Appointments & Awards

Attica Locke to Receive the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

The Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction is presented by the University of Alabama Law School and the ABA Journal. Locke is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Five African Americans Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are Daniel M. Roderick at Clark University in Massachusetts. Kirsten Elleby at the University of New Orleans, Kevin D. Howell at the University of North Carolina System, Aishah S. Casseus at Florida State University, and Timothy R. Terrentine Sr. at Western Michigan University.

A Pair of African American Scholars Appointed to Dean Posts

Gregory Washington was appointed to a second five-year term as dean of engineering at the University of California, Irvine, and Cheryl Harrison was appointed dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York.

New Higher Education Administrative Appointments for Five African Americans

The appointees are Stan Wilcox at Florida State University, Ulanda Adair-Simpson at Lone Star College in Texas, Earl C. Paysinger at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Joseph Jones at Drake University in Iowa, and Tracy Foster at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Four Black Scholars in New Teaching Roles

Maya Wiley was appointed to a named chair at the New School. Rhea Ballard-Thrower was named director of University Libraries at Howard University. Rick Lowe and Anindo Marshall are joining the faculties at the University of Houston and the University of Southern California, respectively.

Four Black Scholars Honored With Notable Awards

The honorees are Kingsley Odigie a postdoctoral researcher at the U.S. Geological Survey, Keisha N. Blain of the University of Iowa, Maurice Williams of Hampton University in Virginia, and Robert L. Belle Jr., a long-time educator who was recognized by Rowan University in New Jersey.

Vanessa Sheared Appointed Dean of Education at the University of the Pacific

For the past decade Dr. Sheared has been serving as dean of the College of Education at California State University, Sacramento. Earlier, she served on the faculty at San Francisco State University.

Six African Americans Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are Michael A. Freeman at Coppin State University, Felita Y. Singleton at Portland State University, Henry Wade Johnson at Benedict College, Marcus Cox at Xavier University of Louisiana, Paul Baker at North Carolina Central University, and Roland N. Bullard Jr. at Dillard University in New Orleans.

New Assignments for Four Black Faculty Members

Taking on new roles are Sandra Barnes at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, T. Elon Dancy II at the University of Oklahoma, Lorenzo M. Boyd at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Horace Campbell of Syracuse University in New York.

Olufunke A. Fontenot to Serve as Provost at Albany State University

Dr. Fontenot has been serving as a professor of criminal justice and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville.

The First Black Woman Chair of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees

Dr. Harris is the former director of health services for Fulton County, Georgia, and the former medical director for the Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Three African American Men Named to Positions as Deans

The new deans are Eugene Williams at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, Farrell J. Webb at California State University, Northridge, and Alan P. Hill at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

The New Director of the Center for Black Studies at Northern Illinois University

Gena Flynn is the new director of the Center for Black Studies at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. She was director of academic support at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. From 2007 to 2014, Dr. Flynn served on the staff at Columbia College in Chicago.

Four African Americans Named to New Administrative Posts at Colleges and Universities

The appointees are Norm Jones at Amherst College in Massachusetts, Loretta McDonald at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Keith W. McIntosh at the University of Richmond in Virginia, and Parris Carter at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Award Named After Black Scholar at Texas A&M University

The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education has created an award to honor Christine A. Stanley, the vice president and associate provost for diversity and professor of higher education administration in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University.

Five Black Scholars Are Taking on New Assignments

Jose Cossa is joining the faculty at Vanderbilt. Michael Woods at Hamilton College and Dean E. Robinson at the University of Massachusetts were named to endowed professorships. Derek Conrad Murray of the University of California, Santa Cruz was named to an editorial board and UConn's Michael Bradford was named chair of dramatic arts.

Two Black Scholars Appointed to Dean Positions

Ne’Keisha Stepney was promoted to dean for business and career technologies at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois, and Samuel B. Mukasa was appointed dean of the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota.

New Yale Award Program for High School Students Honors Ebenezer Bassett

Ebenezer Bassett was the first African American student to enroll at the Connecticut Normal School, which is now Central Connecticut State University. He taught at what is now Cheyney University and later became the first African American to serve as a diplomat for the United States.

Four African Americans in New Administrative Post at Historically Black Universities

Taking on new roles are Kirk E. Gavin at Florida A&M University, Michael C. Trusclair at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, Brint M. Martin at Hampton University in Virginia, and Gwendolyn Caples at Jackson State University in Mississippi.

City of Philadelphia to Honor Slain Educator and Civil Rights Activist, Octavius Catto

Catto graduated as the valedictorian of the Institute for Colored Youth, which today is Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. He later taught English literature, mathematics and classical languages at the institution. He was murdered in 1871 while trying to defend African Americans' right to vote.

Four Black Scholars Taking on New Roles in Higher Education

Appointed to new positions are James Mack at the University of Cincinnati, Edwin Kwane Otu at the University of Virginia, J'Aime Jennings of the University of Louisville, and Sherman Henry at the University of Oregon.

Two African American Women Professors Honored With Major Awards

The honorees are Estella Atekwana, Regents Professor and director of the Boone Pickens School of Geology at Oklahoma State University, and Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech.

Five African Americans Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are Gillian McKnight-Tutein at Front Range Community College in Colorado, Marshawn Wolley at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Barbara Exum at Virginia Commonwealth University, Xavier A. Cole at Marquette University, and Kevin McDonald at the University of Missouri.

Endowed Scholarship Fund at Jackson State Honors Former Political Science Professor

Jackson State University in Mississippi has created an endowed scholarship fund in honor of Charles Holmes, the former professor and chair of the department of political science in the College of Liberal Arts.

Six African Americans Named to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

Here is this week's announcements of African Americans who have been appointed to administrative positions at colleges and universities across the United States.

MIT Debuts Excellence Through Adversity Award to Honor Robbin Chapman of Wellesley College

Robbin Chapman is the former manager of diversity recruiting at the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT and also served as the inaugural assistant associate provost for faculty equity at the university. She joined the administration of Wellesley College in suburban Boston in 2011.

Four Black Scholars in New Faculty Roles

Appointed to new positions are Cheryl Taylore Lee at Ohio State University, Shelby R. Chipman at Florida A&M University, Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong at Harvard University, and Renee Cottle at Clemson University.

Honors or Awards for Three African American Women at Major Universities

The honorees are Charlotte Baker of Florida A&M University, Shirley T. Frye of North Carolina A&T State University, and Karen Bankston of the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati.

Four African Americans Named to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are Qiana Watson at York College of the City University of New York, Lawrence A.Q. Burnley at the University of Dayton in Ohio, Stacey Nickson at Auburn University in Alabama, and Gerald Hector at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Five African American Men in New University Administrative Roles

The appointees are Cedric Gathings at Marshall University, Aaron Whigham at Pennsylvania State University-Greater Allegheny, Rodney C. McClendon at Carnegie Mellon University, Herman Frazier at Syracuse University, and Walter Davenport at Saint Augustine's University.

Tufts University Names Residence Hall After Its First Black Tenure-Track Faculty Member

Bernard W. Harleston was hired as an assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University in 1965. He later held an endowed chair in psychology and served as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the university. In 1981, Dr. Harleston was named president of City College of New York.

Five Black Women Scholars Appointed to New Posts

Taking on new roles are Melissa Gilliam at the University of Chicago, June Manning Thomas at the University of Michigan, Yolanda Banks Anderson at North Carolina Central University, Cynthia A. Nance at the University of Arkansas, and Tomisha Brock at Mississippi Valley State University.

Four African American Women Named to New Administrative Posts at Major Universities

Taking on new positions are Sheree M. Marlowe at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, Linda McCabe Smith at North Carolina State University, Caroline Laguerre-Brown at George Washington University, and Monica Terrell Leach at North Carolina Central University.

Three Black Scholars Making News

Duane Lee Holland Jr. has been hired as the first hip-hop dance faculty member at the Boston Conservatory. Sydney Freeman Jr. of the University of Idaho is named a certified online instructor and Emily Greenwood was named chair of the department of classics at Yale University.

Harvard University Honors Its First African American Graduate

Harvard University recently unveiled a portrait of Richard Theodore Greener that will hang in Annenberg Hall along with other luminaries of Harvard's past. Prior to 2005, only two of the university's approximately 750 portraits were of people of color.

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