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.
University of Texas to Move Statue of Jefferson Davis to an Educational Exhibit
On the Main Mall of the University of Texas at Austin are seven statues. Along with George Washington, there are statues of several Confederate officials. University of Texas President Gregory Fenves has decided to remove the Jefferson Davis statue.
The New Leader of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University
The Institute of Jazz Studies in the John Cotton Dana Library on the Newark, New Jersey, campus of Rutgers University is the repository of more than 150,000 jazz recordings and 6,000 books on the subject.
Florida State Scholar Named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
A native of London, Steve Acquah is an associate research professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Dr. Acquah, who is also a fellow of the Royal Microbiology Society, focuses his research on carbon nanotube-based sensors and devices.
The Vast Majority of Black High School Graduates Are Not Prepared for College
A new report from ACT and the UNCF finds that African American high school graduates are less prepared for college-level curriculum than students from any other major racial or ethnic group.
Tyler Stovall to Lead the American Historical Association
Tyler Stovall is dean of humanities at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He will serve one year as president-elect of the American Historical Association and then become president for one year. The AHA is the nation's largest professional organization devoted to the study and promotion of history.
The First Black Professor at an Israeli University
Anbessa Teferra was appointed to the position of senior lecturer of Semitic languages at Tel Aviv University in Israel. He is the first immigrant from Ethiopia to be granted status as a tenured senior lecturer at an Israeli University.
Heidi Anderson to Be the Next Provost at Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Since 2013, Dr. Anderson has been provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Previously, she served as a faculty member and an administrator at the University of Kentucky for 11 years.
Jarvis Christian College Extends Its President’s Contract for Five Years
The historically Black college, located east of Dallas in Hawkins, Texas, has extended the contract of President Lester C. Newman through June 2020. Dr. Newman became the 12th president of the college three years ago.
The New Chief of Staff in the Chancellor’s Office at Syracuse University
Candace Campbell Jackson has been serving as vice president for student success and vice provost for academic success at the University of Akron in Ohio. She will also hold the title of vice president at Syracuse University.
Dexter A. Woods Named Dean of the Howard University College of Dentistry
Dr. Woods has been serving as associate dean, associate professor, and director of faculty practice at the College of Dentistry. He joined the faculty at Howard University in 1999 after serving in the U.S. Air Force.
Claudia Rankine to Join the Faculty at the University of Southern California
Claudia Rankine was appointed to the Aerol Arnold Chair of English in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Professor Rankin will begin teaching at the University of Southern California in the fall of 2016.
Safiya Sinclair Wins the 2015 Prairie Schooner Book Prize for Poetry
Sinclair, a native of Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a graduate of Bennington College in southwestern Vermont and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Virginia. She is currently a Dornsife Doctoral Fellow at the University of Southern California.
The New President of Hennepin Technical College in Minnesota
Merrill Irving Jr. recently became president of the largest technical college in Minnesota serving 10,000 students at campuses in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie. African Americans make up 21 percent of the student body.
University of California, Berkeley’s Namwali Serpell Wins the Caine Prize
Namwali Serpell, an associate professor of English at the University of California, is the winner of the 2015 Caine Prize, honoring the best writing by an African author. Dr. Serpell is a native of Zambia and came to the United States at the age of 9.
Sojourner-Douglass College Loses Accreditation, Files Lawsuit Against Accrediting Agency
On June 30, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education revoked the accreditation of predominantly Black Sojourner-Douglass College in Baltimore. Now the college has filed a federal lawsuit against the accrediting body.
Latest Data Shows Blacks Four Times as Likely as Whites To Drop Out of...
According to the latest data, in 2012, 6.8 percent of the Black students enrolled in high school that year dropped out without receiving their diploma. For non-Hispanic Whites the figures was 1.6 percent.
Thomas Isekenegbe Named President of Bronx Community College
The two-year college enrolls more than 11,000 students. Blacks and Hispanics make up 93 percent of the student body. Almost all students at the college receive federal financial aid grants.
The First Black Woman to Lead a University in the United Kingdom
Baroness Valerie Amos has been named director of SOAS at the University of London. SOAS was founded in 1916 as the School of Oriental Studies and has since expanded its mission to also focus on Africa and the Middle East.
