After 40 Years as Brown University’s Chief Legal Officer, Beverly Ledbetter Is Retiring

In 1978, Beverly Ledbetter was appointed the university's inaugural general counsel and she has served as Brown's chief legal officer ever since. She earned her juris doctorate at the University of Colorado Law School.

The New Chair of the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs

Since November 2017, Johnny C. Taylor Jr. has been serving as the CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management. Earlier, from 2010 to 2017 he was president of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, an organization supporting the nation's state-operated HBCUs.

Dawn Bragg Appointed Dean of Medical Student Affairs at the University of South Dakota

Dr. Bragg had been serving as a professor of pediatrics and associate dean for student inclusion and academic enrichment at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She has been on the staff there since 1994.

Oklahoma State University Scholar to Serve on National Board of Diversity Officers

Jason F. Kirksey, vice president of institutional diversity and chief diversity officer at Oklahoma State University, has been elected to serve on the board of directors of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.

David R. Harris Chosen to Be President of Union College in Schenectady, New York

Since July 2012, Dr. Harris has served as senior vice president and provost at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Previously, he was senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University.

Historically Black Concordia College in Alabama to Close

Concordia College, a historically Black educational institution in Selma, Alabama, was founded in 1922. It is the only HBCU affiliated with the Lutheran Church. The college has about 400 students and 100 employees. The college will close at the end of the current semester.

Karen Schuster Webb Named President of Union Institute and University in Cincinnati

Dr. Webb has been serving as Midwest Campus president and senior adviser for academic innovation to the chancellor of the Antioch University System. Before joining Antioch University, she was the founding dean of the California School of Education of the Alliant International University System.

Juliette Bell to Step Down From Presidency of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Dr. Bell became president of the university in July 1, 2012. From 2009 to 2012, Dr. Bell was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. In retirement, she plans to write a book on her journey from the cotton fields of Alabama to the presidency of a state university.

John L. Jackson Appointed Dean of School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Jackson currently serves as the Richard Perry University Professor and dean of the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. He has held that post since 2014. Professor Jackson joined the faculty at the university in 2006.

Clark Atlanta University Appoints a Dean for Its School of Business Administration

Silvanus J. Udoka currently serves as a professor and chair of the department of management at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. He holds a joint appointment in the department of industrial and systems engineering.

Poet Elizabeth Alexander Named President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Elizabeth Alexander, a professor at Columbia University who was selected to write a poem and read it at President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, has been appointed president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York.

Morgan State University Extends President’s Contract for Five Years

Dr. Wilson became president of Morgan State in July 2010. In December 2012, the board of regents of Morgan State University voted not to renew his contract. After protests, he was kept on with a series of one-year deals. Now, he will be president until at least 2023.

The Next Provost at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York

Dr. Darrell P. Wheeler has been serving as professor and dean of the School of Social Welfare and vice provost for public engagement at the University at Albany of the State University of New York. He will begin his new job at Iona College on July 1.

Miles K. Davis Will Be the First African American President of Linfield College in...

Currently, Dr. Davis is dean of the Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. He joined the faculty there is 2001 and was named dean of the business school in 2012. He will become president of Linfield College on July 1.

Beryl McEwen Named Provost at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro

Dr. McEwen has served as interim provost since August 2017. Earlier, she served as dean of the College of Business and vice provost for strategic planning and institutional effectiveness at North Carolina A&T State University.

Dorothy Browne Named Provost at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina

In 2015, Dr. Browne was named the inaugural dean of the School of Public Health at Jackson State University in Mississippi. Earlier in her career, she was a professor of public health and senior scientist at the Prevention Research Center at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

The Medical Schools With the Most Black Students

As expected, the three historically Black medical schools have the largest number of Black students. Among the predominantly White medical schools, the largest number of Black students is at Indiana University. Four U.S. medical schools have no Black students.

Three Black Scholars Selected for Dean Positions at Major Universities

Recently appointed to positions as deans are Jonathan Grady at the University of California, Merced, André-Denis Wright at Washington State University, and Riché Barnes at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Marion Fedrick to Lead Albany State University in Georgia

Marion Fedrick has been serving as interim executive vice president at Albany State since October. Earlier, she was vice chancellor for human resources at the University System of Georgia.

The New Provost at Savannah State University in Georgia

Since 2012, Michael Laney has served as a professor of communications and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. Earlier, he taught at Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Thomas Conway Stepping Down as Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University

Dr. Conway has served as chancellor since 2016 and has had a 45-year career with the University of North Carolina System. Earlier, Dr. Conway was vice chancellor and chief of staff at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.

Jacqueline Screws Named President of Chattahoochee Valley Community College

For the past 17 years, Screws has served as dean of student affairs for Wallace Community College in Dothan, Alabama. Earlier in her career, she was dean of student services at Sparks Technical College, which later merged with Wallace Community College.

Former President of Florida A&M University Lands New Administrative Post

James Ammons, the former president of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, has announced that he will be executive vice president of the Southern University System in Louisiana and executive vice chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus of Southern University.

The Next Dean of the School of Music and Dance at the University of...

Sabrina Madison-Cannon has been serving as a professor of dance and associate dean of academic and faculty affairs in the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She will begin her new job this coming summer.

Former Portland State University Official Named to the Oregon Supreme Court

Adrienne C. Nelson has been appointed by Governor Kate Brown to a seat on the Oregon Supreme Court. She is the first African American to serve on an appellate court in the state of Oregon.

The New Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health at Tuskegee University

Constance Smith Hendricks has been serving as the founding chair of the Division of Health Sciences at Concordia College in Selma, Alabama. Earlier, she served on the faculty at Auburn University in Alabama for 17 years.

Knoxville College Has Been on the Ropes But It Is Still Fighting to Survive

Knoxville College, a historically Black educational institution in Tennessee, has not held classes since 2015. But the college has now filed paperwork with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission with the goal of holding classes this coming fall.

The New Leader of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock

The board of trustees of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock has named Howard O. Gibson as interim president. The board stated that it hoped to have a permanent new president by July 1. Since 2015, Dr. Gibson has served as the chief academic officer at the college.

Will the New Tax on University Endowments Hurt African American College Students?

The new tax on endowment investment income will only impact about 35 educational institutions, including most Ivy League universities and other high-ranked educational institutions with the largest endowments. The tax may force cuts in financial aid programs critical to African Americans.

J. Lee Brown to Lead the College of Business and Economics at Fayetteville State...

J. Lee Brown was appointed interim dean of the College of Business and Economics at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. He joined the faculty at the university in 2011 and currently serves as an assistant professor and associate dean.

Wolde-Ab Issac Appointed Chancellor of the Riverside Community College District

The district, the fifth largest in the state of California includes Riverside City College, Norco College and Moreno Valley College. Since 2015, Dr. Isaac, a native of Eritrea in East Africa, has served as president of Riverside City College.

Shakeup in the Leadership of Arkansas Baptist College

Joseph L. Jones is no longer president of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock. Dr. Jones has stated that he resigned from his position. But the board of trustees has stated that Dr. Jones was terminated for cause.

The New Dean of Students at Tuskegee University in Alabama

Mandrake Miller has held student affairs posts at Livingstone College in North Carolina, Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, Chowan University in North Carolina, and Virginia Union University in Richmond.

Herman J. Felton Jr. to Be the Seventeenth President of Wiley College in Texas

Since 2016, Dr. Felton has been president of Wilberforce University in Ohio. Earlier, Dr. Felton served as senior vice president, chief operating officer, and vice president for institutional advancement at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina.

The Next Leader of the Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta

Dr. Ken J. Walden has been serving as director of the Center for Chaplaincy, director of Supervised Ministry and an associate professor of pastoral care and counseling at the Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, North Carolina.

Elfred Anthony Pinkard Appointed President of Wilberforce University

Dr. Pinkard has been serving as provost and executive vice president at Wilberforce. Before coming to Ohio, Dr. Pinkard was senior vice president, vice president for institutional advancement, and chief operating officer at Livingstone College in North Carolina.

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