Washington and Lee University Decides to Stop Holding Classes on MLK Day
The issue of the holiday honoring Dr. King is of particular significance to Washington and Lee University. General Robert E. Lee's tomb is located in a chapel on campus. Before the Civil War, the university had owned between 70 and 80 Black slaves.
Norman Francis Receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Council on Education
Norman C. Francis has been president of Xavier University of Louisiana since 1968. He is the longest-tenured university president in the United States. For his service he will be honored in March by the American Council on Education.
Ronald L. Jackson II Chosen to Lead the National Communications Association
Dr. Jackson is a professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati. He was elected second vice president of the National Communications Association and will be elevated to president in 2017.
The New Dean of the College of Business at Alabama A&M University
Delmonize Smith has been a successful entrepreneur, selling his first high-tech start-up company at the age of 25. He holds a Ph.D. in management from the University of Alabama.
The Next President of Tiffin University in Ohio
Curtis B. Charles currently serves as senior associate vice chancellor for institutional transformation at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. He will begin his duties as Tiffin University president on July 1.
The First African American President of Hamline University
Fayneese Miller currently serves as dean of the College of Education and Social Services and professor of leadership and developmental sciences at the University of Vermont. Previously, she taught for 20 years at Brown University.
Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran, President of Kalamazoo College, to Retire
Dr. Wilson-Oyelaran has served as the 17th president of the college since July 2005. A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Wilson-Oyelaran taught at the University of Ife in Nigeria for 14 years before returning to the U.S. in 1988.
End of the Line for Knoxville College?
Knoxville College in Tennessee has continue to operate for the past 18 years despite the fact that it lost its accreditation. This spring only 11 students are enrolled and the college announced that it would suspend all classes for the fall 2015 semester.
LeRoy Pernell Stepping Down as Dean of the College of Law at Florida A&M...
Professor Pernell became dean in 2008. Previously he served for 10 years as dean of the College of Law at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He will now return to his full-time faculty position at the FAMU law school.
Alecia A. DeCoudreaux Is Stepping Down as President of Mills College in June 2016
Alecia A. DeCoudreaux, president of Mills College in Oakland, California, has announced that she will step down in June 2016. She became president of the women's college on July 1, 2011 after a long career in the legal department of Eli Lilly and Company.
Xavier University of Louisiana Names Its Next President
Since 2012, C. Reynold Verret has served as provost and chief academic officer at Savannah State University in Georgia. On July 1, he will replace Norman C. Francis who has led Xavier University since 1968.
A Sharp Rise in Suicide Among Young African Americans
The study, led by scientists at Ohio State University, discovered that the overall suicide rate remained stable over the past 20 years but this obscured a significant increase in suicide incidence in Black children and a significant decrease among White children.
In Memoriam: Elson S. Floyd (1956-2015)
Elson S. Floyd, president of Washington State University since 2007, has died from complications of colon cancer. Earlier this month he had taken a medical leave of absence. Dr. Floyd became the 10th president of Washington State University in May 2007.
Andrea Miller Named President of LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis
When she takes office on September 1, Dr. Miller will be the first woman president in the historically Black college's 153-year history. Since 2012, Dr. Miller has been chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College in Louisiana.
The New Dean of the College of Education at East Tennessee State University
Terrence Hicks has been serving on the faculty at the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. From 2004 to 2012, Dr. Hicks was on the faculty at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Historically Black Albany State University to Merge With Darton State College
Arthur Dunning, interim president of Albany State University, has been selected as president of the new merged institution. The two educational institutions combined enroll close to 10,000 students.
Paul Jones Named the Tenth President of Fort Valley State University
Dr. Jones has been serving as interim president of Darton State University in Albany, Georgia. Earlier in his career, Dr. Jones was chief budget officer and interim president at Georgia College and State University.
Kemba Chambers Is the New Leader of Drake State Community and Technical College
The president of Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville was placed on leave and Dr. Kemba Chambers, who has been serving as dean of mathematics, natural sciences, and pre-engineering at Calhoun Community College in Tanner, Alabama, was named acting president.
A Check-Up on Black Progress in Dental School Enrollments
The data shows that the number of Black applicants to U.S. dental schools has declined by 7.5 percent over the past four years. In 2014, Blacks were 4.3 percent of all new students enrolling in U.S. dental schools. This is down slightly from recent years.
Virginia State University Names Its New President
Makola M. Abdullah has been serving as provost and chief academic officer at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. At the time he earned his doctorate, he was the youngest African American to have ever received a Ph.D. in engineering.
Eddie N. Moore Jr. Named President of Norfolk State University in Virginia
Moore has been serving as interim president of Norfolk State since 2013 and the board of visitors rewarded him for leading the university when it was placed on probation by its accrediting agency. It has now been removed from probation.
Brian O. Hemphill Named the Seventh President of Radford University in Virginia
Since July 2012, Dr. Hemphill has served as the 10th president of West Virginia State University. Previously, he was vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Texas Southern University President to Step Down at the End of the Academic Year
John M. Rudley has served as the eleventh president of Texas Southern University in Houston since 2008. Earlier, he was interim chancellor of the University of Houston System and interim president of the University of Houston.
