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.
Elson Floyd to Remain as President of Washington State University Through 2021
President Floyd's contract was not due to expire until 2016 but the board decided to add five years to the term of the agreement due to Dr. Floyd's "exemplary service." He has served as president since May 2007.
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.
Grambling State University President to Step Down on June 30
Dr. Frank G. Pogue was named interim president of the university on December 15, 2009 and was elevated to job on a permanent basis in July 2010. He is the former president of Edinboro State University in Pennsylvania.
Edward Blum Launches Another Assault on Affirmative Action
The Project for Fair Representation has set up three websites seeking individuals who believe they were rejected for admission at three universities due to affirmative action or so-called reverse discrimination.
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.
Jonathan Holloway Appointed Dean of Yale College
Dr. Holloway is a professor of history and American studies and chair of the Department of African American studies at Yale. He will begin his duties as dean of Yale College, the undergraduate division of Yale University, on July 1.
Terrell Lamont Strayhorn: The Youngest Full Professor at Ohio State University
Dr. Strayhorn was promoted to full professor in the department of educational studies in the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University. The appointment makes him the youngest full professor at the university.
UNCF Receives $25 Million From Conservative Group
The grant will consist of $18.5 million that will be earmarked for 3,000 merit-based scholarships for African American undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students and $6.5 million to support the United Negro College Fund and its member institutions.
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.
U.S. Court of Appeals Upholds the University of Texas’ Affirmative Action Plan
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the affirmative action policies of the University of Texas in a case brought by Abigail Fisher that had previously made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Darlene Clark Hine Awarded the National Humanities Medal
The citation accompanying the award states that, "through prolific scholarship and leadership, Dr. Hine has examined race, class, and gender and shown how the struggles and successes of African American women shaped the Nation we share today."
Turmoil in Montgomery: Power Struggle at Alabama State University
The university's president has come under fire for a number of different reasons and the governor has dismissed two board members for alleged conflicts of interest and for trying to usurp the president's powers.
University of Texas Affirmative Action Case Is Not Done Yet
Last month, a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the affirmative action policies on the University of Texas. But the plaintiff was quick to respond and has now filed an appeal for the entire Fifth Circuit bench to hear the case.
Richard J. Powell Named Dean of the Humanities at Duke University
Professor Powell is the John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art and Art History at Duke. He served as chair of the university's department of art, art history, and visual studies department from 1996 to 2001.
The New President of the Houston Campus of the Chamberlain College of Nursing
Dr. Vivian Lilly was academic dean at the San Antonio, Texas, campus of the Galen College of Nursing. Earlier in her career she taught nursing at the University of Texas at Arlington and Dallas Baptist University.
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.
New ACT Test Results Show Very Few Black Students Are Prepared for College
According to the 2014 scores on the ACT college entrance examination, only one in 20 Black students were rated college-ready in all four areas: English, reading, mathematics and science. Whites were nearly seven times as likely as Blacks to be college ready in all four areas.
Hampton University’s Rodney Smith to Lead the College of the Bahamas
Rodney D. Smith has been chosen as the next president of the College of the Bahamas. Dr. Smith has been serving as vice president for administrative services at Hampton University in Virginia.
The New Chief Academic Officer at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Joseph Martin Stevenson is the new vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at the private graduate school devoted exclusively to the study of psychology and the behavioral sciences. He is the author or co-author of 13 books.
Norman Francis Announces He Will Retire From the Presidency of Xavier University
An icon of American higher education, Norman C. Francis is the longest-tenured serving university president in the United States with nearly 47 years as head of the nation's only HBCU affiliated with the Catholic Church.
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.
Algeania Warren Freeman Named President of Wilberforce University in Ohio
Dr. Freeman previously served as president of Martin University in Indianapolis and Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. She has a difficult job ahead as Wilberforce has until December to show why its accreditation should not be revoked.
Toni Morrison’s Papers to Be Housed at Princeton University
The archives of the Nobel laureate and professor emerita consist of about 180 linear feet of papers that include correspondence, manuscripts, drafts, proofs, diaries, course materials, lectures, notes, and photographs.
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.
Belinda Miles Named President of Westchester Community College
Since 2011, Dr. Belinda S. Miles has served as provost and executive vice president of access, learning, and success at Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, Ohio. She will begin her new duties in January.
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.
Affirmative Action Lawsuits Filed Against Harvard and the University of North Carolina
A group calling itself Students for Fair Admissions has filed federal civil rights lawsuits claiming that both institutions have practiced racial discrimination in their undergraduate admissions policies and procedures.
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.
