Bethune-Cookman Faculty Want Action to Solve the University’s Problems
A group of 30 faculty members at Bethune Cookman University, a historically Black educational institution in Daytona Beach, Florida, recently sent a letter to university president Hubert Grimes. The faculty wrote that they were being “blatantly disregarded” and wanted solutions to the colleges growing list of problems.
Howard University Launches Campaign on Sexual Assault Prevention
Campaign activities will educate students and faculty on how to look for and prevent interpersonal violence.
Spelman College Receives a Donation of 14,000 Books From Harvard’s Skip Gates
Spelman College, the historically Black educational institution for women in Atlanta, Georgia, has received a donation of 13 pallets of books from Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s personal library. According to the college, the Gates' donation is the single largest book donation ever received by an HBCU.
Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, Eliminates Seven Majors
Benedict College, a historically Black educational institution in Columbia, South Carolina, will be eliminating seven majors this school year. The majors that will be cut are history, religion and philosophy, sociology, political science, transportation and logistics engineering, mathematics, and economics.
NBA Legend Isiah Thomas Seeks to Increase Celebrities’ Support of HBCUs
According to a statement released by Florida Memorial University, the new program is “intended to inspire successful athletes, entertainers and other influential partners to re-commit, embrace and support historically Black colleges and universities.”
Johnson C. Smith University Develops a New Minor Degree Program in Data Science
Five new courses will be developed and one existing course will be improved. These classes will teach students about data analysis, ethical problem-solving, and computational thinking.
What Are the Most Affordable Historically Black Colleges and Universities?
Annual tuition and fees at one of the more expensive HBCUs - Spelman College - are $28,181. Yet, this is still below the national average for a four-year private college, which stands at $32,410.
Philander Smith College Continues to Boost Enrollments
This year’s enrollment at Philander Smith is projected to be over 1,000 students. This is almost double what the enrollment was in 2014. The United Negro College Fund states that the college is growing twice as fast as any other UNCF member school.
New Academic Offerings at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina
Winston-Salem State University is offering a new minor degree program in public health within the School of Health Sciences and a new minor degree program in urban studies and sustainability.
Howard University Makes Great Strides in Gender Diversity in Engineering
At the College of Engineering and Architecture at Howard University, 43 percent of students who earned engineering degrees in 2016 were women. This is more than double the national average. The percentage of women assistant professors in the college increased from 9 percent in 2015 to 39 percent today.
Ford Teams Up With Spelman College to Boost Graduation Rates of First-Generation Students
Ford First Gen will enhance Spelman’s student success efforts by pairing a cohort of 50 first-generation, first-year students with 10 rising juniors – also first-generation students – who will serve as peer mentors. Mentors will spend at least 10 hours per week with each of their assigned mentees.
State Leaders in Mississippi See No Need to Close or Merge Public HBCUs
Alfred Rankins Jr., the first African American to lead the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Education, has gone on record as opposing any mergers of the state's historically Black universities into predominately White institutions.
Kevin Hart to Support the College Education of 18 KIPP Students at HBCUs
Comedian Kevin Hart has established a new $600,000 scholarship fund in conjunction with the United Negro College Fund that will support the college education of 18 students from Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) schools who will be attending historically Black colleges and universities.
Mississippi Valley State University Opens an Early College High School on Campus
High school students will spend their days on the campus of MVSU completing high school and college courses. When they complete high school they will technically be a sophomore in college and all those hours are transferable toward at college degree at the university.
A Handwritten Letter by Rosa Parks Has Been Donated to Alabama State University
In January 1957, the home of Rev. Bob Graetz and his wife Jeannie, a White couple who were both very active in the civil rights movement in the city, was bombed. Rosa Parks, who lived across the street wrote a letter describing that incident. The letter has now been donated to Alabama State University.
Tuskegee University Receives the Photographic Archives of Prentice H. Polk
Prentice H. Polk was one of the most influential photographers of his time. Much of Polk’s work was centered around Tuskegee Institute, and celebrated family life, national and local elite individuals, and specific events occurring on campus.
Cheyney University Creates the Institute for the Contemporary African American Experience
Jefferson University in Philadelphia and Epcot Crenshaw are among the initial partners in the newly formed institute at historically Black Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Starbucks Foundation also will partner with the institute on a future research project.
Alcorn State University to Offer a New Master’s Degree Program in NCAA Compliance
Alcorn State says that the new master's degree program in NCAA compliance and academic progress rate reporting is the first of its kind in the nation. The university will also offer a post-baccalaureate certificate program in the field.
Princeton University Brings HBCU Students to Campus to Garner Interest in Archival Research
Last month, Princeton University in New Jersey held its inaugural Archives Research and Collaborative (ARCH) program on campus. Fourteen students from five historically Black colleges and universities spent five days on the Princeton campus with the goal of interesting them in careers in archives research.
Howard University Partners With the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Diversify Business Leadership
The partnership will focus on four main programs. An internship program for Howard students at the Chamber has already been established. There will be a business executive speaker series, a research program provided by the Chamber; and an innovation and entrepreneurship development program.
Virginia State University Sets Up Incubator Farm in Culpepper County
The Small Farm Outreach Program, part of Cooperative Extension Services at Virginia State University, will provide fertilizer, seeds, hand and power gardening tools, personnel to provide training and technical assistance, and financial assistance.
Alabama State University Joins Forces With Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery
Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, calls itself "the intellectual and leadership center of the Air Force." Air University is located on the base. It has entered into an agreement to collaborate on projects with historically Black Alabama State University.
Paul Quinn College to Expand Its Urban Work College Network to Plano, Texas
Paul Quinn College has announced that it will establish a second educational program in Plano, Texas. Students will be housed in apartments and the college will seek classroom space at corporations that partner with the college in its urban work program.
Xavier University of Louisiana Changes Core Curriculum and Adds Degree Programs
The new core curriculum reduces the mandated course requirements from 60 hours to 40 hours. The streamlined core curriculum offers students greater opportunities to pursue minor degrees, certificates, double majors, and to take classes outside of their chosen degree path.
Albany State University Announces a Restructuring of Its Academic Colleges
Albany State University, the historically Black educational institution in Georgia, has announced a restructuring of its academic units. The university will now have three academic colleges instead of five.
Florida A&M University’s Post-Admit Program Prepares Students for Law School
Sixteen students received housing, meals, course materials and faculty instruction at no cost for the two-week program held earlier this summer. The program aims to enhance students' problem-solving, legal reasoning, critical reading and thinking skills.
Savannah State University Debuts Its College of Education
Savannah State University, the historically Black educational institution in Georgia, has announced that it has established the College of Education. The division was previously called the School of Teacher Education.
Eight HBCUs Get Loan Relief From the U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that eight private historically Black colleges and universities that are members of the United Negro College Fund, will be the first beneficiaries of the deferment authority of the HBCU Capital Finance Program.
Kentucky State University “Staff Realignment” Aims to Save Money and Increase Efficiency
Kentucky State University, the historically Black educational institution in Frankfort, announced a series of steps it is taking to manage its budget and increase efficiency while maintaining resources earmarked for instruction and student achievement.
New Agreement Will Ease Transition of Alcorn State Students to the College of Pharmacy...
Alcorn State students who excel in pre-pharmacy courses and who have been active participants in community service programs will be able to take advantage of the University of Mississippi College of Pharmacy's Preferred Admission Program.
Florida A&M University to Launch New Center on Construction and Infrastructure Technology
The new center will include a multidisciplinary partnership between several of FAMU’s core academic schools, public partners and the private sector that will be focused on global sustainable infrastructure.
Tuskegee and Auburn Universities Team Up to Boost Diversity in Academic Veterinary Medicine
Under the agreement, a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University will be trained as a resident in radiology at Auburn University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The student will become board-certified and return to Tuskegee as a faculty member.
South Carolina State and Clemson Universities to Offer Dual-Degree Program in Physics
Under the plan, students will spend the first three years at South Carolina State and then transfer to Clemson for the last two years of the program. Students who complete the program will receive a bachelor's degree from South Carolina State and a master's degree from Clemson.
Howard University Partners With Carnegie Mellon for Engineering Initiative
This partnership between historically Black Howard University and Carnegie Mellon University will cover a wide range of initiatives between the two institutions, including a dual-degree Ph.D. program that will allow students to earn a doctoral degree in engineering from both schools.
Texas Southern University Teams Up With Tarrant County College
Texas Southern University, the historically Black educational institution in Houston, has signed an agreement with Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas, to facilitate the transfer process between the two institutions.
Howard University to Administer the Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program
The Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program provides 30 graduate fellowships annually to highly qualified seniors and college graduates committed to joining the Department of State’s Foreign Service.
