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.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Major Effort to Boost Faculty Diversity
Since the year 2000, the percentage of all faculty at Penn who were racial or ethnic minorities increased from 12.8 percent to 20.5 percent. But President Amy Gutmann says, "We still have more work to do."
New Data Shows a Drop in African American Enrollments in Higher Education
The U.S. Department of Education reports that in the fall of 2012 there were 2,864,723 African Americans enrolled in degree-granting institutions in the United States, down more than 3 percent from a year earlier.
African American Graduate School Enrollments Hold Steady
Overall African American enrollments in higher education dropped by 3.4 percent from 2011 to 2012. But it appears that in graduate schools, African Americans are holding steady.
The Racial Gap in College Graduation Rates
At publicly operated colleges and universities, 39.7 percent of Blacks earned their bachelor's degrees within six years from the same institution at which they enrolled in 2006 compared to 60.2 percent of Whites.
Simmons College of Kentucky Receives Accreditation
Founded by former slaves in 1879, what is now known as Simmons College of Kentucky has received accreditation for the first time from the Association for Biblical Higher Education.
Alfred Rankins Named President of Alcorn State University
A former associate professor of plant and soil science, he has been serving as deputy commissioner for academic and student affairs for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.
A Bump in the Road for the Effort to Reinstate Race-Sensitive Admissions in California
This year, an effort was mounted in the state legislature to give voters an opportunity to reverse a ban on race-sensitive admissions. But after opposition from Asian Americans, the measure was pulled from consideration.
Supreme Court Upholds Voter-Approved Michigan Ban on Race-Sensitive Admissions
As a result of the Supreme Court's ruling the ban on raced-based affirmative action admissions in Michigan will remain in effect. Justice Stephen Breyer joined the Court's five-member conservative wing in the decision.
A New Leader for the Howard University School of Law
Danielle R. Holley-Walker was appointed dean of the School of Law at Howard University in Washington. D.C. She has been serving as associate dean and a professor of law at the University of South Carolina Law School.
The New Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University
Helen Easterling Williams is the former dean of the School of Education and professor of doctoral studies at Azusa Pacific University in California. From 1997 to 2006, Dr. Williams held several leadership posts at the University of Delaware.
Joyce Ester Named President of Normandale Community College in Minnesota
Dr. Ester was president of Kennedy-King College, one of the seven campuses of the City Colleges of Chicago. Before becoming president of Kennedy-King in 2011, she was associate vice president for student services at Bakersfield College in California.
Washington and Lee University Addresses Its Past Ties to Slavery and the Confederacy
Kenneth P. Ruscio, president of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, has issued a response to student demands that the university take actions to address its past.
The New Provost at Lincoln University in Missouri
Said L. Sewell III is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. He was assistant provost for academic affairs at Kent State University in Ohio.
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. Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Morehouse College in Atlanta held the second and third spots.
President of Virginia State University to Step Down
After meeting in a three-hour closed-door session with the Virginia State University board of visitors, university president Keith T. Miller announced that he will step down on December 31.
Hampton University Provost to Lead Virginia State University
When she takes office in January, Dr. Pamala Valleria Wilson Hammond will the first woman president in the 133-year history of the Virginia State University. She has served as provost at Hampton University since 2009.
Duke Scholar Wins Grawemeyer Award in Religion
Willie James Jennings is an associate professor of theology and Black church studies at Duke University Divinity School. The Grawemeyer Award includes a $100,000 prize.
Howard College of Dentistry Dean Leo Rouse Announces His Retirement
Dr. Rouse will continue as dean of the Howard University College of Dentistry for the remainder of the current academic year and then take a one semester sabbatical before retiring next December.
Helen Giles-Gee Leaves Presidency of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Dr. Giles-Gee became the 22nd president of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia in July 2012. She was the first woman and the first African American president in the nearly 200-year history of the university.
Loren Blanchard Named Executive Vice Chancellor for the California State University System
Dr. Blanchard has been serving as provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Xavier University in New Orleans. He is the first person to serve as provost at Xavier. Dr Blanchard will take on his new role in July.
Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran, President of Kalamazoo College, to Retire
Dr. Wilson-Oyelaran has served as the 17th president of the college since July 2005. A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Wilson-Oyelaran taught at the University of Ife in Nigeria for 14 years before returning to the U.S. in 1988.
