Long-Time Educator Wins $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
Ed Roberson is an artist-in-residence at Northwestern University. Roberson was a professor of literature and creative writing at Rutgers University and has also taught at the University of Chicago and Columbia College in Chicago.
Raymond Burse Resigns as President of Kentucky State University
President Burse has been highly critical of budget cuts made by new Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin. Burse said in the past that the cuts would be so devastating to the university that it may have “to declare financial exigency and/or prepare a closure plan.”
Lisa Mims-Devezin Selected to Lead Southern University at New Orleans
Dr. Mims-Devezin has been serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the university since 2014. She joined the faculty at Southern University at New Orleans in 1993 as an assistant professor of biology.
Amherst College Awarded the $1 Million Cooke Prize for Equity in Educational Excellence
The no-strings-attached award, given out by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, recognizes an institution’s accomplishments in enrollment, financial aid, academics and student support services for low-income students.
The New Dean of Students at Clemson University in South Carolina
Christopher Miller has served as vice president for student affairs at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and vice chancellor for student affairs and administrative services at the University of Illinois-Springfield.
Anthony L. Jenkins Appointed President of West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University is a historically Black university but today only 10 percent of the 2,800-member undergraduate student body is Black. Dr. Jenkins has been serving as senior associate vice president at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Stanford’s Jennifer Eberhardt Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences does not publish data on the race or ethnicity of its members. But according to a JBHE analysis of the group of 84 new members, it appears that only one of the new members is an African American.
The Next Dean of Students at the University of Colorado-Boulder
Akirah J. Bradley was appointed dean of students and associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has been serving as assistant dean of students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Paine College Names Samuel Sullivan as Its President, But Not for Long
Samuel Sullivan was named acting president of Paine College in September 2014. A month later he was fired but then rehired as interim president after student and faculty protests. Now he has been named president, but only for a term of one year.
Linda Scott Named Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Scott has been serving as the associate dean for academic affairs, associate professor of health systems science, and director of graduate studies at the School of Nursing of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Beverly Edmond to Serve as Provost at the University of Montana
Dr. Edmond will serve as provost during the 2016-17 academic year as the university searches for someone to serve in the role on a permanent basis. She has served as provost at Albany State University in Georgia and Alabama A&M University.
The New Dean of the Graduate School at Oregon State University
Before coming to Oregon State in 2015 as associate dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Jennifer Dennis served for 11 years on the faculty of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
T. Ramon Stuart Named Provost at Fort Valley State University in Georgia
Dr. Stuart has been serving as associate provost and associate vice president for academic affairs at the university. He will begin serving as provost on May 16. Dr. Stuart formerly served on the faculty at West Virginia State Community and Technical College.
Gail Gibson Fired as President of Essex County College in New Jersey
Last month, Gale Gibson, president of Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey, was suspended with pay. Now the college's board of trustees has fired Dr. Gibson. She became president of the community college in 2013.
The New President of Virginia University of Lynchburg
Kathy C. Franklin was named the 18th president of what is now Virginia University of Lynchburg. Founded in 1886, the educational institution's original name was the Lynchburg Baptist Seminary. Dr. Franklin has been interim president since last October and earlier was provost at the university.
Craig Boise Named the Next Dean of the College of Law at Syracuse University
Since 2011, Professor Boise has been serving as dean of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University in Ohio. Earlier, he served on the law school faculty at DePaul University in Chicago and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Claude Steele Stepping Down From Provost Position at the University of California, Berkeley
Claude Steele was appointed executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California, Berkeley in 2014. He is stepping aside to deal with the health problems of his wife. He will remain at Berkeley as a professor of psychology.
California University of Pennsylvania Names Geraldine Jones as Its Permanent President
Jones was named acting president of the university in 2012, after serving for nearly four years as provost and vice president for academic affairs. She was named interim president in 2013 and served in the role for three years.
St. John’s College of Nursing Names Its Next Chancellor
Charlene S. Aaron was appointed chancellor of the St. John's College of Nursing in Springfield, Illinois, effective June 1. Dr. Aaron has been serving as an assistant professor in the Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University.
Three Black Scholars Named to Dean Positions at State Universities
The new deans are Adrienne C. Webber at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Chimay Anumba at the University of Florida, and Charles T. Moses at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Keith Whitfield Named the Next Provost of Wayne State University in Detroit
Dr. Whitfield currently serves as vice provost for academic affairs at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. There, he is also a professor of psychology and neuroscience and a research professor in the department or geriatric medicine at the medical school.
Nigerian American Student From Long Island Admitted to All Eight Ivy League Colleges
Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna, this spring's valedictorian at Elmont Memorial High School on Long Island in New York, applied to and was accepted at all eight Ivy League colleges and four additional high-rated universities.
Ronald Wheeler to Lead the American Association of Law Libraries
Ronald E. Wheeler is director of the Fineman and Pappas Law Libraries and associate professor of law and legal research at Boston University. In July, he will become the first African American man to lead the American Association of Law Libraries.
Roland Anglin Named Dean of the College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University
Dr. Anglin has been serving as senior adviser to the chancellor and director of the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at the Newark, New Jersey, campus of Rutgers University. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago.
African American Woman Named Deputy Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education
Kim Hunter Reed, who has extensive teaching and administrative experience in Louisiana higher education, will be a member of the senior leadership team at the Department of Education that oversees higher education in the United States.
The New Dean of the School of Education at American University
Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy currently serves as vice provost for faculty affairs and a professor of counseling and human development at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She will begin her new job in July.
John Edgar Wideman Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters
This year 12 new members were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. One of the 12 new members is an African American: John Edgar Wideman, the Asa Messer Professor and professor of Africana studies and literary arts at Brown University.
The Next President of Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Since 2010, Dr. Sharon Pierce has been vice president for academic affairs at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. Earlier, she served as chair of the Health Sciences Division and director of the nursing education program at the college.
Two African American Women Named Deans at Southern Universities
Stephanie G. Adams was named dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and Pamela Jackson is the new dean of the School of Business and Economics at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
Camille A. Nelson Named Dean of the Law School at American University
Professor Nelson was dean of the Suffolk University Law School in Boston from 2010 to 2015. Earlier, she taught at the law school of Saint Louis University. A native of Jamaica, Professor Nelson was the first Black woman to clerk for Canada's highest court.
New $48 Million Scholarship Program for African Americans in STEM Fields
The Fund II Foundation of Austin, Texas, led by Robert F. Smith, founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, has teamed up with the United Negro College Fund to establish a $48 million scholarship program for African Americans in STEM fields.
Historically Black Delaware State University to “Deactivate” 23 Academic Programs
More than one quarter of all academic programs at the university will be cut. The programs that will be eliminated have low enrollments and the university plans to place more emphasis on academic programs that will attract larger numbers of students.
Roderick McDavis to Leave Presidency of Ohio University in 2017
Roderick J. McDavis, president of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, has announced that he will step down at the end of the 2016-17 academic year. Dr. McDavis has been president of Ohio University since 2004.
Cumberland County College in New Jersey Names Its Next President
Yves Salomon-Fernandez, who is fluent in four languages, has been serving as interim president of Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley Hills. She will begin her role as president of Cumberland County College on July 1.
Two African American Scholars Nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award in Fiction
Two of five finalists for the award are African Americans with current affiliations at American universities. James Hannaham is an associate professor of humanities and media studies at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and Julie Iromuanya is an assistant professor of English and Africana literature at Arizona State University.
H. James Williams Named President of Mount Saint Joseph University in Cincinnati
Dr. Williams was president of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, from 2013 to September 2015. Previously, he served as dean of the business school at Grand Valley State University.
