Black Identical Twins Each Had the Highest GPA at FIU’s College of Engineering and...
Shalisha and Shonda Witherspoon are identical twins. They recently graduated from the College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University in Miami with identical 3.95 grade point averages, the best in the college.
Third Sister From Same Family Named Valedictorian at Dillard University
Stephanie Akpapuna from Lagos, Nigeria, is the third member of her family to be named valedictorian at Dillard University in New Orleans. She will continue her education in the master of fine arts degree program in stage and production management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
The First African American to Earn a Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of...
Adrienne Washington of Morgantown, West Virginia, is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia. She received a master's degree in linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Howard University Issues Tuition Rebates to Students Who Graduated Within Four Years
Howard University, the historically Black research university in Washington, D.C., has issued a 50 percent rebate on the last semester's tuition for students who completed their degrees in the traditional four-year time frame.
The Racial Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States
More than one third, 36.2 percent, of adult non-Hispanic White Americans in 2015 had obtained a bachelor's degree. For adult African Americans in 2015, 22.5 percent had earned a bachelor's degree.
HBCUs Awarded 448 Doctorates in 2014, an All-Time High
The 448 doctorates awarded by HBCUs is the highest total since JBHE began tracking this statistic. In 2014 there was a 13 percent increase in HBCU doctoral awards from the previous year.
Racial Differences in Persistence Rates in U.S. Higher Education
More than 40 percent of all African Americans who enrolled in higher education in the 2011-12 academic year were no longer enrolled in higher education in 2014 and had not earned a degree or certificate of any kind. For Whites, 27.7 percent were no longer enrolled.
Study Finds Academic Coaching Helps Retain Minority Students in Ph.D. Programs
The Academy for Future Science Faculty consists of individual and group-based professional development activities, discussions with fellow students, and highly skilled mentors serving as coaches, many of them minorities themselves, trained in diversity issues.
Penn State Partners With the National Football League Players Association
Former NFL players will be able to earn their degrees through the World Campus of Pennsylvania State University. The agreement is of particular importance to African Americans. Blacks make up two thirds of all players in the National Football League.
The Nationwide Racial Gap in College Graduation Rates
For all students who enrolled in bachelor's degree programs at four-year institutions in 2008, Blacks had the lowest graduation rate of any racial or ethnic group. Only 40.9 percent of Black students had completed their degree within six years.
Academic Disciplines Where African Americans Earned No Doctoral Degrees in 2014
There are 16 academic disciplines where African Americans earned no doctoral degrees in 2014. The good news is that the number of academic fields where there have been no Black doctoral awards is growing smaller.
The Youngest Ph.D. Recipient in the History of Delaware State University
Jalaal A. Hayes recently was awarded a Ph.D. in applied chemistry at Delaware State University at the age of 22. Dr. Hayes graduated from high school at the age of 15 and earned a bachelor's degree at the age of 18.
The First Black Student to Earn a Ph.D. in History at the University of...
A half century after the racial integration of the University of Southern Mississippi, Tonya De'Nee Blair is the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in history at the university.
New Report Shows Graduation Rate Progress for Minority Students, But Blacks Trail Other Groups
The Education Trust has released a new report showing progress has been made in the college graduation rates of minority students. But progress for Black students has trailed the improvements shown by students from other underrepresented minority groups.
Ohio University’s New Program to Boost Black Male Enrollments and Graduation Rates
The African American Male Initiative aims to connect its more than 40 students to academic support services on campus. It also is working in tandem with student organizations, student affairs, and the Athens community to establish a welcoming environment that young Black males can call home.
A Mississippi Woman’s Long Journey From Janitor to the Pinnacle of Higher Education
Yolanda Jones was a college dropout. She enrolled in the Academic Second Chance program at Jackson State University and worked as a janitor to support herself as she pursued a bachelor's degree. Now she has received a doctorate in urban higher education.
Florida A&M University Confers Ph.D.s in Physics to Two Black Women
According to the National Science Foundation, 1,902 people earned Ph.D.s in physics at American universities in 2013. Only 18.8 percent were women and only 19 were Black. Now two Black women have earned Ph.D.s in physics at the same university in the same year.
Four Black Men Earn Doctoral Degrees From One Department at Ohio State
Four Black men earned doctorates this spring in the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State under the mentorship of Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, the youngest full professor in the university's history.
Report Documents Racial Gaps in California Higher Education
Blacks are less likely that other racial/ethnic groups in California to graduate from high school, to complete the curriculum needed for admission to campuses of the University of California or California State University, and to graduate from college.
Identical Twins Graduate With Identical 4.0 Grade Point Averages
Alissa and Ariel Barlow are identical twins who earned their bachelor's degrees at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Both achieved perfect 4.0 grade point averages.
Louisiana State University: A Leader in Black Male Doctoral Awards
Each year, only about 1,000 African Americans men earn doctoral degrees. Thus, it is noteworthy that this spring four African American men earned their doctoral degrees in one department at Louisiana State University.
New Study Documents Degree Completion of Minority Doctoral Students in STEM Fields
One important finding in the Council of Graduate Schools report was that minority doctoral students had the most difficulty when they entered the dissertation phase of their doctoral programs.
New Study on the Marriage Prospects of Educated Black Women
New research from the Brookings Institution shows that only 8 percent of Black women in 2012 married a man with a higher level of education. Nearly 60 percent of Black women who married in 2012 wed a man with a lower level of education.
The Gender Gap in African American Degree Attainment
The gender gap is most pronounced for holders of master's degrees. In 2014, there were 964,000 Black women who held a master's degree but no higher degree. For Black men, the figure was 565,000.
How the University of Maryland Has Boosted Black Male Retention and Graduation Rates
For Black male first-year students in the fall of 2013 at the University of Maryland at College Park who had a 2.3 grade point average or better, 100 percent returned for the spring semester.
Nearly 6 Million Living African Americans Hold a Four-Year College Degree
In 2014, nearly 6 million living African American now hold at least a four-year college degree. The data shows that 179,000 African Americans in 2014 held a professional degree and 206,000 had obtained a doctorate.
Racial Differences in the Road to the Doctoral Degree
For recent doctoral degree recipients, African Americans took longer than Whites to earn their doctoral degree. On average, Blacks tended to accumulate more debt and used their own resources to fund their doctoral studies more than Whites.
Academic Disciplines Where African Americans Earned No Doctoral Degrees in 2013
According to the National Science Foundation, there were 18 academic fields where none of the doctorates awarded in 2013 went to an African American. More than 1,800 doctorates were awarded in these fields.
Four Black Women Earn Ph.D.s in Chemistry at Jackson State University
Over the past 11 years, 23 African Americans have earned chemistry Ph.D.s at Jackson State University, or 2.1 per year. This is the second highest rate for African American Ph.D.s in the field in the United States.
Doctoral Degree Awards by HBCUs in 2013
The report shows that 396 doctorates were awarded by historically Black colleges and universities in 2013. Howard University in Washington, D.C., led the HBCUs, granting 96 doctoral degrees in 2013.
The Racial Gap in Doctoral Degree Awards
In 2013, African Americans earned 6.4 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded to U.S. students. Therefore, African Americans earned about one half the number of doctorates that would be the case if racial parity with the Black population prevailed.
Kentucky State University Embarks on Its First Doctoral Degree Program
Beginning in January, historically Black Kentucky State University will offer an online doctoral program in nursing practice. The program will require more than 1,000 hours of clinical work with a nurse practitioner mentor.
Rising Black Student Graduation Rates at Flagship State Universities
Among the flagship state universities a decade ago, only the University of Virginia had a Black student graduation higher than 70 percent. Now there are 13 flagship state universities at which the Black student graduation rate is 70 percent or higher.
University of Phoenix Signs Agreement to Offer Online Courses to HBCU Students
Under the agreement students at Thurgood Marshall College Fund members institutions will be able to supplement their on-campus course loads with course programs using the University of Phoenix online platform.
Major Progress in Black Student Graduation Rates at Top-Ranked Colleges and Universities
A decade ago, only five of the nation's highest-ranked colleges and universities had Black graduation rates of 90 percent or more, compared to 15 today. In addition, many of these top schools have narrowed the racial graduation rate gap.
The Persisting Racial Gap in College Student Graduation Rates
At the nation's largest universities, the Black student graduation rate of 45 percent is 21 percentage points lower than the graduation rate for White students. This gap has existed for decades and shows no sign of improvement.
