Six Black Faculty Members Taking on New Assignments in Academia
Taking on new roles are Mae C. Jemison at Indiana University, Amanda B. Mbuvi at High Point University, Sarah Lewis at Harvard University, Lauren Sudeall Lucas at Georgia State University, Robert M. Sellers at the University of Michigan, and Norma Schropshire at Wayne State University.
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.
New Faculty Roles for Six African Americans in Higher Education
Here is this week’s listing of Black faculty members from colleges and universities throughout the United States who have been appointed to new positions or have been assigned new duties.
Five African Americans Join the Vanderbilt University Faculty
Thew new Vanderbilt University faculty members are Jada Been Torres in anthropology, Brandon Byrd in history, Nicole M. Joseph in education, Sharece Thrower in political science, and Duane Watson in psychology and human development.
New Faculty Assignments for a Trio of Black Scholars
Taking on new roles are Keisha Bentley-Edwards at the Duke University School of Medicine, Cedric Merlin Powell at the University of Louisville, and Catherine Knight Steele at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Three African Americans Appointed to New Faculty Positions
La Tanya Hall is teaching jazz voice at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Michele Foster was named to an endowed chair at the University of Louisville and Jason Geary is the new director of the School of Music at the University of Maryland.
The University of Virginia Honors the Late Julian Bond With an Endowed Chair
Professor Bond, who was a civil rights pioneer and led the NAACP for 12 years, taught at the University of Virginia for 20 years. He was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and served in the Georgia State legislature for 20 years.
Wesleyan University’s First Core Faculty Members in African American Studies
In the past, faculty members who taught courses in African American studies were members of established academic departments on campus. Now the university has hired the first two core faculty members of its African American studies program that was recently granted departmental status.
New Roles for Two Black Faculty Members at Major Universities
Kelechi C. Ogbonna, an assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University, was named associate dean for admissions and student services and Jennifer Richeson was appointed the Philip R. Allen Professor of Psychology at Yale University.
Five Black Professors Receive New Teaching Assignments
Taking on new teaching roles are Craig S. Wilder at MIT, Stacy-Ann January at the University of South Carolina, Wonder Drake at Vanderbilt University, Joseph Ravenell at New York University, and Marlon James at Macalester College in Minnesota.
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 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.
Cornel West Is Returning to Teach at Harvard University
In 2002, Cornel West left Harvard University after a public dispute with then Harvard president Lawrence Summers. Now, according to published reports, Dr. West is returning to Harvard University as professor of the practice of public philosophy.
Cornelius Carter Appointed to an Endowed Chair at the University of Alabama
Professor Carter, who holds a a master of fine arts degree in dance from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, also serves as director of the dance program at the University of Alabama and as artistic director of the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre.
An Increase in Scholars From Sub-Saharan Nations Teaching at U.S. Colleges and Universities
In the 2014-15 academic year, there were 1,989 scholars from sub-Saharan African nations teaching at U.S. colleges and universities. This is up nearly 8 percent after a 13 percent decline the previous year.
University of Michigan Program Offers Research Opportunities for African Scholars
The University of Michigan's African Presidential Scholars program brings early-career faculty from African universities to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a period of four to six months. This fall, there are 12 African scholars on campus.
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.
Three Black Scholars Appointed to New Posts in Academia
The three African American faculty members appointed to new positions are Donald R. Easton-Brooks of the University of South Dakota, Tiphanie Yanique at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and Laurence Ralph at Princeton University in New Jersey.
New Faculty Roles at Major Universities for Three Black Scholars
Sherine O. Obare, professor of chemistry at Western Michigan University was given a new administrative post. Professor Jay Hoggard was awarded tenure at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and Tarell Alvin McCraney was appointed chair of the department of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama.
Lisa Cooper Named a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Cooper has been serving as the James F. Fries Professor of general internal medicine at the university. She is the founder and director of the Johns Hopkins Center to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities and will now establish a new Institute for Equity and Health.
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.
Jazz Musician Named to an Endowed Chair at Arizona State University
Lewis Nash is an internationally acclaimed jazz drummer. Professor Nash has performed on 10 Grammy-winning performances and has a resume that includes more than 400 recordings.
A Quartet of African American Scholars in New Faculty Posts
The African Americans in new faculty positions are Rashida K. Braggs at Williams College in Massachusetts, Prentiss A. Dantzler at Colorado College, Beronda Montgomery at Michigan State University, and Norman Anderson at Florida State University.
Black Scholar From the University of California, Davis Is Heading to Oxford
Wale Adebanwi, an associate professor of African American and African studies at the University of California, Davis, will be leaving his post at the end of the academic year to assume the Rhodes Professorship in Race Relations in the School of African and Interdisciplinary Area Studies at Oxford University.
University of Southern California to Launch the Race and Equity Center
The university has hired Shaun R. Harper to lead the new initiative and to serve as the Clifford and Betty Allen Professor in Urban Leadership. Currently, Professor Harper is the director of the Center for the Study of Race and Equity at the University of Pennsylvania.
Two Black Scholars Given Additional Roles at Major Universities
Harry J. Elam, a professor of humanities at Stanford, was named vice president for the arts at the university and Nefertiti Walker, an assistant professor of sports management will serve as director of diversity and inclusion for the School of Management at the University of Massachusetts.
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.
Professor Carol Swain to Leave Her Faculty Post at Vanderbilt University
Carol M. Swain, a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University and a professor at the Vanderbilt Law School, has announced that she will leave the university in August. Professor Swain said "I will not miss what American universities have allowed themselves to become."
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.
New Appointments for Three Black Scholars
Taking on new duties are Joanne Berger-Sweeney, a professor and president at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, Brenda Marie Osbey at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, and William Hart at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Four Black Scholars in New Faculty Roles in Higher Education
Taking on new faculty roles are Raina Merchant at the University of Pennsylvania, Norman Anderson at Florida State University, Kristie Williams at Ursuline College in Ohio, and Keisha R. Callins at Mercer University in Georgia.
Lawrence Jackson Is a New Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins
Dr. Jackson's appointment includes duties in the departments of English and history as well as the Center for Africana Studies. He plans on establishing a new institute to preserve and showcase the arts, history, and culture of the city of Baltimore.
Conference Aimed to Enhance the Careers of Black Women Faculty Members
The conference, "Preparing Black Female Faculty for Prominence, Power, and Presence in the Academy," held in Atlanta this past weekend, was organized by four faculty members at Mississippi State University.
Andre Watts Named a Distinguished Professor at Indiana University
Indiana University has announced the appointment of nine scholars to the rank of Distinguished Professor. This is the highest academic rank at the university. One of the nine scholars named a Distinguished Professor is an African American.
Mohamed Camara to Chair the Department of Africana Studies at Howard University
Dr. Camara has been serving as associate vice president for academics, speaker of the Faculty Senate, and director of the McNair Scholars Program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Four Black Faculty Members Named to New Posts
Taking on new assignments are Nikki M. Taylor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Maurice Edington at Florida A&M University, Joseph Watson Jr. at the University of Georgia, and Kevin Blackistone at the University of Maryland.
