Judge Rules That a Class-Action Lawsuit Filed by Florida A&M University Students May Proceed
In September 2022, six students at historically Black Florida A&M University in Tallahassee filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the state of Florida. The suit claims that the historically Black university receives far less in state funding per student than the University of Florida. A federal judge recently ruled that the litigation can move forward.
Simmons College of Kentucky to Offer Classes at the State’s Sole Female-Only Prison
Inmates who have at least 12 months left to serve or to become eligible for parole may apply to take courses through Simmons College. Those accepted into the program will have the opportunity to pursue an associate degree in general studies or religious studies or a bachelor’s degree in sociology or business entrepreneurship.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Is Adding Its First Engineering Degree Program
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has announced that it will be offering its first engineering degree program this coming fall. The university will be just the 16th HBCUs to offer an engineering degree program.
Four HBCUs Targeted by Bomb Threats Receive Funds for Mental Health Services
The funds are part of the Project School Emergency Response to Violence program. Project SERV funds short-term education-related services for local educational agencies and institutions of higher education to help them recover from a violent or traumatic event in which the learning environment has been disrupted.
Two HBCUs Team Up to Create Better Pathways to Bachelor’s Degrees
Miles College, a four-year HBCU in Fairfield, Alabama, is teaming up with Drake State Community & Technical College, a two-year HBCU in Huntsville, Alabama, to create easier pathways for students to earn a bachelor’s degree.
UNCF to Further Enhance Its Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The United Negro College Fund's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s objectives are to build, grow, support, and nurture partner ventures through a multi-prong approach of education, development, mentoring, and financial support through scholarships, grants, and business funding for innovators and entrepreneurs.
Dillard University to Offer its First Master’s Degree Program This Fall
The new nursing program will be the first master’s degree in Dillard University’s 153-year history. The master's degree program is a 12-course, 36-39 credit hour hybrid degree program designed to be completed in four consecutive semesters for full-time students and six semesters for part-time students.
Talladega College Partners With Grand Valley State University in Michigan
Under the agreement, students who graduate from Talladega College with a degree in education will have a pathway to earn master’s degrees in education, school counseling, instructional technology, and instruction and curriculum at Grand Valley State University.
Teenager Is the Youngest Graduate in the History of Langston University in Oklahoma
In 2022, 14-year-old Shania Muhammad earned associate's degrees from Langston University in Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Community College. This year, the teenager became the youngest person to earn a bachelor's degree at Langston University.
Prairie View A&M to Establish a School of Public and Allied Health
Angela Branch-Vital has been named executive director of the new school. She is the head of the health and kinesiology department. She holds a bachelor's degree in human science and a master's degree in counseling from Prairie View A&M University. She earned a Ph.D. in epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of Texas School of Public Health.
Rice University Enhances Its Partnership With Historically Black Texas Southern University
Rice University and historically Black Texas Southern University - both in Houston - have announced a partnership to share resources, expertise, and best practices to build stronger bridges between the institutions and the community.
Stillman College Opts Out of U.S. News & World Report Rankings
Many of the nation's leading medical and law schools have dropped out of U.S. News & World Report rankings of the best graduate programs. Now Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has become the first historically Black educational institution to pull out of the rankings.
President David Wilson Gets Seven-Year Contract Extension at Morgan State University
The board of regents at Morgan State University in Baltimore voted unanimously to extend the contract of president David K. Wilson for seven years. Dr. Wilson will now lead the university through 2030. Dr. Wilson became president of Morgan State University in 2010.
North Carolina Central University to Offer New Digital Filmmaking Concentration
The new concentration starting this coming fall will provide majors with a foundation for entry into the filmmaking and digital storytelling fields, including producing, directing, editing, cinematography, production design, and sound with an emphasis on storytelling as a function of narrative communication.
Howard University Reports Progress in Achieving Goals of Its 2019 Strategic Plan
In 2022, Howard University secured a record-breaking $122 million in research funding. It raised more money for student financial aid in the past three years than in the previous 150 years combined.
Bowie State University in Maryland Adds Two New Master’s Degree Programs
Historically Black Bowie State University in Maryland has announced the establishment of two new master's degree programs. The new programs are in applied biotechnology and molecular biology and the internet of things and internet technologies. The latter program is offered completely online.
Spelman College Team Wins $1 Million in the Goldman Sachs Market Madness
This year, Goldman Sachs expanded the program to include 150 students from 12 HBCUs, selected from more than 400 applications. Students were split into 31 teams and, throughout the semester, conducted company research and proposed a strategic business solution for featured client, L’Oreal.
An Alumni Group at Tougaloo College in Mississippi Is Calling for Major Changes
The Alumni Coalition for Change at Tougaloo College in Mississippi has authored an online petition calling for the resignation of all top executives at the college. The alumni state that "there is discontentment among our ranks directly related to low student enrollment, a decrease in campus morale, horrid student living conditions, and questionable financial practices."
Stillman College Wins the 2023 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge
The event is an academic competition for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities that was hosted on the American Honda corporate campus in Torrance, California. This was the 34th time Stillman College participated in the competition but the first time it won the national championship.
National Endowment for the Humanities Awards Grants to Several HBCUs
The National Endowment for the Humanities recently announced more than $30 million in grants to colleges, universities, nonprofit groups, and other organizations. Among the grantees are several historically Black colleges and universities.
Delaware State University to Be the First HBCU to Offer Helicopter Flight Training
The first cohort of ROTC helicopter students will begin their training in the fall semester 2023. The U.S. Army will cover the cost of the tuition, books, and related flight lab fees for the ROTC cadets. After the first cohort of ROTC cadets, any student in the university's aviation program will be eligible to pursue helicopter flight training.
“Hate Comes Tumbloing Down:” Morgan State Demolishes the Spite Wall
In 1917, what is now Morgan State University purchased land to build a new campus in the Lauraville neighborhood of Baltimore. The surrounding neighborhood was predominantly White. As the campus expanded, in the early 1940s White residents built a brick wall to separate the HBCU campus from their community.
“Hate Comes Tumbling Down:” Morgan State Demolishes the Spite Wall
In 1917, what is now Morgan State University purchased land to build a new campus in the Lauraville neighborhood of Baltimore. The surrounding neighborhood was predominantly White. As the campus expanded, in the early 1940s White residents built a brick wall to separate the HBCU campus from their community.
Two HBCUs Join With Georgetown University to Combat Enviromental Injustice
The Environmental Impact Data Collaborative is a cross-institutional partnership that will allow researchers to directly engage with communities most affected by environmental injustice and develop a diverse network of researchers and activists who can transform data into solutions that promote equity and combat climate change.
Alabama State University Partners With South University for Pharmacy Diversity
Data shows that at present, only 7.6 percent of the registered pharmacist in the nation are members of a minority community. In 2023, only 143 pharmacy students in the U.S. are African-American. This new agreement hopes to encourage more Black students to pursue pharmacy doctorates.
Morgan State University to Lead Consortium to Conduct Transportation Reseach
Morgan State University is the first historically Black college or university and the first university in Maryland to lead a U.S. Department of Transportation Regional University Transportation Center. Researchers will explore novel applications for emerging technologies, such as machine learning, automated vehicles, and electric vehicles, to strengthen the region’s transportation network.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore to Offer Two New Degree Programs
The historically Black university has announced the creation of an art therapy program and a music production program. The programs are expected to be launched in the fall of 2024. The new interdisciplinary academic programs will both be firsts in the University System of Maryland.
Colorado Community College Systems Partners With Two Historically Black Universities
The system's signature Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree Program guarantees new, first-time students admission to participating four-year institutions upon completion of an associate degree at a Colorado community college. Saint Augustine's University and Texas Southern University will become the system’s first out-of-state transfer options.
Columbia University Teams Up With Southern University for Faculty Development
The new partnership that will facilitate faculty research collaborations; exchange and experiential learning programs for students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty; and innovation and economic development initiatives.
Saint Augustine’s University Enhances Its Partnership With Wake Tech Community College
Since 2012, the two institutions have offered transfer options for Wake graduates in business administration and criminal justice technology. According to the new agreement, graduates of any associate degree program at Wake Tech can now transfer up to 64 credits toward a four-year degree in an applicable degree program at the private historically Black university.
Morris Brown College Graduates Now Have A Clear Path to Law School
Under the agreement, Morris Brown students will be able to seek application guidance from the Office of Admissions at John Marshall Law School and eligible applicants who meet the standard admissions criteria will receive priority law school admission.
Bowie State University in Maryland Adds Two New Master’s Degree Programs
Historically Black Bowie State University in Maryland has announced the establishment of two new master's degree programs. The new programs are in applied biotechnology and molecular biology and the internet of things and internet technologies. The latter program is offered completely online.
Auditor Details Financial Shortcomings at Kentucky State University
Mike Harmon, auditor for the Commonwealth of Kentucky has released a report that found $2.7 million withdrawn from internal endowed funds to supplement cash balances, undocumented credit card transactions, wasteful spending on extravagant bonuses and benefits, and crippling budget and procurement failures all occurring in a chaotic accounting environment.
American Council of Learned Societies Debuts New Grant Program for Faculty at HBCUs
The new program will seek to advance the scholarly contributions of humanities and interpretive social sciences faculty at historically Black colleges and universities. For three years, ACLS will award 12 grants of up to $10,000 each for research project development, and eight fellowships of up to $50,000 each to support deeper engagement with a significant research project.
Prairie View A&M University to Offer the Peace Corps Prep Certificate Program
Through a combination of coursework and hands-on experience, students will develop four core competencies that are critical to intercultural fieldwork: foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, professional and leadership development, and sector-specific skills in one of Peace Corps’ six sectors.
Fisk University and Vanderbilt University Team Up for New Postdoctoral Fellowships
These fellowships have been designed to offer opportunities for recent Vanderbilt Ph.D. graduates to build their teaching and scholarship portfolios, receive mentoring from faculty at both institutions and allow time for publishing their dissertations or preparing other research papers.
