Virginia Tech Holds Its Inaugural Black College Institute
The institute was a three-day, pre-college program that sought to acclimate African American and Black students to college life. Nearly 60 students attended.
UCLA Study Finds Middle Schoolers Are Happier in Diverse School Settings
A new study by psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, finds that middle school students from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds feel safer, less lonely, and less bullied if they attend diverse schools.
New Academy Seeks to Prepare Black Students for Graduate Study in Health Care Management
The University of Alabama at Birmingham's School of Health Professions recently launched the Academy for Addressing Health Disparities through Health Care Leadership.
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.
Do College and University Rankings Inhibit the Drive for Racial Diversity?
The authors of the study say that the rankings tend to produce conformity, with lower-ranked educational institutions trying to emulate their higher-ranked peers.
Using Food to Bridge the Cultural Divide
“Sharing Experience: Heritage, Home and History” was the title of a research project conducted at Mississippi State University in Starksville this spring.
Task Force Issues Plan to Make Western Carolina University More Inclusive
The Joint Task Force on Racism at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, was composed of faculty, staff, and students. The task force recently issued a series of recommendations to improve the climate for diversity and inclusion on campus.
University of Utah Looks to Prepare Black Doctoral Students for Their Careers
The African American Doctoral Scholars initiative aims to develop teaching skills and provide training in developing syllabi, grant proposals, publishing, and presenting research.
Mississippi State University Expands Its Cultural Diversity Center
The center was founded in 1989 and supports 11 student organizations that promote diversity and inclusion. The center is named after Richard E. Holmes, who was the first Black student at the university.
University of Missouri Opens New Center on Diversity in the Media
Julius Riles, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Missouri, was named co-director of the new center. The new center will examine all aspects of diversity in both traditional and new media.
The Finalists for Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of...
The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa has announced a field of four finalist for the position of vice president and associate provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion. All four candidates are African Americans.
Tulane University in New Orleans Debuts Its Center for Academic Equity
The goal of the new Center for Academic Equity on the Tulane University campus is to foster the academic excellence of students from underrepresented groups.
Ten Universities Join Forces to Address the Issue of Faculty Diversity
The 10 members of the group are the University of Texas at Arlington, Cornell University, Howard University, Northwestern University, Michigan State University, Boston University, Iowa State University, University of Buffalo, University of Georgia, and the University of Maryland, College Park.
Adia Harvey Wingfield to Lead the Sociologists for Women in Society
Adia Harvey Wingfield, a professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, was named president-elect of the Sociologists for Women in Society, an organization dedicated to improving the social position of women through feminist sociological research and writing.
Vanderbilt University’s New Website Aims to Promote Inclusion for Faculty Members
The purpose of the new website is to provide a clear and accessible resource for faculty in support of the university’s efforts to enhance Vanderbilt as a welcoming, supportive and inclusive academic community.
University of Kansas Aims to Increase Diversity in Its Undergraduate Business Degree Programs
The Summer Venture in Business Program is a three-day, pre-college summer program that will familiarize potential business students from underrepresented groups with college academic and social life.
Two Top-Rated Liberal Arts College Report Large Number of Black Early Applicants
Of the 257 student accepted for early admission at Williams College, 27 self-identify as African American. Thus, African Americans are 10.5 percent of all early admits at Williams this year. At Wesleyan University, there was a whopping 56 percent increase in African American early applicants.
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.
A New Postdoctoral Fellows Program Aims to Increase Diversity in Academia
The university's Academic Pathways Postdoctoral Fellowship will emphasize academic research and scholarship, but will also include enhanced professional and leadership development training and robust mentoring.
University of Michigan Launches New PostDoc Fellowship Program to Enhance Diversity
Under the new program, 50 postdoctoral fellows will be recruited over the next five years to come to the University of Michigan to conduct research and gain experience in the classroom. The program is focused on increasing gender and racial diversity.
New Mentoring and Networking Group for Black Women at MIT
My Sister's Keeper, founded by Professor Helen Elaine Lee, seeks to support Black women students, with social, professional, and mentoring relationships. To meet this goal, the organization has created "sister circles," small groups of five or six students, staff, and faculty united by common interests.
Cornell University Offers Funding to Faculty Diversity Efforts
Under the new program, the office of the provost at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, will contribute funds to cover 25 percent of the salary of a new hire that contributes to the department's diversity.
University of Michigan Commits $85 Million to Enhance Campus Diversity
The University of Michigan has announced a five-year plan to make the university community more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The university has committed $85 million in new resources over the next five years to implement the initiatives in the plan.
Louisiana State University Reports a Record Number of African American Students
The university reports that there are 3,741 African Americans on campus this fall, an all-time high. But it must be pointed out that African Americans make up 12 percent of the student body at the university, whereas Blacks are 32.5 percent of the Louisiana population.
Harvard Looks to Take the Next Diversity Step: From Inclusion to Belonging
Harvard University is taking the next step by forming the Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging. The task force will study and make recommendations on how to make Harvard a more welcoming place for all students from underrepresented groups.
University of Missouri Looks to Boost Black Faculty
Last fall students at the University of Missouri issued a set of demands calling for Black faculty to increase from 3 percent to 10 percent by 2018. The university has countered with a plan to raise "minority" faculty from 6.7 percent to 13.4 percent over the next four years.
Study Finds Army Vets Are More Comfortable With Racial Residential Integration Than Non-Vets
A new study by sociologists at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Connecticut finds that soldiers' experiences with racial integration in the military result in veterans being more willing to live in racially integrated neighborhoods once they return to civilian life.
Survey of Dartmouth College Students Finds Widespread Support for Racial Diversity
A new survey finds widespread support among Dartmouth College students for giving priority to members of underrepresented groups in faculty hiring and student admission decisions. But are those surveyed just giving the researchers the answers they want to hear?
Northwestern University Report Examines the Black Student Experience on Campus
A new report issued by the Black Student Experience Taskforce at Northwestern University presents a detailed look at the status of African American students at the university.
Virginia Tech Mandates Diversity Training for All Faculty Search Committee Members
From now on, all search committee members reviewing applications for teaching, research, and faculty positions at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will be required to complete an online diversity training course.
Georgia Tech Outlines Steps It Will Take to Create a More Welcoming Campus for...
Recently the Black Student Experience Task Force at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta presented its recommendations to university President G.P. Peterson on how to promote equity and inclusion on campus. Dr. Peterson has approved all the recommendations.
Vanderbilt University Reorganizes Staff to Better Serve a Diverse Student Body
A new Office of Social Justice and Identity has been established that will offer events, activities, and training programs that both celebrate diversity and serve to educate Vanderbilt students on pertinent issues of social justice, identity, and advocacy.
Syracuse University Outlines New Diversity Initiatives
Syracuse University in New York has announced a series of new initiatives aimed at further enhancing campus diversity. One important development is that of the 70 new full-time faculty members hired for the 2016-17 academic year, 31, or 44 percent are faculty of color.
New Mentoring Program for First-Year Students at Youngstown State University
Seventeen first-year students from underrepresented groups will be the first cohort of Navarro Executive Fellows. They will be paired with a mentor from the university's leadership team.
The Snail-Like Progress of Racial Diversity in Sororities at the University of Alabama
This year's sorority rush was just completed. There were 25 African American students who received bids among the 2,488 women who were accepted at traditionally White sororities. This is just a shade over 1 percent. Blacks are 11 percent of the undergraduate student body at the university.
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.
