Gwendolyn Boyd Named President of Alabama State University
Dr. Boyd has been serving as the executive assistant to the chief of staff of the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Laurel, Maryland.
George Miller Named Dean of Graduate Studies at Norfolk State University
Dr. Miller is the former president of Martin University in Indianapolis. He resigned as president on November 1 after being appointed to the position in February 2012.
Charles D. Howell to Lead the Department of Internal Medicine at Howard University
Dr. Charles D. Howell has been serving as a tenured professor of medicine and director of hepatology research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Nuclear Engineer Named Dean at South Carolina State University
Kenneth Lewis was appointed dean of the College of Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering Technology. He served in the same post from 2005 to 2011.
Alcorn State University President M. Christopher Brown II Resigns
Dr. Brown has led Alcorn State since 2010. Earlier in his career, he was provost at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennesee, and dean of education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Major Effort to Boost Faculty Diversity
Since the year 2000, the percentage of all faculty at Penn who were racial or ethnic minorities increased from 12.8 percent to 20.5 percent. But President Amy Gutmann says, "We still have more work to do."
No Progress in Closing the Racial Gap in Doctoral Degrees
In 2012, African Americans earned 2,079 doctoral degrees. This was 6.3 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. In 2002, African Americans also earned 6.3 percent of all doctoral degrees.
Yale University Authenticates Account of a Nineteenth-Century Black Prison Inmate
Yale University has announced that researchers have determined that a manuscript acquired by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library in 2009 is the earliest known memoir written by an African American prison inmate.
Two HBCUs Removed From Accreditation Probation
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has lifted the probation of accreditation at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
Significant Progress in Black Graduation Rates at Flagship State Universities
Every year since JBHE has tracked graduation rates for Black students, the University of Virginia has had the highest graduation rate for African Americans. But other flagship universities have narrowed the gap.
Destenie Nock Wins Mitchell Scholarship
She is a senior at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, where she is majoring in electrical engineering and applied mathematics. She will study at Queen's University in Belfast.
Former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools to Teach at Vanderbilt University
Carol R. Johnson, who has led the public schools in Boston, Memphis, and Minneapolis, will be teaching in the department of leadership, policy, and organizations in the Peabody College of Education and Human Development.
In Memoriam: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, 1918-2013
Nelson Mandela, the driving force behind the drive to end apartheid in South Africa and the former president of the Republic has died. On May 12, 2005, the editors of JBHE were privileged to attend the awarding of an honorary doctorate by Amherst College to Nelson Mandela at Saint Bartholomew's Church in New York City.
James McBride Wins the National Book Award for Fiction
James McBride, Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, won the National Book Award for fiction for his novel The Good Lord Bird.
Kwame Anthony Appiah to Join the Faculty at New York University
Professor Appiah will spend half the academic year teaching in the department of philosophy and the New York University School of Law. The other half of the year will be spent at NYU global campuses.
Cornell University to Offer a Ph.D. Program in Africana Studies
The university estimates that 20 to 30 percent of Black studies faculty nationwide will be retiring over the next decade and the new Cornell program will help fill the need to replace retiring Black studies faculty.
Paula Allen-Meares to Stay On as Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago
Dr. Allen-Meares became chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago in January 2009. Previously, she served as the dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan.
Chinese Government to Offer Hundreds of Scholarships to Black Students
The People's Republic of China will award 1,000 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students at historically Black colleges and universities to study in China for periods ranging from three months to two years.
Barbara Broome Chosen as Dean of the College of Nursing at Kent State University
Currently, Dr. Broome is associate dean and chair of the department of community-mental health at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing. She will take on her new role in March 2014.
Alabama State University Names Finalists for President
Alabama State University, the historically Black educational institution in Montgomery, has announced the names of four finalists for president. Three of the four finalists are African Americans.
Delaware State University Suspends Its Bands Over Alleged Hazing
Delaware State University, the historically Black educational institution in Dover, has announced the suspension of all band music groups, including the Approaching Storm Marching Band, amid allegations of hazing.
Ericka Miller Nominated to Be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education
Dr. Miller has been serving as vice president and chief operating officer of the Education Trust, a nonprofit organization that advocates for educational programs and equal opportunity.
Duke Professor Calls for Boycott of Kanye West Tour Merchandise
Professor William Darity has called for a boycott of merchandise being marketed in connection with Kanye West's Yeezus Tour. Some of the items for sale have depictions of the Confederate battle flag.
Johnson C. Smith University Announces 21 Layoffs
The trustees at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte have announced a series of steps aimed at improving the financial stability of the institution. Enrollments at the university have dropped from 1,801 a year ago to 1,387 this fall.
Black Student Graduation Rates at High-Ranking Colleges and Universities
JBHE research has found 18 high-ranking colleges and universities that have Black student graduation rates that have averaged over 90 percent over the past four years.
Maryland and Its Four HBCUs Head to Mediation
Last month's federal district court ruling stating that Maryland's HBCUs were harmed by competing academic programs at nearby predominantly White universities did not offer any remedies.
Three African American Academics Win Whiting Writers’ Awards
The Whiting Writers' Awards are given annually to 10 emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. Each winner receives $50,000. Three of the 10 winners are African American who teach at universities in the United States.
The Persisting Racial Gap in College Student Graduation Rates
In 2013 the graduation rate for Black students at the nation's largest universities that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I is 44 percent. This is 22 percentage points below the rate for Whites.
Three African Americans Elected to the Institute of Medicine
While the Institute of Medicine does not disclose the racial or ethnic makeup of its membership, it appears that only three of the 70 new members are African Americans: Phyllis Dennery, Thomas LaVeist, and Beverly Louise Malone.
A Check-Up of Blacks in Medical Schools
New data released by the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that in 2013 Blacks or African Americans were 8 percent of all applicants to U.S. medical schools and 7 percent of all first-time enrollees.
Tuskegee University President Resigns
Gilbert L. Rochon, president of Tuskegee University in Alabama, announced that he was resigning from his post immediately. Dr. Rochon was only the sixth president of the university that was founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881.
Everette Freeman Named President of the Community College of Denver
Since 2005, Dr. Freeman has been president of Albany State University in Georgia. He will take on his new role as president of the Community College of Denver beginning November 1.
University of Illinois Acquires the Papers of Poet Gwendolyn Brooks
The collection includes 150 boxes of manuscripts, drafts, journals, letters, scrapbooks, and awards. Also among the archives are the meticulous notes of everything Brooks ate for last 20 years of her life.
William B. Bynum Jr. Named President at Mississippi Valley State University
Dr. Bynum, who holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Duke University, has been serving as vice president for enrollment management and student services at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
A Legal Victory for HBCUs in Maryland
A federal judge has ruled that the state of Maryland has made it difficult for its four historically Black universities to succeed by permitting nearby predominantly White universities to have similar and competing academic programs.
A Change in Leadership at Howard University
Sidney A. Ribeau has announced that he is stepping down as president of Howard University in Washington, D.C. President Ribeau has served as Howard's president for five years. Provost Wayne A.I. Frederick was named interim president.
