Appointments & Awards

New Arts Hall at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools to Honor Gordon Parks

The George Lucas Family Foundation has pledged to donate $25 million to the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools for a new arts hall. At George Lucas' request, the building will be named to honor Gordon Parks.

Columbia University Awards the Kennedy Prize for Drama to Dominque Morisseau

The 2014 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History was awarded by Columbia University to Dominique Morisseau for her play Detroit '67.

NYU Scholar Lyle Ashton Harris Selected to Win the David C. Driskell Prize

Lyle Ashton Harris was chosen as the winner of the 2014 David C. Driskell Prize, given to an early career scholar or artist who has made an original and important contribution to the field of African American art or art history.

Honors for Two African American Professors

Ruth Wilson Gilmore of the City University of New York was honored by the Association of American Geographers and Michelle Albert of Howard University received the Red Dress Award from Women's Day and the American Heart Association.

New Posts for Three African American Administrators

The appointees are Cheryl Harrelson at New Mexico State University, Claude Poux at the Harvard College Observatory and Ferentz Lafargue at Williams College in Massachusetts.

Wanda Fleming Lester to Lead the Business School at North Carolina Central University

Dr. Lester was vice provost for academic affairs and undergraduate programs at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro and has 15 years of experiences as a senior administrator in higher education.

Sylvester James Gates Jr. Named the 2014 Scientist of the Year

Dr. Gates, the John S. Toll Professor of Physics and the director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland College Park, is being honored by the Harvard Foundation.

David McKenzie Will Lead the New Veterinary Hospital at Tuskegee University

Dr. McKenzie, a native of Jamaica, is an associate professor of large animal medicine and surgery at the university's veterinary school. The new hospital is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff Names Three New Administrators

Mary E. Benjamin was named the inaugural vice chancellor for research. James B. Tyson was appointed vice chancellor for development/institutional advancement and Jacquelyn McCray is serving as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Honors for Two African American Scholars

Leo E. Morton, chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Donald Mitchell Jr., assistant professor of higher education at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, are the honorees.

Two African Americans Named to High-Level Administrative Positions

Claude Clegg was appointed associate vice provost for faculty development and diversity at Indiana University and Harriet Frink Davis was named vice chancellor for institutional advancement at North Carolina Central University.

The New Leader of West Virginia University Libraries

Jon E. Cawthorne was named dean of libraries at West Virginia University. He has been serving as the associate dean for public services and assessment at Florida State University Libraries.

The Honors Keep Coming for Natasha Trethewey

The Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University in Atlanta and poet laureate of the United States received the 2014 William Meredith Award for Poetry.

Harvard Pioneer Chosen for Induction Into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame

William Clarence Matthews, a member of the Class of 1905 at Harvard University, led the university's baseball team in batting for three straight seasons. In 1905 he batted .400 and stole 22 bases.

University of Arkansas Little Rock Scholar Honored by Gallaudet University

Dr. Glenn Anderson is a 1982 graduate of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., an educational institution for the deaf and hearing impaired. He was the first African American graduate of Galluadet to earn a doctorate.

Four Black Faculty Members Take on New Roles

The faculty members taking on new assignments are Ibrahim Cisse at MIT, Mellonee V. Burnim at Indiana University, Creola Johnson at Ohio State University, and Brian Purnell at Bowdoin College.

Honors for Two African American Scholars

David H. Jackson, a professor at Florida A&M University won an award from the American Historical Association and Angela Glover Blackwell was honored by Brandeis University.

African Americans Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

Jacqueline Faulkner is a new vice chancellor at Arkansas State University-Newport. Lori Baker-Lloyd joins the staff at Virginia Tech and Brian Jordan will lead the police department at Howard University.

The New Director of the Center for African American Research and Policy

J. Luke Wood is an assistant professor of administration, rehabilitation, and postsecondary education and interim director of the doctoral program in community college leadership at San Diego State University.

New Board Member at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History

Jim C. Harper, an associate professor and chair of the department of history at North Carolina Central University in Durham, was elected to the executive council of the organization founded by Carter G. Woodson.

Honors for Four Black Scholars

The honorees are Tiffany Washington of the University of Georgia, Karin Edwards of Three Rivers Community College, Eric Sheppard of Hampton University, and Oluwatoni Aluko of Meharry Medical College.

New Administrative Roles for Four African American Academics

The new appointees are Jaffus Hardrick at Florida International University, Patricia Salley at South Carolina State University, Melanie Hart at CUNY, and Gbubemi Okotieuro at Berkeley College in New York.

New Award-Winning Film Documents Stories of English Women Who Married Black GIs

Valerie Hill-Jackson, clinical associate professor in the department of teaching, learning, and culture at Texas A&M University, has won the 2013 Upton Sinclair Award for her new film documentary.

The New Dean of Graduate Education at Texas Woman’s University

Larry LeFlore has been serving as interim dean for the past year. He joined the faculty at Texas Woman's University in 2005 as professor and chair of the department of family sciences.

Appalachian State University Honors an Early Black Faculty Member

Jesse C. Jackson, one of the first African American faculty members at Appalachian State, is the first honoree to have his or her portrait hung in a Hall of Fame for alumni and faculty of the Reich College of Education.

Robyn Hadley to Direct the Ervin Scholars Program at Washington University

The program awards full-tuition scholarships to incoming first-year students who have shown exceptional academic and leadership achievements and who have shown a commitment to community service and diversity.

Three African American Scholars in New Teaching Roles

James Perkins joins the chemistry faculty at Clark Atlanta University. Lynette Stephenson was promoted to full professor at Colgate University and Emilie Townes was named to an endowed chair at Vanderbilt University.

Five African Americans in New Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Taking on new duties are Sharon Beverly at the College of New Jersey, Joslyn DiPasalegne at South Carolina State, August Washington at Vanderbilt, Blake Gaines at Mississippi Valley State, and Aaron Taylor of Saint Louis University.

Author Danielle Evans Will Be Joining the Faculty at the University of Wisconsin

She currently serves as an assistant professor of literature at American University in Washington, D.C. Evans is the author of the award-winning short story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self.

One of the Newest Cardinals Is a Notre Dame Graduate From Dominica

Kelvin Edward Felix, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and archbishop emeritus of Castries in Saint Lucia, is one of the 19 newest cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church appointed by Pope Francis.

Four African Americans Taking on New Roles in Higher Education

African American academics appointed to new positions are Myron Hughes at the University of Cincinnati, Keith Pierce at Virginia Tech, Shea Kidd Houze at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Talitha Washington of Howard University.

Dr. Obie Clayton Appointed to an Endowed Chair at Clark Atlanta University

Since 2011, Dr. Clayton has been serving as the Donald L. Hollowell Distinguished Professor of Social Justice and Civil Rights Studies at the University of Georgia's School of Social Work.

Herbie Hancock Named the 2014 Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University

As the Norton Professor, Hancock will give a series of six lectures entitled "The Ethics of Jazz" during the spring semester. Among the previous holders of the post are T.S. Eliot, Igor Stravinsky, and Leonard Bernstein.

Two African American Professors Honored With Awards From National Organizations

Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, professor of religion at the Shaw University, was honored by the Society of Biblical Literature and William Lawson, professor at Howard University, will receive an award from the American Psychiatric Foundation.

Four African Americans Taking on New Admintrative Roles in Higher Education

The new appointees are Harriet Frink Davis at North Carolina Central University, Bleuzette Marshall at the University of Cincinnati, Ray Anderson at Arizona State University, and Chandra Alston at the University of Tennessee.

Blake Morant to Lead the American Association of Law Schools

The dean of the law school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will serve one-year as president-elect and then become president of the organization in 2015.

Get the FREE JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News