The Large Gap in African American Voting Rates Between the States

In the District of Columbia and Mississippi, more than 72 percent of all eligible Black adults cast ballots in the 2020 presidential election. In Mississippi and Tennessee, Blacks were more likely to vote than non-Hispanic Whites. Massachusetts and New York had the lowest Black voter participation rates in the United States.

Mordecai Brownlee Will Be the Next President of the Community College of Aurora in...

Dr. Brownlee has been serving as vice president for student success at St. Philip's College in San Antonio, Texas. Earlier, he held positions at the University of Charleston in West Virginia, Blinn College District in Texas, and Houston Baptist University. Dr, Brownlee will assume his new duties on July 15.

A Quartet of African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions

The four African Americans who have been appointed to dean positions are Phylicia Rashad at Howard University, Eve De Rosa at Cornell University, Battinto Batts Jr. at Arizona State University, and Linda Thomas at James Madison University.

The Next President of Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely

In her most recent role, Dr. Lisa Jones served as vice president of student development at the Cedar Valley campus of Dallas College, a Hispanic-serving and predominately Black institution in Lancaster, Texas. Earlier, Dr. Jones served as vice president of student affairs at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan.

A Major Gift Aimed to Address the Huge Racial Gap in STEM Doctoral Programs

Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg Philanthropies have announced the launch of a $150 million effort to directly address historic underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Five partnering HBCUs will receive funding to build pathways toward doctoral degrees in STEM

Adrian Epps is the New Dean of the College of Education at Kennesaw State...

Prior to being named interim dean in May 2020, Dr. Epps was an associate dean in the university’s College of Science and Mathematics from 2007 to 2019. He also served as interim provost and vice president of academic affairs at Dalton State College from 2019 to 2020.

Renée T. White Appointed the Next Provost at The New School in New York...

Dr. White comes to The New School from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where she has served as provost and a professor of sociology since 2016. Previously she was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Simmons University in Boston from 2011 to 2016.

William Tate IV Will Be the First Black President of a University in the...

Dr. Tate has been serving as the Education Foundation Distinguished Professor, executive vice president for academic affairs, and provost at the University of South Carolina since July 2020. Professor Tate served as dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education at Washington University in St. Louis.

Hiram C. Powell Selected to Lead Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida

Most recently, Dr. Powell has served as dean of performing arts and communications at Bethune-Cookman University. During his time at the university, Dr. Powell has served in several leadership roles including interim provost and vice president of institutional advancement.

Two State Universities in the South Name African American Provosts

The University of Oklahoma announced the appointment of André-Denis Wright as senior vice president and provost for its flagship campus in Norman and Monica Terrell Leach was appointed provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.

The First African American Dean of the College of Law at Georgia State University

LaVonda N. Reed has been serving as associate provost for faculty affairs at Syracuse University. She joined the faculty there in 2006. Professor Reed's research and teaching are in the areas of wills and trusts, property, and communications regulatory law and policy.

Miriam Delphin-Rittmon to Lead the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Dr. Delphin-Rittmon is an associate professor adjunct of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. She also has served as director of cultural competence and health disparities research and consultation at Yale’s Program for Recovery and Community Health.

Marcus Jones to Lead Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana

Professor Jones served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the University of Louisiana System for the past year. He was executive vice president for university and business affairs at Northwestern State University from 2017-2020. He has served on the faculty at the university since 1994.

Lolita Buckner Inniss Will Be the Next Dean of the University of Colorado School...

Dr. Innis has been serving as senior associate dean for academic affairs and professor of law, University Distinguished Professor, and the inaugural Robert G. Storey Distinguished Faculty Fellow at the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She will begin her duties as dean on July 1.

Felicia Ganther Will Be the Fifth President of Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania

Since 2012, Dr. Ganther has been serving as associate vice chancellor for student affairs at Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona. Earlier she was the executive director of the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. She will become president of Bucks County Community College on July 1.

Erika Cameron Will Be the Next Provost at Palo Alto University in California

Dr. Cameron comes to Palo Alto University from the University of San Diego where she is an associate professor in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences. She has served in progressive administrative and leadership capacities since 2009.

Howard University to Close Its Classics Department

Howard University in Washington, D.C. has announced that it will disband its department of classics. The department has been part of the university since its founding in 1867. It is the only department of classics at a historically Black college or university.

Former President of Disneyland to Lead the Business School at Santa Clara University

Grier has been serving as dean of the School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University. He joined VCU in 2010 after a successful 29-year career with Walt Disney Company. He will become dean of the School of Business at Santa Clara University this coming summer.

The Next Chancellor of the Indianapolis Campus of Ivy Tech Community College

Dr. Lorenzo Esters currently serves as vice president for Advancement and Member Engagement with the Association of American Colleges and Universities, a higher education association representing more than 1,200 two- and four-year institutions located in 50 states, the District of Columbia, three U.S. territories, and 25 countries.

Morris Brown College in Atlanta Granted Accreditation Candidacy

In 2002, Morris Brown College lost its accreditation due to an unstable financial position. The college filed for and later re-emerged from bankruptcy. Enrollments slowed to a trickle. Now with the announcement that it is a candidate for accreditation, students at Morris Brown will now once again be eligible for federal financial aid programs including Pell grants.

A Trio of Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions

Fortune Mhlanga was named the founding dean of the School of Applied Computational Sciences at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. Debra J. Barksdale will be the next dean of the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Roger A. Fairfax, Jr. has been named dean of the College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C.

Asa J. Lee Has Been Appointed President of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Dr. Lee currently serves as vice president for campus administration, associate dean for community life, and director of African American studies at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. He will become president of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary on June 7.

North Carolina Central University Names Its Next Provost

David H. Jackson Jr. has been appointed provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at North Carolina Central University.

Two African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to University Dean Positions

Dana A. Williams was named dean of the Graduate School at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Leon Jones was named dean for medical education and professor of psychiatry at Georgetown’s School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

Bennie Harris Will Be the Next Chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate

Dr. Harris currently serves as senior vice president for institutional advancement at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, a position he has held since 2014. Prior to that, he was vice president for development and alumni relations at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Richard Milner to Lead the American Educational Research Association

H. Richard Milner IV is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of Education in the department of teaching and learning at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development. He will serve one year as president-elect and then become president of the AERA in 2022.

Four African Americans Scholars Appointed to University Dean Positions

The new deans are Trisha Clement-Montgomery at the University of Kentucky, Darryl Scriven at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, Denise Stephens at the University of Oklahoma, and Rhea Ballard-Thrower at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

David C. Wilson Named Leader of the School of Public Policy at the University...

Dr. Wilson currently serves as senior associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and is a professor of political science and psychological and brain sciences at the University of Delaware. He will become dean of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley on July 1.

Patricia Ramsey Appointed President of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York

Dr. Ramsey, whose appointment is effective May 1, will be the first woman to serve as the president of Medgar Evers College. A biologist by training, she comes to CUNY from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Earlier, she was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.

The First African American Dean of the Business School at the University of Portland...

Michael DeVaughn has served on the faculty at the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since 2008. Earlier, he taught at the University of Minnesota. His scholarship has centered on organizational learning and entrepreneurship, as well as the delivery of business education.

The First Black President of Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts

Since 2019, Dr. Chrite has served as president of Bethune-Cookman University, a historically Black educational institution in Daytona Beach, Florida. Before taking on that position, he was dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. 

Maryland Legislature Approves a $577 Million Settlement of a Long-Running HBCU Lawsuit

The current legislation, passed by overwhelming majorities in both houses of the legislature, calls for payment of $577 million over a 10-year period beginning in 2023. Funds will be used for scholarships, faculty recruitment and development, and to develop new academic programs.

Cynthia Anthony Appointed President of Lawson State Community College in Alabama

Dr. Anthony has been serving as interim president at the college since September 2020. Prior to her appointment as interim president, Dr. Anthony was interim vice chancellor for student success for the Alabama Community College System.

John McKnight Selected as the Next Dean of Haverford College in Pennsylvania

Since 2016, Dr. McKnight has been the dean of institutional equity and inclusion at Connecticut College. Prior to joining the staff of Connecticut College, he worked at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, as dean of intercultural development. Earlier, he served as director of multicultural affairs and a coordinator of residence life at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Laurie A. Carter Will Be the First Black President of Lawrence University in Appleton,...

Since 2017, Carter has been president of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. She spent 25 years in leadership positions at The Juilliard School and later was executive vice president and university counsel at Eastern Kentucky University. She will begin her new duties on July 1.

Gary Crosby Will Be the First Man and First African American to Lead Saint...

Since 2015, Dr. Crosby has been vice president for student affairs at Alabama A&M University. Prior to joining AAMU, he served in various capacities at Jackson State University in Mississippi. When he takes office on July 1, he will be the first man and first African American to lead the university in its 121-year history.

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