Two African American Women Named to Provost Positions at Midwestern Universities
LaTonia Collins Smith was appointed provost and vice president of academic affairs at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Missouri, and Susan M. Collins was appointed provost at the University of Michigan. Both had been serving as interim provost.
Brenda Allen Is Back at the Helm of Lincoln University of Pennsylvania
On July 10, the board of trustees of historically Black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania voted not to renew the contract of the university’s president Brenda Allen. President Allen sued and the courts agreed that the vote not to renew her contract was illegal. Now the board has agreed to keep her as president.
A Vote of Confidence for the President of Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida
The board of trustees of Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida, has voted to extend the contract of the college's president A. Zachary Faison Jr. until 2025. Faison became the college's 30th president in 2018 after serving as general counsel at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
Jon Cawthorne Is the New Leader of the Association of College and Research Libraries
Dr. Cawthorne became dean of the Wayne State University Library System in 2017. Earlier in his career, he was dean of libraries at West Virginia University, associate dean for public services and assessment at Florida State University Libraries, and dean of the San Diego State University Library.
A Sudden Change in Leadership at Fisk University in Nashville
Kevin D. Rome Sr., president of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, was placed on leave after a man filed a restraining order against him. The Fisk University board of trustees immediately appointed Vann Newkirk, provost at Fisk, as acting president.
Three African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions at Universities
Manica Finch is the new dean of enrollment management at Harris Stow-State University. Martin Smith is the new dean of academic affairs for Trinity College at Duke University and Tresmaine R. Grimes was appointed dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education at Pace University.
Terrell Strayhorn Appointed Provost at Virginia Union University in Richmond
Dr. Strayhorn joined the faculty at Virginia Union earlier this year as a tenured professor in the Evelyn Reid Syphax School of Education and director of the Center for the Study of HBCUs. He has taught at the University of Tennessee, Ohio State University, and Le Moyne-Owen College in Memphis.
Carlos R. Clark Selected as the Fifteenth President of Arkansas Baptist College
Dr. Clark has been serving as provost and executive vice president at Arkansas Baptist. He joined the staff at the educational institution in 2018. Earlier, he held senior-level positions at Wilberforce University in Ohio, Prairie View A&M University in Texas, and Alabama A&M University.
The First African American Woman to Chair a Department at Johns Hopkins Medical School
Namandjé Bumpus was appointed chair of the department of pharmacology and molecular sciences. She is the first African American woman to chair an academic department at the medical school and the only African American woman currently chairing a pharmacology department at any medical school in the nation.
Two African American Woman Appointed to Dean Positions at Universities
Evelyn L. Ashley has been named dean of students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Henrietta Williams Pichon, an associate professor of educational leadership and administration, was appointed interim dean of the College of Education at New Mexico State University.
Archie Holmes to Lead Academic Affairs for the University of Texas System
In his new post, Dr. Holmes will work with the presidents and the academic leadership of all eight University of Texas academic institutions to help them achieve strategic goals to advance their institutions. He will also be a tenured professor of engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
The New Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Assessment at...
Before joining the Howard University community, Dr. Morris Thomas was an associate professor and the inaugural director for the Center for the Advancement of Learning at the University of the District of Columbia.
Bunmi Olatunji to Lead the Graduate School at Vanderbilt University in Nashville
Bunmi Olatunji, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology, was appointed interim dean of the Graduate School at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Olatunji had been serving as associate dean of academic affairs.
Kendrick Brown Will Be the Next Provost at Morehouse College in Atlanta
Dr. Brown has been serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. Prior to his five-year tenure at Redlands, Dr. Brown served as a senior administrator at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Brandon Logan to Lead the Center for the Study of Race & Politics in...
Brandon Logan has been serving as chief executive officer of Urban Capital Partners in San Antonio, Texas. He is a graduate of Grambling State University, where he majored in business management.
Christen Crouch Named the Next Dean of Graduate Studies at Bard College in New...
Dr. Crouch has been an associate professor of history and director of American studies at Bard College since 2014. Her work focuses on the histories of the early modern Atlantic, comparative slavery, American material culture, and Native American and Indigenous Studies.
The First African American to Be Promoted to Full Professor at Ithaca College
Dr. Cynthia Henderson joined the faculty at Ithaca College in 2000. In 2007, she was the first African-American woman to earn tenure at the college. Now she is the first African American who has been promoted to the rank of full professor in the 128-year history of Ithaca College.
Howard University School of Business Names Two Black Women to Assistant Dean Posts
The Howard University School of Business announced the appointment of two African American women to assistant dean positions. Yuvay Meyers Ferguson will serve as assistant dean of impact and engagement and Allison Morgan Bryant will serve as assistant dean of innovation and administration.
University of Chicago English Department to Only Accept Grad Students Focused on Black Studies
The department announced that "for the 2020-2021 graduate admissions cycle, the University of Chicago English department is accepting only applicants interested in working in and with Black Studies.” The department is planning to admit five new Ph.D. students.
Parneshia Jones Appointed Director of Northwestern University Press
An Evanston native and a published poet, Jones joined the Northwestern University Press in 2003 as marketing assistant and served in several progressively more responsible positions. She will be only the second Black woman to lead a university press in the United States.
The Next Chancellor of the Berks Campus of Pennsylvania State University in Reading
Dr. George Grant Jr. has been serving as professor and dean of the College of Community and Public Service at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. Prior to becoming dean, Dr. Grant was director of the university's School of Social Work.
After Ousting President, Lincoln University Now Gives a New Five-Year Contract to Brenda Allen
Less than three months ago, the board of trustees of Lincoln University voted to oust Brenda Allan as the institution's president. After a lawsuit, the board has now given President Allen a new five-year contract.
Ron Walcott Appointed Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Georgia
Dr. Walcott is a professor in the department of plant pathology and has served as interim dean of the Graduate School since September 2019. He began his academic career at the University of Georgia in 1999 as an assistant professor and earned the rank of full professor in 2012.
DoVeanna Fulton Is the New Provost at Norfolk State University in Virginia
For the past 8 years, Dr. Fulton has served as dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of history, humanities, and languages at the University of Houston–Downtown. Earlier, she taught at the University of Alabama.
Three African American Women Appointed to University Dean Positions
Stephanie Dance-Barnes was appointed dean of the College of Science and Health at DePaul University in Chicago. Stacy Gee Hollins was named dean of the School of Business at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis and Isi Ero-Tolliver is the new interim dean of the School of Science at Hampton University in Virginia.
Vanderbilt University Attracts a Major Black Scholar to Its Faculty
Currently a professor of sociology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Michael Eric Dyson will join the faculty at Vanderbilt University in Nashville on January 1 as a University Distinguished Professor in African American and diaspora studies with a joint appointment in the Divinity School.
Jermaine Whirl Chosen to Be the Next President of Augusta Technical College
Dr. Whirl has been serving as vice president for learning and workforce development and vice president for economic development and corporate training at Greenville Technical College in Greenville, South Carolina. He will begin his new job on November 3.
Jamie Pleasant Is the New Dean of Graduate Education at Clark Atlanta University
Dr. Pleasant is a tenured professor in the department of marketing and management and previously served as associate dean of the School of Business Administration. Dr. Pleasant was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in management at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
University of Richmond President Announces His Intention to Step Down
Ronald A. Crutcher became the tenth president of the University of Richmond in 2015. He also serves as a professor of music at the university. When a successor takes the helm, Dr. Crutcher will take a sabbatical and then return to the faculty as a university professor.
Cynthia Nance Named Chair-Elect of the the American Bar Foundation Fellows
Cynthia Nance is dean emerita and the Nathan G. Gordon Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. Her teaching and scholarship focus on labor and employment law, workplace legislation, and poverty law.
Three African American Scholars Appointed to Dean Positions at Southern Universities
Sharon E. Williams was appointed interim dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Brandon Common was named dean of students at Louisiana State University and Nichole Lewis is the new dean of students at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.
New York University Adds a Major Black Scholar to its Faculty
Claudia Rankine, an award-winning poet and past recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Award,” will join the faculty at New York University as a professor of creative writing. She will begin her tenure at NYU in the summer of 2021. Professor Rankine is currently the Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University
Saint Augustine’s University President Succumbs to the COVID-19 Virus
Irving Pressley McPhail, the twelfth president of Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina, died on October 14 from complications relating to the COVID-19 virus. He had taken office as president of the university in July of this year. Maria A. Lumpkin was named interim president.
Theresa B. Felder Selected as the Tenth President of Harford Community College in Maryland
Dr. Felder comes to Harford Community College from Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio, where she most recently served as the senior vice president for student success. Prior to this position, she was the vice president of student affairs and administrative dean for Clark State’s largest branch campus.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Names Its Next Chancellor
Dr. Thomas Gibson has been serving since 2016 as vice president for student affairs and vice provost at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Previously, he was associate vice president of student affairs at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Dr. Gibson will take on new duties in January.
Northwestern University’s Carol D. Lee Selected to Lead the National Academy of Education
Dr. Lee served as Edwina S. Tarry Professor of Education and Social Policy and as a professor of African American studies at Northwestern University. She became professor emerita in 2019. Professor Lee will serve a four-year term as president of the National Academy of Education beginning in November 2021.
