Graduate Schools

Nichesius Godwin has been elected president of the LEAP Graduate Student Network at the University of Georgia, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in education. Vanessa Macamo has been elected president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council at the University of Arizona, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in special education.

“Our results indicate that policies promoting racial diversity boost salaries for the entire cohort of students,” said co-author Peter Golder, professor of marketing at Dartmouth College. “The key implication of our study is pretty clear, namely that efforts to reduce racial diversity by outlawing affirmative action and dropping DEI initiatives will make us all poorer.”

Dr. Thompson's appointment marks a return to Union Theological Seminary, where she previously taught for three years. Most recently, she was the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair of Black Homiletics & Liturgics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

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.

Effective July 1, there will be new annual and aggregate borrowing limits on federal loans used for graduate programs. According to a new analysis from the Century Foundation, these limits are far below the median cost of attending both public and private medical institutions, which suggests many students will need to take on private loans or choose not to attend medical school at all.

“This moment calls not for alarm, but for alignment,” said Andrea A. Hayes-Dixon, dean of the College of Medicine and senior vice president of health affairs at Howard. “The Howard University College of Medicine has shaped the face of American medicine for 158 years — and we will continue to do so.”

Duhart has been a faculty member with the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University in Florida for over two decades. An expert in legal writing, Duhart recently completed a second term as co-president of the Society of American Law Teachers.

DeQuan M. Smith is the inaugural assistant dean for student success and Danita Beck Wickwire is the inaugural executive director of development for the Xavier Oscher College of Medicine, which is slated to become the fifth medical school at a historically Black educational institution.

“I am inspired by the [MGH Institute for Health Professions'] mission to educate health professionals and researchers who will drive innovation in the delivery of equitable and interprofessional care,” said Dr. Jones. “This mission aligns deeply with my own purpose, which is to bring together people, ideas, and systems for the greater good, because the greater good is stronger than any individual part.”

The College of Health Sciences at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania, has reserved seats specifically for Lincoln University of Pennsylvania students in several graduate degree programs in the health sciences. The two universities have also agreed to collaborate on projects through Alvernia's O'Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship and Lincoln's Lincubator.

Over the next five years, leaders at historically Black Meharry Medical College will partner with community stakeholders in Nashville, Tennessee; Detroit, Michigan; and San Bernadino, California to address the cities' disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Mason has led the Interdenominational Theological Center on an interim basis for the past year. He has over 35 years of experience in education, including academic leadership roles at several historically Black colleges.

The School of Law at historically Black North Carolina Central University was recently named the country's most innovative law school by The National Jurist. The news outlet highlights the HBCU's Technology Law & Policy Center as a standout program for connecting law education to the technology-driven world.

The new 4+1 pathway agreement will allow Langston University students to earn both bachelor's degree in business from the HBCU and a master's degree from Oklahoma State University's Spears School of Business in just five years.

“Agriculture accounts for one-fifth of [North Carolina's] gross domestic product,” said Antoine Alston, associate dean of academic studies for NCA&T's College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. “This industry is going to require individuals with the knowledge, skills, and disposition to understand the market...”

Students who have graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree from Metropolitan College of New York now have the opportunity to apply to Florida A&M University's master's degree in supply chain management. Students interested in applying to the HBCU will receive application fee waivers, specialized advising, and eligibility for financial assistance programs.

“This is not just an academic milestone; it is a pivotal moment for our community and the future of public health,” said Dr. Mohamed Kanu, interim dean of the College of Health Sciences at Tennessee State University.

Through a new agreement with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, students at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina can earn both their bachelor's degree in aviation science from the HBCU and master's degree in aviation from Embry-Riddle in just five years.

“There is a shortage, particularly of dietitians of color,” said June Thompson, interim program director for dietetics at NCA&T. “Eighty percent of who we serve are folks of color. Research has shown that people tend to relate if they can see themselves within the person that is working with them.”

Through collaboration with the Ivy League school's Institute for Research in African American Studies, the new doctoral program aims to advance the next generation of scholars, activists, and leaders dedicated to the study of people of African descent across the globe.