Arizona State’s Kimberly Scott to Lead the National Academic STEM Collaborative
Dr. Scott is an associate professor in the department of women and gender studies at Arizona State University. She is also the founding executive director of the Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology at Arizona State.
Middlebury College Names New Intercultural Center After Two Early Black Alumni
The new Anderson Freeman Resource Center was named after Mary Annette Anderson, the valedictorian of the Class of 1889 and Martin Henry Freeman of the Class of 1849 who later became president of Liberia College.
Ohio University Aims to Boost Retention of Black and Minority Faculty Members
The Multicultural Junior Faculty Mentoring Program that will assign new junior faculty members from underrepresented groups a senior faculty member who will serve as a mentor.
A Check-Up on the Racial Gap in Medical School Applications and Enrollments
In 2015, the number of Black applicants to U.S. medical schools was up a whopping 16.8 percent from 2014. Blacks were 7.6 percent of all medical school matriculants in 2015. This was up from 6.9 percent in 2014.
New Black Faculty Association at the University of Cincinnati
The organization is an official group at the university with funding and other support services provided by the university administration. The university will fund the group's faculty development seminars, research symposia, as well as mentoring and networking initiatives.
Medical University of South Carolina Becoming More Diverse
According to U.S. News & World Report, the Medical University of South Carolina enrolls the fifth highest number of African American students among medical schools that are not considered historically Black institutions.
Biology Scholars Program at Cornell University Propels Black Students to Graduate School
Since 2010 there have been 120 Biology Scholars who have graduated from the university. More than 90 percent of those who applied to medical school were accepted and enrolled. Another 19 students are enrolled in Ph.D. programs and three are enrolled in M.D./Ph.D. programs.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Makes Major Commitment to STEM Diversity
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has selected 24 educational institutions to receive $1 million grants to promote STEM education. The initiative focuses on those undergraduates who come to college from diverse backgrounds and pathways.
Clemson University Launches New Center for Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Educators
Faculty from Clemson will work with education and community leaders in local districts to get minority students interested in teaching at an earlier age and ease their transition from K-12 to two- and then four-year institutions of teacher education.
“White Racial Literacy Project” Aims to Involve More White People in Racial Equity Conversations
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis has launched a new initiative, called the White Racial Literacy Project. The effort aims to get White students more involved in conversations about racial equity.
African Americans Accepted Into the Class of 2023 at High-Ranking Colleges and Universities
Recently, most of the nation’s highest-ranked colleges and universities informed applicants if they had been accepted for admission into the Class of 2023. Some revealed the racial/ethnic breakdown of their admitted students.
Rutgers University Allocates $20 Million Towards Hiring Diverse Faculty
The program, now totaling more than $40 million, will provide half the salary support for the first three years of each newly hired faculty member's service at Rutgers, along with additional funds to support mentoring and retention.
The First Black Woman to Earn a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics at Florida State...
A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Kalisa Villafana decided at the age of 12 that she would be a physicist.
Syracuse University Taking Further Efforts to Improve Campus Climate for Black Students
After a series of racial incidents occurred on campus during the fall semester, Syracuse University announced that it would take steps to improve the campus climate for African American students who make up 6 percent of the student body and students from other underrepresented groups.
Black Faculty, Staff, and Administration Group at Michigan State Opposes Pick for Provost
Teresa Woodruff, who holds an endowed chair and is dean of the Graduate School at Northwestern University, was selected from a field of three finalists to become the next provost at Michigan State University. The other two finalists were African Americans.
The University of Virginia’s Bold Plan to Improve Racial Equity
A task force proposed “a system in which racial identity neither predicts nor determines one’s access, success, nor influence within the University of Virginia – where people of any racial background have an equal probability of thriving.”
University of California, Irvine Launches the Black Thriving Initiative
The new Black Thriving Initiative at the University of California, Irvine aims to mobilize the whole university to promote Black student success, degree completion, and advancement in academic programs, with a goal of making the university a first choice for Black students.
Duke University Receives Major Gift to Boost Faculty Diversity and Combat Racism
The $16 million grant from the Duke Endowment allocates $10.5 million toward recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and $5.5 million to support the university community’s understanding of historical and current racism, to combat racism, and to create a more inclusive environment.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Hired to Diversity Posts at Colleges and Universities
Taking on new roles as diversity officers are Pierre Morton at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire, Harris Akinloye at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, Keesha Burke-Henderson at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, Mary J. Wardell-Ghirarduzzi at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and Constance Porter at Rice University in Houston.
Report Finds De Facto Racial Segregation in Virginia’s Public Universities
At the University of Virginia, just 13 percent of undergraduates identified as Black or Hispanic; that share is 60 percent lower than the state’s population ages 18 to 24. The College of William & Mary and Christopher Newport University are near large Black population centers but each of their student bodies is just 7 percent Black.
Five African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Positions in Higher Education
Taking on new diversity roles are John Johnson at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, Angela Mosley-Monts at the University of Arkansas, Carllos Lassiter at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, Ivy Banks at the Association of American Universities, and Samira M. Payne at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Five Black Scholars Appointed to Higher Education Diversity Posts
Recently hired to diversity posts are Paul Frazier at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Sylvia R. Carey-Butler at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, LaVar Charleston at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jeanne Arnold at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, and Wilmore Webley at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Three African Americans Who Have Been Assigned to New Roles Relating to Diversity
Taking on new duties relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion are Brooke Berry at Virginia Commonwealth University, Daniel Hastings at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Barbara J. Lawrence at Rider University in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.
Four Universitiies Annouce the Appointment of African Americans to Diversity Positions
Taking on new roles as diversity administrators are Cerri A. Banks at Syracuse University in New York, Levon T. Esters at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, Wanda B. Knight at Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg, and Katrice A. Albert at the University of Kentucky.
Five African Americans Who Are Taking on New Roles as University Diversity Officers
The five African Americans who have been named to diversity positions are Sherrae Mack at Xavier University in Cincinnati, James Huguley at the University of Pittsburgh, Margie Gill at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, Renee Madison at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and Katrina Rugless at the University of Pikeville in Kentucky.
A Snapshot of African American Enrollments in Private K-12 Schools in the United States
Of the more than 4.6 million students enrolled in private schools in the United States in 2019, 9.4 percent were Black or African American. Blacks made up a greater percentage of students in smaller private schools and in private schools in urban areas.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Named to University Diversity Positions
Taking on new roles as diversity officers are Anthony Jones at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, Shavonne Shorter at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Bruce King at Elmhurst University in Illinois, and Thomas Witherspoon at the University of Tampa in Florida.
Three African American Men Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Posts at Universities
Taking on new duties relating to diversity in higher education are Warren Anderson at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, Brandon Wolfe at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Darryl C. Mace at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania.
A Trio of Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Administrative Roles
Rodman King has been named the next dean of institutional equity and inclusion at Connecticut College. Ivy Banks was appointed vice president for institutional diversity and inclusion at Xavier University, and Donald Mitchell, Jr. has been named the inaugural vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Molloy College.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to University Diversity Positions
Taking on new roles as diversity officers are Cindy Crusto at the Yale School of Medicine, Melvin Beavers at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Krishauna Hines-Gaither at Mount Saint Mary's University in Los Angeles, and Sharon Perry-Fantini at Iowa State University.
Vanderbilt University Invests in Venture Fund Supporting Black Healthcare Firms
Vanderbilt University in Nashville is among the founding investors in Jumpstart Nova, the first venture fund in the United States to invest exclusively in Black-founded and Black-led companies at the forefront of health care innovation.
How Search Committee Chairs Impact Equity in the Faculty Hiring Process
Many search chairs felt that HR and EO departments were responsible for making sure searches were equitable and inclusive. However, a common theme in interviews was the lack of information and clarity from those departments when it came to the search chair’s role. Some chairs said they had no training on how to center diversity and equity, while others received very little.
Three African Americans Appointed to Diversity Posts at Universities
Crasha Townsend has been promoted to assistant provost for diversity and inclusion at Virginia Tech. Sean Edmund Rogers was appointed interim vice president of community, equity, and diversity at the University of Rhode Island and Dionne Jackson is the inaugural vice president for institutional equity at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
Four Endowed Chairs for Scholars on Race Established at Bowdoin College in Maine
The college will consider scholars and artists from across the academic spectrum for whose teaching and research will address race, racism, and social justice, with a particular focus on the challenges, histories, movements, and artistic and cultural productions of Black communities in the Americas.
Four African American Women Who Have Been Appointed to University Diversity Posts
Taking on new duties as diversity officers are Belinda Waller-Peterson at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Tiffany G. Townsend at Purdue University Global, Kristin Dukes at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, and Narketta Sparkman-Key at James Madson University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
University of Michigan to Examine Its History Relating to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The University of Michigan is set to begin a multifaceted, years-long project to study, document, and better understand the university’s history with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion — with the history of race and racism as its first major focus.
