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.
A Change in Leadership at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Michelle R. Howard-Vital, the 11th president of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, has announced she will retire on July 31. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, provost and vice president for academic affairs, has been named acting president.
The Chief Justice of Massachusetts to Become a Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University
Roderick L. Ireland is the first African American Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He is leaving the bench in July and has accepted the position as Distinguished Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University in Boston.
Library of Congress Acquires the Vast Archive of The History Makers
The archive includes more than 9,000 hours of video interviews of 2,500 Black Americans. The collection includes 14,000 analog tapes, 3,000 DVDs, 70,000 paper documents, and 30,000 digital images.
Two African American Men Named to Dean of Students Posts
St. Mary's College of Maryland in St. Mary's City has named Leonard Brown as dean of students. Alex Vasquez was appointed dean of students at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
A New Leader for the Howard University School of Law
Danielle R. Holley-Walker was appointed dean of the School of Law at Howard University in Washington. D.C. She has been serving as associate dean and a professor of law at the University of South Carolina Law School.
Helen McAlpine Takes the Reins of Leadership at Gadsden State Community College in Alabama
Since 2000, Dr. McAlpine has served as president of J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville, Alabama. She was the first woman president at J.F. Drake.
Deborah Barnes to Lead the College of Liberal Arts at Jackson State University
Dr. Barnes joined the faculty at Jackson State in October 2013. Previously, she was interim associate dean of university studies and an associate professor at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.
Cynthia Warrick Selected to Lead Grambling State University in Louisiana
Dr. Warrick currently serves as senior fellow at the Center for Minority Health Services Research in the College of Pharmacy at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She spent the 2012-13 academic year as interim president of South Carolina State University.
The Next Dean of the George Washington University School of Law
For the past seven years, Professor Blake D. Morant has been dean of the Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Also, he is the president-elect of the Association of American Law Schools.
Raymond Burse to Lead Kentucky State University Again
Raymond M. Burse first served as president of Kentucky State from 1982 to 1989. Burse then was an executive at General Electric, serving as vice president and general counsel before retiring in 2012. He will serve as interim president until June 2015 or until a permanent president is selected.
The First African American Dean of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University
Dr. Kenneth B. Chance Sr. has been serving as a professor and chief of endodontics at the University of Kentucky. He is the former dean of the School of Dentistry at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Next President of Buffalo State University
Katherine Conway-Turner, provost at Hood College in Maryland, has been selected as the next president of Buffalo State University, a member of the State University of New York system. The appointment must still be approved by the SUNY board of trustees.
Terrell Lamont Strayhorn: The Youngest Full Professor at Ohio State University
Dr. Strayhorn was promoted to full professor in the department of educational studies in the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University. The appointment makes him the youngest full professor at the university.
UNCF Receives $25 Million From Conservative Group
The grant will consist of $18.5 million that will be earmarked for 3,000 merit-based scholarships for African American undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students and $6.5 million to support the United Negro College Fund and its member institutions.
Alvin Singleton Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters
This year nine new members were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Only one of the new members is an African American. He is Alvin Singleton, the highly regarded composer.
Tricia Bent-Goodley Named Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Social Work
Tricia Bent-Goodley is a professor of social work, director of the doctoral program in social work, and chair of the Women's Leadership Initiative at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She will be the second African American to serve as editor-in-chief.
Evelyn Ellis to Lead Two Campuses of Western Kentucky University
Since 2012, Dr. Ellis has been serving as chief of staff and education operations manager for the U.S. Department of Defense Dependents' School in Seoul, South Korea. Earlier she was an associate dean at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
In Memoriam: Maya Angelou, 1928-2014
Maya Angelou, author, poet, dancer, actress, civil rights activist, and the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University, has died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86 years old.
