NCAA Comes Down Hard on HBCUs
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has banned 21 teams from postseason play during the 2015-16 academic year due to insufficient progress on the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate. Of these, 15 are teams at historically Black universities.
New Kentucky State University Extension Effort Aims to Help Small Farmers
The university's new fruit and vegetable mobile processing unit contains a certified mobile commercial kitchen that can travel to farms and be used to process fresh fruits into jams and jellies and to blast freeze fruits and vegetables.
Three Racial Discrimination Suits Filed Against North Carolina Central University
One White faculty member says he was fired because of his race and a Latina faculty member says she was passed over for promotion and paid significantly less than Black faculty with lesser qualifications.
Historically Black Edward Waters College Sees a Surge in Applications
Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida, has seen a huge increase in applications this year. The historically Black college has received more than 3,000 applications, up from 1,800 a year ago.
New Book Explores the History of Savannah State University
Tigers in the Tempest offers readers a well-researched history of Savannah State University from its founding in 1890 as the Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth to the present day.
Louisiana Seeking Designation of Land Grant Status for Grambling State University
Grambling State University estimates that a designation of land-grant status by the United States Congress would bring in between $5 million and $10 million annually to the historically Black university.
North Carolina A&T State University Partners With Community Colleges in Nursing Alliance
North Carolina A&T State University, a historically Black educational institution in Greensboro, has announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with three community colleges in an effort to increase the number of nurses with bachelor's degrees.
Florida A&M University to Expand Its Reach in Kenya
Marcella David, provost at Florida A&M University, signed a partnership agreement with Cornell Rasanga Amoth, the governor of Siaya County in Kenya that will expand educational and research opportunities for Florida A&M students and faculty.
LeMoyne-Owen College Exploring Technology Cooperative With the University of Memphis
LeMoyne-Owen College, the historically Black educational institution in Memphis, is looking for ways to provide high-tech services without the expense of purchasing major computer and networking infrastructure.
Alabama State University Signs Partnership With the University of Liberia
Alabama State University President Gwendolyn Boyd stated that under the agreement the two universities will participate in faculty and student exchanges, research projects, and study abroad service learning initiatives.
New Book Explores the History of Storer College in West Virginia
Storer College was founded in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, in 1865 by the Freewill Baptist Home Mission Society. It was the first college in West Virginia that admitted African Americans.
Some Relief for South Carolina State University, But a Tough Road Ahead
The university learned recently that its accreditation will continue and that it has five additional years to repay a $6 million loan. But the new board declared a "financial exigency" that will allow it to fire tenured faculty and contracted staff.
Fort Valley State University Announces a Series of New Minor Degree Programs
Fort Valley State University, the historically Black educational institution in Georgia, has announced new minor degrees in applied statistics, theater/performance studies, gerentology, and chemistry.
Two New Bachelor’s Degree Programs at Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville State University, the historically Black educational institution in North Carolina, has announced the establishment of two new bachelor's degree programs in visual arts and music.
Florida A&M University Confers Ph.D.s in Physics to Two Black Women
According to the National Science Foundation, 1,902 people earned Ph.D.s in physics at American universities in 2013. Only 18.8 percent were women and only 19 were Black. Now two Black women have earned Ph.D.s in physics at the same university in the same year.
North Carolina Central University to Offer New Dual-Degree Program
Under the plan, students will spend their first-three undergraduate years at North Carolina Central taking a physics-based curriculum and then transfer to North Carolina State to take courses in electrical engineering.
Bowie State University Students Develop Technology to Aid the Homeless
Students at historically Black Bowie State University in Maryland have developed an electronic kiosk designed for use by homeless people. The kiosk provides up-to-the-minute information about the availability of space in area shelters.
A New Home for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Pharmacy School
The governing board of the University of System of Maryland recently approved the allocation of $5.7 million to initiate the construction of a new home for the university's School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.
Harris-Stowe State University Expands Its Academic Offerings
Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Missouri, has received approval to begin offering a bachelor's degree in marketing beginning this fall. The university will now offer 31 different majors.
Coppin State and the University of Baltimore Form Partnership for STEM Education
The partnership calls for faculty research collaboration in complementary STEM areas through shared faculty expertise and interest, shared lab facilities and equipment, and inter-institutional software licensing.
Champions of Two Conferences Representing HBCUs to Square Off in the Celebration Bowl
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference have announced plans to stage the first Celebration Bowl this December in Atlanta. The game will be billed as the HBCU national championship game.
State Legislature Acts to Boost Enrollments at Louisiana HBCUs
The Louisiana legislature has passed legislation that lowers tuition for students from outside of Louisiana who want to attend four-year HBCUs in the state. Another bill will allow students who require remedial work to enroll at the HBCUs.
The University of the District of Columbia Partners With the University of Havana
The agreement calls for both institutions to "establish collaborative relations to promote friendship and to cooperate in a mutually beneficial association." The initial collaborations will be between the law schools at the two universities.
Dillard University Designates Physics and Film as “Signature Programs”
The university's signature programs are majors that "epitomize Dillard's mission and define its distinctiveness in the local, state, and national marketplace." Signature programs will receive additional faculty and staff positions, endowed chairs, and additional equipment.
A New HBCU Exhibit Planned at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum
The planned exhibit at the Greensboro, North Carolina, museum entitled "Pride of the HBCU" will highlight the role students and faculty at historically Black colleges and universities played in the civil rights movement.
Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis May Now Offer Graduate Degree Programs
The historically Black educational institution also will offer four new bachelor's degree programs in finance, political science, sociology and urban ecology. And there are two new online degree programs in health care management and criminal justice.
College Choice Website Ranks the Nation’s HBCUs
Tuskegee, Hampton, and Bethune-Cookman hold the top three spots in the rankings. Spelman College, which is ranked first among all HBCUs in the rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, is in 17th place in the College Choice rankings.
Checking Up on the Status of Barber-Scotia College
The historically Black educational institution in Concord, North Carolina, lost its accreditation in 2004 and has struggled to regain its footing ever since. A new interim president has been appointed.
Johnson C. Smith University Creates a University College
The new University College at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a comprehensive new program designed to help connect new traditional college students to the university community.
Delaware State University Partners With SAP SE Corporation
The new Center for Excellence at Delaware State will train the university's students in state-of-the-art business software applications from the world's second largest independent software company.
Spelman College “Discontinues” the Cosby Endowed Professorship
The college said the "related funds" were returned to the Clara Elizabeth Jackson Carter Foundation, which was founded by Camille Cosby in honor of her mother.
South Carolina State University Tightens Its Belt
For the first time in several years, South Carolina State University has projected a balanced budget. But, the balanced budget came about with some major cuts that will be felt across the university community.
Bethune-Cookman University Adds Seven Degree Programs
Among the seven new degree programs are four online bachelor's degree offerings and two new online master's degree programs. The university also will add an on-campus master of public health degree program.
Fisk University Partners With Nine Academic Institutions in China
The agreements call for academic and cultural exchanges between Fisk and the Chinese universities and the establishment of dual degree programs where students from both countries will study at Fisk and a Chinese university to complete their degrees.
Southern University to Issue iPads to All Incoming First-Year Students
The effort, which will begin next fall, is designed to greatly reduce the cost of textbooks for Southern University students. Students will be issued the devices which will be paid for through a fee attached to their tuition bill. Once the fee is paid in full, the student will own the device.
University of District of Columbia Shows Off Its New Green Roof
The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences says the green roof will produce food for the university and surrounding community including cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, chard, and basil. It will also provide natural cooling to the building and reduce storm water runoff.
