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.
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.
Historically Black Bennett College Selects Its Next President
Rosalind Fuse-Hall is the former chief of staff to the president of Florida A&M University and previously was executive assistant to the chancellor of North Carolina Central University.
The New Chancellor of the Mont Alto Campus of Pennsylvania State University
Francis K. Achampong is currently serving as chancellor at the Fayette campus of Pennsylvania State University. From 2002 to 2010 he was a tenured professor of business law and director of academic affairs at the Mont Alto campus.
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.
Gilda Barabino Named Dean of Engineering at the City College of New York
Dr. Barabino was associate chair for graduate studies and professor of biomedical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and previously served on the faculty at Northeastern University in Boston for 18 years.
Blacks Are More Likely to Be Enrolled in School Than Whites
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that in October 2012 there were 11,918,000 African Americans enrolled in school at all levels of education. This was 31.4 percent of the entire Black population over the age of 3.
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.
Paula Allen-Meares to Stay On as Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago
Dr. Allen-Meares became chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago in January 2009. Previously, she served as the dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan.
