Gracie Lawson-Borders Named Dean of the School of Communications at Howard University
She is the former associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wyoming, where she also was professor of communication and journalism. Earlier she was the director of the African American and Diaspora Studies program at the University of Wyoming.
HBCUs Hit Hard by NCAA Sanctions
Eighteen teams were penalized for the poor academic performance of their student athletes by being declared ineligible for postseason competition in the 2013-14 academic year. Of these 18 teams, 15 were teams at historically Black colleges and universities.
Roslyn Clark Artis to Lead Florida Memorial University
The proposed interim president spent 10 years at the now closed Mountain State University in West Virginia, where she served as chief academic officer. She holds a law degree from West Virginia University and an educational doctorate from Vanderbilt University.
Supreme Court Does Not Strike Down Affirmative Action in Higher Education Admissions
The good news for proponents of race-sensitive admissions is that after the decision affirmative action lives to see another day. The bad news for proponents of affirmative action is that universities are placed on notice that they must provide detailed justification for any affirmative action admissions program based on race.
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.
New Poll Shows Mixed Opinions on Affirmative Action
A new Gallup polls shows limited support for race-sensitive admissions to college, even among Blacks. But the same poll showed widespread support for affirmative action programs and other government efforts to help Blacks and other minorities.
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.
National Institutes of Health Reaches an Agreement With the Family of Henrietta Lacks
In 1951 Henrietta Lacks' cancer cells were extracted for research without her knowledge. Researchers were able to keep her cancer cells alive and they continued to replicate in the laboratory. The so-called HeLa cells are still used in research today and have been used to make important scientific advances.
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."
Major Gift Endows a New Center for Black Studies at Harvard
Henry Louis Gates Jr., who has led the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for more than 20 years, was named the founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.
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.
Two HBCUs Removed From Accreditation Probation
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has lifted the probation of accreditation at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
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."
Nuclear Engineer Named Dean at South Carolina State University
Kenneth Lewis was appointed dean of the College of Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering Technology. He served in the same post from 2005 to 2011.
Alcorn State University President M. Christopher Brown II Resigns
Dr. Brown has led Alcorn State since 2010. Earlier in his career, he was provost at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennesee, and dean of education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Arthur Dunning Is the New Leader of Albany State University
Dr. Dunning was serving as a professor and senior research fellow at the Education Policy Center of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. He is expected to serve as interim president for up to one year.
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.
Michael Drake Appointed President of Ohio State University
When he takes office in June, Dr. Drake will be the first African American to be president of Ohio State. Currently, Dr. Drake is chancellor of the University of California, Irvine.
Roslyn Clark Artis Named President of Florida Memorial University
Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens has named Roslyn Clark Artis president of the university. She is the first woman to serve as president in the historically Black university's 135-year history.
