Appointments & Awards

New Academic Appointments for Four Black Professors

Faculty members Amelia Kraehe at the University of Arizona, Desmond Stephens at Virginia State University, Elizabeth Carter at Seton Hall University, and Cedric Merlin Powell at Howard University are taking on new assignments.

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.

Seven Black Administrators Selected for New Roles at HBCUs

The new administrators are Debra Clark Jones at Bennett College, Thaddeus Fairley at Alcorn State University, Brendan Johnson at Benedict College, Samantha Hutchinson at Savannah State University, Robert Muhammad at North Carolina A&T State University, Damian Thomas at Elizabeth City State University, and Rick Jackson at Talladega College.

A Trio of New Administrators Join South Carolina State University

Tiera Williams has been named director of residence life and housing; Rocky Simmons has been appointed director of corporate, foundation, and community relations; and Cardan Williams has been named major gift officer and planned giving coordinator.

Rutgers University Has Appointed Two Black Scholars to Prestigious Professorships

Wanda Blanchett has been named a University Professor at Rutgers-New Brunswick and John Keene has been named a Board of Governors Professor of English at Rutgers-Newark.

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.

New Leadership Appointments for Four Black Administrators in Higher Education

Chris Brown is taking on a new role in athletics at Colorado College, ClarLynda Williams-DeVane was appointed to a research director position at East Carolina University, Sydney Burt has received a promotion in student services at Martin University in Indianapolis, and Eugene Diggs will lead the Delaware State University bands.

New Academic Appointments for Three Black Educators at HBCUs

Kisha Cunningham Aites and Archie Williams have been selected for associate dean roles at Savannah State University and Alcorn State University, respectively. Bracy Martin has been appointed interim director of bands at Elizabeth City State University.

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.

A Trio of Black Leaders Appointed to New Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Andre Payne, Jessie Grant, and Janel Forde are taking on new roles at Talladega College, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the University of Colorado Boulder, respectively.

New Faculty Appointments for Three Black Professors

Olaoluwatoni Alimi and Francis Tsiboe have joined the faculties of Princeton University and North Dakota State University, respectively. Barbara McCaskill has been promoted to distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia.

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.

A Trio of Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Positions at HBCUs

The appointments are Kery Davis at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Yolanda Robinson at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, and Casey Davis at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.

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.

Three Black Administrators Taking on New Roles at Universities

Aaron Dixon, Dwane Sterling, and Alison Chandler are taking on new leadership roles at Alabama A&M University, Virginia Tech, and Saint Xavier University, respectively.

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.

Three Black Scholars Taking on New Appointments in Higher Education

The academics taking on new positions are Percy Mack at South Carolina State University, Ronett Jacobs at Alverno College in Milwaukee, and Stephen Philip Harvey at Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's joint public radio station.

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.

Four Black Administrators Appointed to Leadership Roles in Higher Education

The administrators taking on new leadership roles are Johnny Woods at Yakima Valley College in Washington, Rachel Davis at Grambling State University in Louisiana, Heather Freeman at Xavier University of Louisiana, and Angel Pointer at South Carolina State University.

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.

New Academic Appointments for Four Black Professors

Edward Hill, Jr. of Talladega College, George Johnson of South Carolina State University, Melissa Bonds of Alverno College in Milwaukee, and Lee Baker of Duke University have received new appointments at their institutions.

Six Black Americans Taking on 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.

New Appointments for Three Black Faculty Members at Universities

Brandon Hasbrouck has been selected for an endowed professorship at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Kelvin Lesene is the new director of Delaware State University's aviation program and Phokeng Dailey, a communications professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, will serve as the institution's vice president of marketing.

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.

Six Black Americans Selected for 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.

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.

Six Black Leaders Taking on New Administrative Roles in Higher Education

The Black men and women appointed to new administrative posts in higher educartion are Nicole McDonald, Lerato Barney, Rodney Lewis, Charles Jake, Brittany Holloman, and Douglas LaVergne.

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."

Three Black Women Appointed to Named Professorships at Duke University

Duke University in Durham, North Carolina has appointed Jasmine Nichole Cobb, Tamika Nunley, and Phia Salter to named professorships under the Bass Fellow program.

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.

Four Black Americans Appointed to Leadership Roles at HBCUs

The administrative appointments have gone to Robert Pompey at Hampton University in Virginia, Lanisa Kitchiner at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Willie Jude II at Claflin University in South Carolina, and Ronald Howell, Jr. at Virginia State 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.

UNCF President Michael Lomax Receives the Global Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award

"I accept this award not as an individual milestone, but as a celebration of the collective—of every student, every partner, every institution that dared to believe in the power of education to liberate, elevate, and transform," said Dr. Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund.

Four Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Roles at Universities

The appointments are Khalilah Doss at California State University, Fullerton, Rashad Murray at Clemson University, Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux at the California Institute of Technology, and Sonel Shropshire at Everett Community College.

New Dean Appointments for Six Black Leaders in Academia

The new deans are Judette Louis at Old Dominion University in Virginia, Kimberly Poole at Clemson University in South Carolina, Matthew Johnson-Roberson at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, MarQuita Barker at Davidson College in North Carolina, Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz at Barnard College in New York City, and Yarneccia Dyson at the University of Houston.

Gloria Boutte Receives National Recognition for Advancing Social Justice in Education

A Carolina Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Boutte is a scholar of promoting anti-racism and pro-Blackness within education.
1...678...93Page 7 of 93

Get the FREE JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Featured Jobs