Diversity

Black enrollments at many of the nation's highest ranked universities are down significantly. But some top schools have been able to maintain a diverse student body despite the Supreme Court ban of race-sensitive admissions.

The appointments to diversity positions are LaVar J. Charleston at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lynzie De Veres at Caltech, and Marlon Black at the University of St. Thomas. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

The appointments to diversity positions are Tamara Clegg at the University of Maryland, Andrew Alvez at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and Kendriana Price at the University of Kentucky.

The National Science Foundation has awarded ExpandAI grants to Bowie State University, Savannah State University, Alabama A&M State University, and Clark Atlanta University. The funding aims to advance diversity and inclusion in artificial intelligence research.

Dr. Jones was recognized for her research and work centering around Black children and their families, maternal mental health, and educating future health service psychologists.

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

The diversity appointments are Monica Smith at the University of Richmond in Virginia, Nygil Likely at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, and Mohamed Ahmed at Winona State University in Minnesota.

The three African Americans appointed to diversity positions are Melanie Duckworth at the University of Nevada Reno, Doug Thompson at the University of Notre Dame, and Anthony Jones at Centre College in Kentucky.

"Increasing the representation of healthcare providers from historically marginalized communities is of utmost importance for improving health outcomes in all patients,” said Jennifer M. Orozco, chief medical officer of the American Academy of Physician Associates.

The three scholars appointed to admininstraive positions relating to diversity are Marsha McGriff at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, JeffriAnne Wilder at Oberlin College in Ohio, and Branden Delk at Illinois State University.

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Through a new partnership with the New Jersey Black Women's Collective, Mercer County Community College in New Jersey has launched a new Leadership Institute aimed at supporting emerging Black women leaders through speaker series, workshops, and mentorship opportunities.

Jeremi London was named the assistant provost of academic opportunity and belonging at Vanderbilt University. Pierre Morton has been appointed the vice president of the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility at Pacific University Oregon. And Chloe Poston will be the next vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Davidson College.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has formed the Action Collaborative on Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech. This joint initiative aims to provide evidence-based insights and recommendations to enhance the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women of color in the tech industry.

A new study from the U.S. Census Bureau offers data on the diversity of every census tract in the United States. Overall, the diversity index nationwide is 61.1 percent. This means that there was a 61.1 percent chance that two people chosen at random from a particular census tract were from different racial or ethnic groups.

The three African Americans who have been appointed to diversity positions in higher education are Carl Lawson at the University of Pittsburgh, Sydney M. Savion at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and Sheryl R. Wilson at Bethel College in Newton, Kansas.

Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, recently established Connecting the Community of Tufts Scholars (CCTS), a new university-wide faculty hiring initiative. Its aim is to recruit and increase the impact of faculty whose work contributes to Tufts’ pursuit of racial equity in its research, scholarship, and curriculum.

Virginia Tech's Menah Pratt was named chair-elect for the Council on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Professor Gwendolyn D. Pough has been given the added duties as associate dean of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at Syracuse University and Sekile M. Nzinga was appointed vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman brokered a deal with the Republican-controlled legislature that called for a freeze hiring for diversity positions through the end of 2026 and shift at least 43 diversity positions to focus on “student success.” But the deal was rejected by the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Taking on new roles relating to diversity are Jamila Lee-Johnson for the Graduate School at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, Sheryl R. Wilson at Bethel College in Kansas, Dionne Lambert at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, and Markeisha Miner at the University of Rhode Island.