

Ronald Crutcher Honored by the American Association of Colleges and Universities

In addition to his presidency at the University of Richmond, Dr. Crutcher also served as president of Wheaton College in Massachusetts. He was recently honored by the American Association of Colleges and Universities for his outstanding contributions to higher education.

Three Black Scholars Appointed to New Academic Positions

Kara Yacoubou Djima of Wellesley College and Chanelle Wilson of Bryn Mawr College were both promoted to associate professor and granted tenure. Former Howard University President Ben Vinson III was named a fellow at the Afro-Latin American Research Institute in Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African & African American Research.

Arizona State University’s Jewell Parker Rhodes Wins the Coretta Scott King Book Award

Dr. Rhodes' award-winning book, Will's Race for Home (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025), tells the story of a Black father and his 12-year-old son as they set out to win land in the Oklahoma land rush is the late nineteenth century.

New Positions for Four Black Administrators at Colleges and Universities

The appointments are Philip Culver at Farmingdale State College in New York, Vanessa Vales-Lewis at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Rodney D. Smith at Texas Southern University, and Christian Murphy at Spelman College in Atlanta.

New Faculty Appointments for Three Black Scholars

John Thabiti Willis of Grinnell College in Iowa and Erica Edwards of Yale University have been selected for endowed faculty positions at their institutions. Chipo Dendere was promoted to associate professor with tenure at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Clemson’s Brandi Nicole Hinnant-Crawford Receives National Book Award in Educator Preparation

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education has honored Dr. Hinnant-Crawford for the second edition of her book Improvement Science in Education: A Primer.

Four African Americans Selected for Administrative Positions at HBCUs

The appointments are Linell J. Jefferson III at North Carolina Central University, Raymon Hicks at Savannah State University in Georgia, Todd Greene at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and Jarrod Benjamin at Albany State University in Georgia.

Three Black Scholars Who Are Taking on New Roles in Academia

Kaakpema Yelpaala is faculty director of the Future of Health Innovation Hub at the Yale School of Public Health. Karen Keaton Jackson of North Carolina Central University and Mopelola Adeola of Purdue University are taking on leadership roles with the Southern Regional Honors Council and the Midwest Nursing Research Society, respectively.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Renames Series of Awards to Honor John H. Bracey Jr.

Professor Bracey taught in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst for over 50 years. In recognition of his legacy, the university has renamed its Chancellor's Leadership Awards to the Professor John H. Bracey Jr. Leadership Awards, which honor students, faculty, and staff who foster a more equitable and inclusive campus community.

Six Black Administrators Appointed to New Roles at HBCUs

The appointments are Ashley Conner at Edward Waters University, Erin Wiggins Gilliam at Albany State University, Aristide J. Collins Jr. at Howard University, Jalen R. Baker at Livingstone College, Leslie D. Rose at Xavier University of Louisiana, and Marc DeWitt at Central State University.

New Faculty Positions for Three Black Professors

Maxine Burkett is founding faculty director of Stanford University's new Center for Just Environmental Futures and Kim Lewis is chief research officer at Howard University. The University of Georgia has named J. Marshall Shepherd a Regents' Professor, which is the university's highest professional honor.

Bruce Ovbiagele Honored by the American Stroke Association

Bruce Ovbiagele, an associate dean and professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, was presented with the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award which recognizes lifetime contributions to the investigation, management, mentorship and community service in the field of racial and ethnic stroke disparities or related disciplines.

Five Black Administrators Taking on New Roles in the Academic World

The appointments are Cassandra Hawkins at Jackson State University in Mississippi, Malikah Pitts Harvey at St. Philip's College in Texas, Karla Miller at Alabama A&M University, Brandon Thorne at the Universities Space Research Association, and Sheleah D. Reed at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.
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