U.S. Education Department Awards $227.9 Million in Grants to 97 HBCUs
The five-year, Strengthening Historically Black College and Universities grants will be used for improving the physical plant at these institutions, strengthening their curriculum and academic resources, or to build endowments.
James Rosser Stepping Down as President of California State University-Los Angeles
Dr. Rosser has served as the sixth president of the university and professor of healthcare management since 1979.
Addressing the Racial Divide in STEM Education
The data suggests that attracting Black students to STEM fields is not the problem but keeping them there is a major concern.
Fisk University Names Two Finalists for President
Fisk has chosen two finalists with far different resumes. One has a background in business while the other has had a career largely in academia.
Leadership in Flux at Alabama State University
Joseph H. Silver, who became president of Alabama State University in September, was placed on paid administrative leave by the university's board of trustees.
Fisk University Names Its 15th President
H. James Williams is dean of the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. He will assume his new post on February 1, 2013.
A Decline in Doctoral Degree Awards for African Americans
The number of African Americans earning doctorates has declined in each of the past two years, after reaching an all-time high in 2009. Over the last decade, the percentage of all doctoral degree awards that were earned by Blacks has stagnated at close to 6 percent.
Carolyn Hull Anderson Is the New Leader of Baltimore City Community College
Dr. Anderson was serving as an associate professor at Morgan State University but was on the faculty at Baltimore City Community College for nearly 30 years.
UCLA Adds Two Jazz Greats to Its Faculty
The Herb Alpert School of Music at the University of California at Los Angeles has announced that jazz greats Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter have joined the faculty of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance.
Heidi Anderson Named Provost at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
When Dr. Anderson takes office in July, the university's two highest officials, president and provost, both will be African American women. Helen F. Giles-Gee became the university's president a year ago. Only 6 percent of the undergraduate student body at the university is Black.
The New Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans
David J. Johns has been serving as a senior education policy advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He is a former elementary school teacher in New York City and holds two degrees from Columbia University.
James Earl Lyons to Lead the University of the District of Columbia
Dr. Lyons, who will be interim president, has served as president of Bowie State University, Jackson State University, and California State University Dominguez Hills. From 2007 to 2010 he was secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
South Carolina State University Names Three Finalists for President
The three finalists are Thomas J. Elzey, an executive vice president at The Citadel, E. Newton Jackson, associate provost at the University of North Florida, and Leonard A. McIntyre, interim dean of the College of Education at South Carolina State University.
The Medical Schools With the Highest Percentage of Graduates Who Are Black
There are 12 predominantly White medical schools where Blacks made up at least 10 percent of the 2011 graduating class. There were nine medical schools in the United States in 2011 that did not graduate a single Black physician.
Morgan State University Repeats as Champion of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge
Since the inception of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge in 1989, American Honda has given out more than $7 million in grants to participating historically Black colleges and universities.
Carl Wright Named Provost at the Pueblo Campus of Colorado State University
Dr. Wright joined Grambling State University in Louisiana in 2009 as dean of the College of Business. Previously, he was chair of the department of accounting and finance and vice president of business and finance at Virginia State University.
Thomas Elzey Named the 11th President of South Carolina State University
Elzey has been serving as executive vice president for finance, administration, and operations at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the former senior vice president for finance, chief financial officer, and treasurer at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Eric Gravenberg to Lead the College of Alameda in California
The community college has a diverse student population with Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians all making up at least 14 percent but not more than 29 percent of the student body, according to the latest Department of Education data.
Phyllis Worthy Dawkins Named Provost at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Dawkins was provost, senior vice president for academic affairs, and professor of education at Dillard University in New Orleans. Earlier she held several positions at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Christopher Edley Is Stepping Down as Dean of the Boalt Hall Law School at...
Professor Edley is taking immediate medical leave and will step down as dean at the end of 2013. Professor Edley had surgery for prostate cancer last May and is in need of further treatment. He will remain on the faculty of the law school.
A Change in Leadership at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis
Harris-Stowe State University, the historically Black educational institution in St. Louis, has announced that President Albert Walker has decided to step down from his post. Executive vice president Constance Gully was named interim president.
U.S. News Names Its Choices for the Best HBCUs
As was the case last year, Spelman College in Atlanta was ranked as the nation's best HBCU. Morehouse College in Atlanta and Howard University in Washington, D.C. held the second and third spots. In last year's rankings, Howard was second and Morehouse was third.
Supporters of Cheyney University Preparing to Sue Pennsylvania for Racial Discrimination
An attorney involved in the action stated, "The Commonwealth in 2013 continues this racial discrimination, which has caused an all-time great institution to have an all-time low student enrollment and an all-time high budget deficit."
A Change in Leadership at Howard University
Sidney A. Ribeau has announced that he is stepping down as president of Howard University in Washington, D.C. President Ribeau has served as Howard's president for five years. Provost Wayne A.I. Frederick was named interim president.
University of Illinois Acquires the Papers of Poet Gwendolyn Brooks
The collection includes 150 boxes of manuscripts, drafts, journals, letters, scrapbooks, and awards. Also among the archives are the meticulous notes of everything Brooks ate for last 20 years of her life.
Everette Freeman Named President of the Community College of Denver
Since 2005, Dr. Freeman has been president of Albany State University in Georgia. He will take on his new role as president of the Community College of Denver beginning November 1.
Tuskegee University President Resigns
Gilbert L. Rochon, president of Tuskegee University in Alabama, announced that he was resigning from his post immediately. Dr. Rochon was only the sixth president of the university that was founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881.
A Check-Up of Blacks in Medical Schools
New data released by the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that in 2013 Blacks or African Americans were 8 percent of all applicants to U.S. medical schools and 7 percent of all first-time enrollees.
Three African Americans Elected to the Institute of Medicine
While the Institute of Medicine does not disclose the racial or ethnic makeup of its membership, it appears that only three of the 70 new members are African Americans: Phyllis Dennery, Thomas LaVeist, and Beverly Louise Malone.
The Persisting Racial Gap in College Student Graduation Rates
In 2013 the graduation rate for Black students at the nation's largest universities that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I is 44 percent. This is 22 percentage points below the rate for Whites.
Three African American Academics Win Whiting Writers’ Awards
The Whiting Writers' Awards are given annually to 10 emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. Each winner receives $50,000. Three of the 10 winners are African American who teach at universities in the United States.
Black Student Graduation Rates at High-Ranking Colleges and Universities
JBHE research has found 18 high-ranking colleges and universities that have Black student graduation rates that have averaged over 90 percent over the past four years.
Maryland and Its Four HBCUs Head to Mediation
Last month's federal district court ruling stating that Maryland's HBCUs were harmed by competing academic programs at nearby predominantly White universities did not offer any remedies.
Barbara Broome Chosen as Dean of the College of Nursing at Kent State University
Currently, Dr. Broome is associate dean and chair of the department of community-mental health at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing. She will take on her new role in March 2014.
No Progress in Closing the Racial Gap in Doctoral Degrees
In 2012, African Americans earned 2,079 doctoral degrees. This was 6.3 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. In 2002, African Americans also earned 6.3 percent of all doctoral degrees.
Yale University Authenticates Account of a Nineteenth-Century Black Prison Inmate
Yale University has announced that researchers have determined that a manuscript acquired by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library in 2009 is the earliest known memoir written by an African American prison inmate.
