The Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University Names Bernard Banks as Its...

Dr. Banks comes to Rice from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he has been serving as associate dean for leadership development and inclusion and clinical professor of management and organizations. Earlier, he was chair of the department of behavioral sciences and leadership at the U.S. Military Academy.

Black Representatives Establish the Congressional Predominantly Black Institutions Caucus

Unlike historically Black colleges and universities, predominantly Black institutions were founded after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and therefore are unable to take advantage of federal programs earmarked for HBCUs.

Grambling State University President to Lead the University of Louisiana System

Since 2016, Rick Gallot has been president of Grambling State University. He previously represented Grambling and northeast Louisiana in both the state Senate and House of Representatives. Gallot will begin his new role in January.

Sherwin K. Bryant to Lead the Center for African and African American Studies at...

Dr. Bryant currently serves as an associate professor of Black studies and history at Northwestern University. He is the former director of Northwestern’s Center for African American History.

David C. Howse Appointed the Tenth President of the California College of the Arts

Since 2015, Howse has served as vice president in Office of the Arts at Emerson College in Boston. He also was executive director of ArtsEmerson, and served as special advisor to the president. He will become president of the California College of the Arts in December.

Denise Richardson Appointed President of Berkeley City College in California

Dr. Richardson has been working as interim president since July 1, 2023. Earlier, Dr. Richardson was the vice president of instruction at Merritt College in Oakland, a role she began in March 2020. She has been an employee of the Peralta Community College District for over 20 years.

Barbara Bryan Is the New Leader of Broward College in Florida

Currently serving as the CEO of Higher Education Consulting, Dr. Bryan is widely recognized for her skill in obtaining accreditation program approvals, driving organizational development, and leading expansion efforts. She was employed by the college for 26 years in various roles.

A Trio of New African American Deans

Shirley Hymon-Parker will lead the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University as interim dean. William H. Whitaker Jr. has been named dean of South Carolina State University’s Honors College and DeNeia Thomas is the new dean of the College of Professional Studies at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Rice University Provides a Detailed Look at Its History of Racial Injustice

University founder William Marsh Rice was an oil and cotton tycoon, who when he died was said to be the richest man in Texas. He left the bulk of his estate to establish the Rice Institute for Literature. His will stipulated that only White students were allowed to enroll.

American-Educated Olu Q. Menjay Named President of Tubman University in Liberia

Olu Q. Menjay, who received the bulk of his education in the United States and served as a faculty member at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, has been appointed the fourth president of Tubman University in Liberia. Founded in 1978, the university closed in 1990 due to the Liberian civil war. It reopened in 2008.

Melissa Gilliam Will Be the First African American President of Boston University

Dr. Gilliam has been provost at Ohio State University since July 2021. Earlier, she was vice provost, the Ellen H. Block Distinguished Service Professor of Health Justice, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics at the University of Chicago. She will become president of Boston University on July 1, 2024.

Five Black Faculty Members Named MacArthur Fellows

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently announced the 20 latest recipients in its fellowship program, commonly referred to as “genius grants.” Of this year's 20 winners, five are Black scholars with current ties to the academic world.

Chris V. Rey Is the New President of Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina

Rey had been serving as international president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Founded by the Presbyterian Church in January 1867, Barber-Scotia College lost accreditation in 2004 and since that time has struggled to remain viable.

Harriette Scott Named Dean of University College at Virginia Union University

Dr. Scott has been serving as a senior lecturer in the higher education leadership program at Boston University. Earlier, she held dean positions at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts, and Tulsa Community College in Oklahoma.

Harold Martin Announces He Will Step Down as Leader of North Carolina Agricultural and...

Harold L. Martin, Sr., who is in his fifteenth year as leader of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year. He is currently the longest-serving chancellor in the 17-campus University of North Carolina System.

Three African American Scholars Appointed to Dean Positions at Universities

Corey D. B. Walker has been named dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Crystal Shannon has been named dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Indiana University Northwest and Colvin T. Georges Jr. was appointed dean of students for the Albert A. Sheen campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.

Volunteer State Community College President Orinthia T. Montague Dies at Age 56

In 2021, Dr. Montague was named the fourth president of Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin Tennessee. Previously, she was the fourth president of Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, New York, from 2017 to 2021.

Berenecea Johnson Eanes Will Be the Next President of California State University, Los Angeles

Since 2020, Dr. Eanes has served as president of York College of the City University of New York. She served as vice president for student affairs at California State University, Fullerton from 2012 to 2019. She will begin her new job in January.

Two Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to University Provost Positions

Nosa O. Egiebor is the new provost and executive vice chancellor at Montana Technological University in Butte and Toni Williams has been named provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at Martin University in Indianapolis.

Winston Oluwole Soboyejo Named President of SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Dr. Soboyejo has been serving at Worchester Polytechnic Institute since 2017, first as dean of engineering, then provost and senior vice president, and later interim president. Earlier, Dr. Soboyejo was a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University for 17 years.

Temple University President JoAnne Epps Dies Suddenly at Campus Service

JoAnne A. Epps, acting president of Temple University in Philadelphia, collapsed on stage during a celebration of life ceremony for Charles L. Blockson on September 19, where she was scheduled to speak. She was taken from the stage to Temple University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. President Epps was 72 years old.

Lisa Herring Is the New President of the PROPEL Center in Atlanta

The PROPEL Center was created in 2021 to support HBCU students and faculty through a robust virtual platform, a physical campus in the historic Atlanta University Center, as well as on-campus activations at partner institutions. Dr. Herring is the former superintendent of the public schools systems in Atlanta and Birmingham.

Agenia Walker Clark Will Be the Next President of Fisk University

For the past 19 years, Dr. Clark has been CEO of the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Prior to the Girl Scouts, Dr. Clark was the vice president of human resources for the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, senior director of human resources at Vanderbilt University, and directed human resources for Canadian telecommunications provider Nortel Networks.

Three African American Men Who Have Been Selected to Serve as Deans

Joel A. Johnson was appointed dean of admission at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Darren D. Kelly will be the next dean of the Office of African American Affairs at the University of Virginia and Jimmie Smith has been named dean of aviation at Savannah Technical College in Georgia.

Former Professor and University Administrator to Lead the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

DeAngela Burns-Wallace is the  CEO and president of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. She held administrative positions at Stanford University, the University of Missouri, and the University of Kansas.

Phyllis Curtis-Tweed Appointed Provost at Queensborough Community College in New York

“I am thrilled to join the Queensborough Community College as provost and vice president of academic affairs, and to return to CUNY, where our very prescient mission remains to provide high-quality public education for all students," said Dr. Curtis-Tweed.

Three Black Scholars Appointed to Dean Positions

Mark Harden is the new dean of the Shaw University Divinity School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Marie-Carmel Chery is the new dean of the chapel and spiritual engagement at Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina, and Tony Jean Dickerson was appointed dean of the School of Education at Martin University in Indianapolis.

Marla Frederick Will Be the Next Dean of Harvard Divinity School

Dr. Frederick is currently the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Religion and Culture at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Prior to her appointment at Emory, she served on the Harvard faculty from 2003 to 2019

Harry Elam to Step Down as Occidental College President at the End of the...

Harry J. Elam Jr. became the sixteenth president of Occidental College in Los Angeles on July 1, 2020. Dr. Elam recently announced in a message to new students that he would be stepping down from his post at the end of the academic year due to a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

The First Black Dean of the Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia

Said Ibrahim has been serving as senior vice president of the medicine service line at Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider. He also serves as chair of the department of medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, and the Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University. He will become dean on December 1.

Glenda Glover Will Step Down as President of Tennessee State University in 2024

"It was a decision that did not come too easily," President Glover said, "and it was not made lightly. My voice is needed now on a more national platform."

Three African American Women Who Have Been Appointed Provosts

Shantay R. Grays was named provost at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. Andrea Stewart has been named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Toneyce Randolph is the new provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Morris Brown College in Atlanta.

Two Black Scholars Who Have Been Named to Dean Positions

Brett C. Woods was appointed vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Mary Simmons is the new dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences at Florida A&M University.

Roberts Wesleyan University Names Rupert Hayles Jr. as Its Twelfth President

Rupert A. Hayles Jr. is the new president of Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York. In this role, he will also serve as the fourth president of the Northeastern Seminary. Dr. Hayles has been serving for the past two years as president of Pillar College in Newark, New Jersey.

Two African Americans Appointed to University Dean Positions

Jamelle Sharpe is the new dean of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law and Natasha Hutson has been appointed as dean of University College at Alcorn State University in Mississippi.

Jamal A. Cooks Is the New President of Chabot College in California

Dr. Cooks has served as vice president of academic services at Chabot College since 2022, although he assumed the role on an interim basis in 2021. Prior to community college administration, Dr. Cooks served as a full professor at San Francisco State University, where he was also the associate director for the educational leadership doctoral program.

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