Georgetown University Commits to Addressing Racial Injustice
Georgetown University President John DeGioia said that the university would establish an African American studies program, a new research center on race, and hire the faculty required to fully staff these initiatives.
Morgan State University Receives the Largest Donation in Its History
Morgan State University in Baltimore believes that the $5 million donation is the fifth largest gift by individuals to any HBCU in the nation. The money will be used for need-based scholarships for students from the City of Baltimore.
The New Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education
James Cole Jr. has been serving as general counsel at the department and will continue to serve in that role. Earlier, he was deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Brown University’s Plan to Create a Diverse and Inclusive Campus Community
In releasing the report, Christina Paxson, president of Brown University, stated that “a diverse and inclusive academic community is foundational to every ambition we have as an institution of higher education."
University of Texas System Initiates a “Rooney Rule” For Senior-Level Hiring
The University of Texas System has instituted a new policy that requires search committees to have a minority candidate among the finalists for every senior level administrative post on campus. The new policy is modeled after the Rooney Rule in the National Football League.
Robert M. Dixon to Serve as Provost at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
For the past two years, Dr. Dixon has served as interim vice president for academic affairs at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. He is the former provost and vice president for academic affairs at Grambling State University in Louisiana.
New Leader for the College of Arts and Sciences at Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville State University in North Carolina has announced the appointment of Samuel Adu-Mireku as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Since 2012, Dr. Adu-Mireku has served as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Mandara Savage Is the New Leader of the Extended Campus of Southern Illinois University
The Southern Illinois University Extended Campus includes all online courses and courses taught at off-campus facilities. Dr. Savage is an associate professor and chair of the department of technology at the university.
The Next Dean of the College of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University
Andrew P. Daire currently serves as associate dean for research in the College of Education at the University of Houston. Earlier he taught for 14 years in the College of Education and Human Performance at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Three African Americans Among the Top 10 Most Influential Scholars in Education
Linda Darling Hammond of Stanford University was rated as the most influential university-based education scholar in the United States. Also among the top 10 influential scholars are Gloria Ladson-Billings of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Claude Steele, provost at the University of California, Berkeley.
Melvin Oliver Named the Sixth President of Pitzer College in Claremont, California
Dr. Oliver is a professor of sociology and executive dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California at Santa Barbara. From 1978 to 1996, Dr. Oliver taught sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The Nationwide Racial Gap in College Graduation Rates
For all students who enrolled in bachelor's degree programs at four-year institutions in 2008, Blacks had the lowest graduation rate of any racial or ethnic group. Only 40.9 percent of Black students had completed their degree within six years.
The New Dean of the College of Engineering at Howard University
Dr. Achille Messac, educated at MIT, has been serving as dean of engineering and professor of aerospace engineering at Mississippi State University. Previously, he served on the faculties at Syracuse University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Gladis Kersaint Appointed Dean of the School of Education at the University of Connecticut
Dr. Kersaint is a professor of mathematics education and associate dean of the College of Education at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She will begin her new duties at the University of Connecticut in July.
A Check-Up on Black Progress in Dental School Enrollments
The data shows that the number of Black applicants to U.S. dental schools has declined by 7.5 percent over the past four years. In 2014, Blacks were 4.3 percent of all new students enrolling in U.S. dental schools. This is down slightly from recent years.
Steven Nelson to Lead the African Studies Center at UCLA
Dr. Nelson is a professor of African and African American art and architectural history at the university. Professor Nelson is currently working on books about the Underground Railroad and the history of the city of Dakar.
Curtis Charles, President of Tiffin University in Ohio, Resigns
Curtis B. Charles served as president of Tiffin University for only six months. The board of trustees stated that Dr. Charles' resignation was due to "a difference in views on strategic vision."
Shirley Ann Jackson to Receive the National Medal of Science
President Obama has chosen nine individuals to receive the National Medal of Science at a White House ceremony early in 2016. Among the nine winners, one is an African American.
Leslie McClellon Resigns as President of Rochester Community and Technical College
President McClellon had been criticized over her spending and hiring decisions since taking office only 18 months ago. She will take a position as a senior system director at the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
A Leadership Change at Elizabeth City State University
Stacey Franklin Jones has resigned from her position as chancellor of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. Thomas Conway, vice chancellor and chief of staff at Fayetteville State University, was named to replace Dr. Jones.
Brian O. Hemphill Named the Seventh President of Radford University in Virginia
Since July 2012, Dr. Hemphill has served as the 10th president of West Virginia State University. Previously, he was vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Texas Southern University President to Step Down at the End of the Academic Year
John M. Rudley has served as the eleventh president of Texas Southern University in Houston since 2008. Earlier, he was interim chancellor of the University of Houston System and interim president of the University of Houston.
The Persisting Racial Gap in Doctoral Degree Awards
In 2014, African Americans earned 6.4 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded to U.S. students. This is about one half the number that would be the case if racial parity with the Black U.S. population prevailed.
Eddie N. Moore Jr. Named President of Norfolk State University in Virginia
Moore has been serving as interim president of Norfolk State since 2013 and the board of visitors rewarded him for leading the university when it was placed on probation by its accrediting agency. It has now been removed from probation.
Prudence Carter Appointed Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Berkeley
Dr. Carter currently serves as the Jacks Family Professor of Education and the faculty director of the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University.
Virginia State University Names Its New President
Makola M. Abdullah has been serving as provost and chief academic officer at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. At the time he earned his doctorate, he was the youngest African American to have ever received a Ph.D. in engineering.
Some Startling Statistics on the Racial Wealth Gap in the United States
Components of family wealth are commonly used to offset or pay college costs. In measurements of wealth, African Americans are at a major disadvantage. A new report presents some startling data on just how wide the racial wealth gap has become.
Augustine Agho Will Be the Next Provost at Old Dominion University in Norfolk
Currently, Dr. Agho serves as dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Indiana University. Earlier in his career he served as dean at the University of Michigan-Flint and at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis.
The Next Dean of the School of Architecture at Tuskegee University
Carla Jackson Bell, one of only 12 African American women nationwide who hold a tenured faculty position in architecture, has been serving as director of multicultural affairs in the College of Architecture, Design, and Construction at Auburn University in Alabama.
Black Enrollments in Higher Education Continue to Drop
In 2014, there were 2,726,098 African Americans enrolled in U.S. higher education. They made up 13.2 percent of all enrollments. There were nearly a quarter million fewer African American students enrolled in higher education than was the case in 2011, a decline of 8 percent.
Johns Hopkins University Announces a Major New Faculty Diversity Initiative
In 2013, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reported that Blacks made up 4 percent of its total full-time faculty and 1.7 percent of its full professors. Now a new five-year, $25 million initiative has the goal of significantly improving those numbers.
Brown University Pledges $100 Million to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion Programs
Christina H. Paxson, president of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, recently released a draft report that outlines a concrete set of actions to promote diversity and inclusion and confront the issues of racism, power, privilege, inequity, and injustice.
Reported Hate Crimes Are Down, But Are the Figures Reliable?
In 2014, there 5,479 hate crime incidents reported to the federal agency by local law enforcement agencies. But less than 11 percent of all local agencies reported any hate crimes. There was only one reported hate crime in the entire state of Mississippi.
Kemba Chambers Is the New Leader of Drake State Community and Technical College
The president of Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville was placed on leave and Dr. Kemba Chambers, who has been serving as dean of mathematics, natural sciences, and pre-engineering at Calhoun Community College in Tanner, Alabama, was named acting president.
Jamel Santa Cruze Bell to Lead Eureka College in Illinois
The board of trustees of Eureka College in Illinois has named Jamel Santa Cruze Bell as interim president of the educational institution, effective July 1, 2016. She currently serves as vice president for strategic and diversity initiatives.
University President Proposes Several Initiatives Aimed at Producing a “More Inclusive Yale”
Yale University President Peter Salovey has announced a series of new initiatives aimed at producing "a better, more diverse, and more inclusive Yale." A new academic center, increased student financial aid, a doubling of the budget for the Afro-American Cultural Center, and enhanced diversity training are among the initiatives.
