The Large and Persisting Racial Income Gap Impacts College Affordability
In 2013, the median income level for Black households was 59 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 40 years.
Paine College President Submits His Resignation
George C. Bradley has resigned as president of historically Black Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. This past June, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed Paine College on accreditation probation.
Soraya Coley Named the Next President of Cal Poly Pomona
Soraya M. Coley was named as the next president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She now serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Bakersfield.
U.S. News Names Its Choices for the Best HBCUs
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 Morehouse College in Atlanta held the second and third spots.
The Next Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina
Stacy Franklin Jones has spent the last several years as an independent consultant in Washington, D.C. She is the former provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bowie State University in Maryland.
Natasha Trethewey Archive to Be Housed at Emory University
Natasha Trethewey is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University in Atlanta. She served two terms as poet laureate of the United States and has won the Pulitzer Prize.
The New Chief Academic Officer at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Joseph Martin Stevenson is the new vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at the private graduate school devoted exclusively to the study of psychology and the behavioral sciences. He is the author or co-author of 13 books.
Marilyn Sutton-Haywood Named Dean of Arts and Sciences at Pfeiffer University
Dr. Sutton-Haywood was vice president for academic affairs and a professor of biology at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Earlier, she held similar posts at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Norman Francis Announces He Will Retire From the Presidency of Xavier University
An icon of American higher education, Norman C. Francis is the longest-tenured serving university president in the United States with nearly 47 years as head of the nation's only HBCU affiliated with the Catholic Church.
Hampton University’s Rodney Smith to Lead the College of the Bahamas
Rodney D. Smith has been chosen as the next president of the College of the Bahamas. Dr. Smith has been serving as vice president for administrative services at Hampton University in Virginia.
President Ronald Mason on the Way Out at Southern University
The Southern University Board of Supervisors voted to not extend the contract of system president Ronald Mason, which expires on June 30, 2015. Dr. Mason has served as system president since July 2010.
Shaw University Extends Contract of Acting President
Gaddis J. Faulcon has been serving as acting president of Shaw University since the beginning of the year. Now he has been named interim president and had his contract extended for a year.
New ACT Test Results Show Very Few Black Students Are Prepared for College
According to the 2014 scores on the ACT college entrance examination, only one in 20 Black students were rated college-ready in all four areas: English, reading, mathematics and science. Whites were nearly seven times as likely as Blacks to be college ready in all four areas.
Another Act of Kindness by Kentucky State University President Raymond Burse
President Burse came to football practice to announce that he would support senior football player Deshon Floyd's effort to raise money for an internship in New Zealand. President Burse said he would cover the remaining expenses.
Morehouse School of Medicine Educator Is the New President of the National Medical Association
Lawrence Sanders Jr. teaches internal medicine, business principles, and patient safety/quality improvement at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. He earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
The New Provost at Lincoln University in Missouri
Said L. Sewell III is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. He was assistant provost for academic affairs at Kent State University in Ohio.
Richard J. Powell Named Dean of the Humanities at Duke University
Professor Powell is the John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art and Art History at Duke. He served as chair of the university's department of art, art history, and visual studies department from 1996 to 2001.
The New President of the Houston Campus of the Chamberlain College of Nursing
Dr. Vivian Lilly was academic dean at the San Antonio, Texas, campus of the Galen College of Nursing. Earlier in her career she taught nursing at the University of Texas at Arlington and Dallas Baptist University.
The University of Mississippi’s New Plan to Deal With Issues of Race and Diversity
The University of Mississippi has announced a new plan to foster a more inclusive and welcoming environment on campus. Perhaps the most controversial part of the plan is addressing the use of the term "Ole Miss" to refer to the university.
The New President of Stillman College in Alabama
Peter Edmund Millet is the new president of Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He is the only the sixth president in the college's 136-year history. Previously, he was provost and vice president for academic affairs at the college.
Wiley College President Haywood Strickland to Lead National Organization
Haywood L. Strickland, president of Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, has been appointed president of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church.
University of Texas Affirmative Action Case Is Not Done Yet
Last month, a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the affirmative action policies on the University of Texas. But the plaintiff was quick to respond and has now filed an appeal for the entire Fifth Circuit bench to hear the case.
A New Assessment of Graduation Success Rates at HBCUs
The study finds that when all variables are factored in Black and Hispanic students who enroll at minority-serving institutions are just as likely to graduate from college as Black and Hispanic students who attend other colleges and universities.
Turmoil in Montgomery: Power Struggle at Alabama State University
The university's president has come under fire for a number of different reasons and the governor has dismissed two board members for alleged conflicts of interest and for trying to usurp the president's powers.
Darlene Clark Hine Awarded the National Humanities Medal
The citation accompanying the award states that, "through prolific scholarship and leadership, Dr. Hine has examined race, class, and gender and shown how the struggles and successes of African American women shaped the Nation we share today."
Johnny Jones Is the New President of Little Priest Tribal College in Nebraska
Johnny D. Jones was vice president for student affairs and diversity at Mississippi Valley State University and earlier was executive vice president and chief academic officer at Arkansas Baptist College.
Wayne Frederick Named the Seventeenth President of Howard University
Dr. Frederick has served as interim president of Howard University since October 2013. Previously, he was provost and chief academic officer of the university. He graduated with a medical degree from Howard University at the age of 22.
More Than 4 Million Black Students Are Enrolled in Higher Education
In the 2012-13 academic year, there were 4,082,004 Black or African American students enrolled in Title IV institutions in the United States. Blacks made up 14.4 percent of all students at these educational institutions.
Tilahun Adera Named Provost at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri
Dr. Adera, a native of Ethiopia, was the dean of the College of Health and Social Sciences at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Earlier he was a professor of epidemiology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
U.S. Court of Appeals Upholds the University of Texas’ Affirmative Action Plan
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the affirmative action policies of the University of Texas in a case brought by Abigail Fisher that had previously made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Washington and Lee University Addresses Its Past Ties to Slavery and the Confederacy
Kenneth P. Ruscio, president of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, has issued a response to student demands that the university take actions to address its past.
Joyce Ester Named President of Normandale Community College in Minnesota
Dr. Ester was president of Kennedy-King College, one of the seven campuses of the City Colleges of Chicago. Before becoming president of Kennedy-King in 2011, she was associate vice president for student services at Bakersfield College in California.
Spelman College President Says She Is Stepping Down in June 2015
President Tatum has led Spelman College since 2002. Previously she was a professor of psychology and dean of the college at Mount Holyoke College. Dr. Tatum expressed her wish to return to her research and writing.
Flandus McClinton Jr. to Lead the Baton Rouge Campus of Southern University
McClinton has been serving as vice chancellor for finance and administration and has been on the staff of the university since 1989. His critics questioned whether McClinton, with an accounting background, has the academic experience to preside over all facets of the university.
UCLA Biologist Tracy L. Johnson Named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, has announced the appointment of 15 scientists as HHMI Professors. Of the 15 new HHMI Professors, only one appears to be an African American.
The New Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University
Helen Easterling Williams is the former dean of the School of Education and professor of doctoral studies at Azusa Pacific University in California. From 1997 to 2006, Dr. Williams held several leadership posts at the University of Delaware.
