Traki Taylor Named Dean of the College of Education at Florida A&M University
Dr. Taylor has been serving as dean and professor in the College of Education at Bowie State University in Maryland. Earlier in her career, she was associate dean in the School of Education and Human Services at the University of Michigan-Flint.
Paul Jones Named the Tenth President of Fort Valley State University
Dr. Jones has been serving as interim president of Darton State University in Albany, Georgia. Earlier in his career, Dr. Jones was chief budget officer and interim president at Georgia College and State University.
Historically Black Albany State University to Merge With Darton State College
Arthur Dunning, interim president of Albany State University, has been selected as president of the new merged institution. The two educational institutions combined enroll close to 10,000 students.
The Aftermath of a Historic Week at the University of Missouri
Black students emboldened by their success in forcing the resignation of system president Tim Wolfe, pressed on with demands. The university hired a diversity officer and announced other initiatives. But tensions remained high after threats against Black students were made on social media.
University of Texas Introduces the “Rooney Rule” for High-Level Administrative Searches
William H. McRaven, chancellor of the University of Texas System is instituting a new rule for all administrative searches for deans and higher posts in the 14-campus system. At least one minority applicant must be included in the final pool of candidates for all high-level administrative positions.
Yale University Earmarks $50 Million for Faculty Diversity Efforts
The Ivy League university will earmark $25 million over a five-year period for faculty recruitment, faculty appointments, and emerging faculty development. Participating schools at Yale will add an additional $25 million in matching funds.
After Black Student Protests, President of the University of Missouri System Resigns
After a Black student went on a hunger strike and the University of Missouri football team refused to practice or play to protest a lack of inaction on several racial incidents, the system president and the Columbia campus chancellor resigned.
The New Dean of the Florida A&M University College of Law
Angela Felecia Epps is a professor of law at the William H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She joined the faculty at the law school in 1999 and has served as associate dean for academic affairs.
The New President of Bishop State Community College
Valerie Richardson has been serving as interim president of the college since August. She is the former vice president for institutional advancement and student services at Gadsden State Community College in Gadsden, Alabama.
An Extended Contract for the President of Bethune-Cookman University
Edison O. Jackson, president of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, since 2013, has had his contract extended through June 2018. In a statement to the university community, the board chair praised Dr. Jackson's accomplishments during his tenure as president.
The New Provost at Bennett College
Since 2013, Phyllis Worthy Dawkins has been provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cheyney University, one of 14 campuses that make up the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. She will assume her new duties on December 1.
Suzan-Lori Parks Wins the 2015 Gish Prize
The Gish Prize, considered among the top honors in the arts, comes with a cash award valued at $300,000. Parks is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and teaches creative writing at New York University.
The Leadership Saga at Florida A&M University
President Elmira Mangum narrowly survived an effort by some members of the board of trustees to oust her from her post. The next day, the chair of the board of trustees stepped down from his post.
Pamela Hammond to Step Down as Interim President of Virginia State University
Dr. Hammond has been serving as interim president since January 1, 2015. She is the first woman to serve as president of the university. Dr. Hammond is the former provost at Hampton University.
Hampton University Faculty Member Wins Miss Virginia Crown
Desiree Williams, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Hampton University, was recently crowned Miss Virginia and will compete in the 2016 Miss USA pageant.
Marlon James Wins the 2015 Man Booker Prize
Marlon James, an associate professor of English at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, won the 2015 Man Booker Prize, which recognizes what the judges believe is the best novel written in the English language in the previous year.
Leadership Change at Jackson State University
James C. Renick, provost at Jackson State University in Mississippi, resigned abruptly without explanation. He was replaced by Evelyn J. Leggette who was promoted to fill the vacancy.
Students Wear Blackface at UCLA Party
The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and the Alpha Phi sorority at the University of California, Los Angeles held a "Kanye Western" party. Some White students wore baggy pants and used blackface.
The United Negro College Fund Receives a $50 Million Pledge From the Lilly Endowment
The grant is the second largest gift received by the UNCF since its founding in 1944. The money will be used to fund career development programs at UNCF member institutions.
The New Director of African and African American Studies at the University of Arkansas
Pearl Dowe is an associate professor of political science in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the university. She has been affiliated with the Black studies program since 2008.
The New Dean of Students at Union County College
Dr. Terrence Hardee previously served as vice president for student success at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and dean of the University Center at Cumberland County College in Vineland, New Jersey.
Ivory A. Toldson Named Director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs
Prior to joining the staff at the White House, Dr. Toldson was an associate professor of education at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Earlier he taught at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
President of Voorhees College Announces He Will Step Down
Cleveland L. Sellers Jr., a celebrated leader of the civil rights movement and president of Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina, announced that he will step down at the end of the current academic year.
Gwendolyn Boyd Has Her Contract Extended at Alabama State University
Gwendolyn Boyd, president of Alabama State University in Montgomery since February 1, 2014, has had her contact extended by the board of trustees for another three years until 2019. However, the vote by the board was 8 to 6 in favor of the contract extension.
Jennifer Baszile Named Director of the Consortium on High Achievement and Success
Jennifer L. Baszile was named director of the nation's oldest and largest organization dedicated to the success of underrepresented students on liberal arts college campuses nationwide. She previously served on the faculty at the University of Connecticut and Yale University.
Black Enrollments in Graduate Schools Continue to Grow
Since 2004, Black enrollments in graduate programs have increased an average of 5.2 percent annually. During the same period White enrollments have increased by 1 percent annually.
Paul Tiyambe Zeleza to Lead United States International University-Africa
Dr. Zeleza has been serving as vice president for academic affairs at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He will become vice chancellor of U.S. International University-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, on January 1.
The Large and Persisting Racial Income Gap Impacts College Affordability
In 2014, the median income level for Black households was 58.7 percent of the median income for non-Hispanic White households. With only minor fluctuations, the racial gap in median income has remained virtually unchanged for the past 45 years.
Christopher Howard Named President of Robert Morris University
Since 2009, Christopher B. Howard has been serving as president of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, one of the few all-male colleges in the United States. He is a former U.S. Air Force helicopter pilot and earned a doctorate at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
The Inaugural Dean of the School of Public Health at Jackson State University
Dorothy C. Browne has been serving as an adjunct professor of maternal and child welfare in the School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the former director of the Public Health Institute at North Carolina A&T State University.
Arizona State’s Kimberly Scott to Lead the National Academic STEM Collaborative
Dr. Scott is an associate professor in the department of women and gender studies at Arizona State University. She is also the founding executive director of the Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology at Arizona State.
Danielle Laraque-Arena Named President of SUNY’s Upstate Medical University
A native of Haiti, Dr. Laraque-Arena has been serving as chair of the department of pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and as a professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham Awarded the National Humanities Medal
Professor Higginbotham was honored by President Obama "for illuminating the African-American journey. In her writings and edited volumes, Dr. Higginbotham has traced the course of African-American progress, and deepened our understanding of the American story."
U.S. News Names Its Choices for the Best Black Colleges and Universities
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 Hampton University in Virginia held the second and third spots this year.
George Shirley Presented With the National Medal of Arts by President Obama
George Shirley, the Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan, was honored at a recent White House ceremony.
The New Dean of the School of Business at Claflin University in South Carolina
Charles W. Richardson Jr., the new dean of the School of Business at Claflin University, previously taught at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, and Clark Atlanta University. He served for 25 years as an executive at AT&T.
