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.
The Growing Racial Gap in SAT Scores
Since 2006 when the SAT college entrance examination was revised, the racial scoring gap on the combined reading, mathematics, and writing sections of the SAT has increased by eight points.
Lincoln University of Missouri Names a New Dean of its College of Agriculture
Dr. Albert Essel was appointed dean of the College of Agriculture, Environmental, and Human Sciences at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. He has been serving as an associate dean at Delaware State University.
A Large Racial Gap Persists in ACT Test Scores
The average score for Blacks on the ACT college admissions test in 2015 was lower than for any other racial or ethnic group including American Indians, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders. The racial gap in ACT scores has remained relatively constant for many years.
The New Faculty Director of the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice
Melissa Murray has been on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law since 2006. She teaches courses on family law, criminal law, constitutional law, and reproductive rights.
University Professor Finds an Audio Tape of an Early “I Have a Dream” Speech
On November 27, 1962, nine months before Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a huge crowd at the Lincoln Memorial, he used the words "I have a dream" in a speech at a segregated high school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. A recording of the speech will soon be available online.
The New Provost at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Since June 2014, Dr. Joseph Martin Stevenson has served as vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at the school. He previously served as provost at Mississippi Valley State University and Jackson State University.
African American Scholar From Harvard University to Lead New Technology Journal
Latanya Sweeney was appointed editor-in-chief of Technology Science, a new journal published by the Data Privacy Lab at Harvard University. During 2014, she served as the chief technology officer for the Federal Trade Commission.
William Bynum of Mississippi Valley State Awarded Contract Extension
William B. Bynum was named the seventh president of Mississippi Valley State University in October 2013. Now the state governing board has praised Dr. Bynum's performance and extended his contract through June 2019.
Marion Gillis-Olion Named Dean of the School of Education at Fayetteville State University
Dr. Gillis-Olion has been on the faculty at the university since 1983. Most recently, she has served as associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. This will be her second tenure as dean of the School of Education.
The New President of the North Miami Campus of Johnson & Wales University
Dr. Larry Rice has served as president on an interim basis since 2014. Previously, he was vice president and dean of academic affairs. Dr. Rice joined the faculty at the university in 1993.
Edith Mitchell Is the New President of the National Medical Association
Dr. Mitchell is a retired Brigadier General of the United States Air Force. She currently serves as the director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
In Memoriam: Horace Julian Bond, 1940-2015
Julian Bond, a legendary civil rights leader, legislator, and longtime professor at the University of Virginia, died on August 15 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was 75 years old.
