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.
A Small Decrease This Year, But the Racial Gap in SAT Scores Remains Huge
The mean score for Blacks on the combined critical reading and mathematical portions of the SAT was 860. This was a four-point increase from a year ago. But the mean score for Whites on these sections was 201 points higher.
Dorothy Yancy to Step Down From Presidency of Shaw University
Dr. Yancy, who has served as leader of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, will stay on until a successor is found. Earlier in her career she served for 14 years as president of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Persisting Racial Gap in Median Household Income in the United States
In 2012, the median Black household income was only 58 percent of the median income of White households. This significant racial gap in median household income in the United States has remained virtually unchanged for the past 40 years.
Three African Americans Named MacArthur Fellows
The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation has announced the selection of 24 individuals in this year's class of MacArthur Fellows. Three are African Americans: Kyle Abraham, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Carrie Mae Weems.
Major Gift Endows a New Center for Black Studies at Harvard
Henry Louis Gates Jr., who has led the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for more than 20 years, was named the founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.
Eugene White to Lead Martin University in Indianapolis
Dr. White, the former superintendent of the Indianapolis public school system, will serve one year while the university searches for a permanent president.
Supporters of Cheyney University Preparing to Sue Pennsylvania for Racial Discrimination
An attorney involved in the action stated, "The Commonwealth in 2013 continues this racial discrimination, which has caused an all-time great institution to have an all-time low student enrollment and an all-time high budget deficit."
Eddie Moore Jr. Is the New Leader of Norfolk State University
Moore served as president of St. Paul's College from November 2011 until it closed in June 2012. From 1993 to 2010, he was president of Virginia State University. Moore replaces Norfolk State president Tony Atwater who was fired last month.
George Cooper Named to Lead the White House Initiative on HBCUs
President Obama has named George Cooper, the former president of South Carolina State University, as the new executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Howard University's Ivory Toldson was named deputy director.
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. Morehouse College in Atlanta and Howard University in Washington, D.C. held the second and third spots. In last year's rankings, Howard was second and Morehouse was third.
Gilda Barabino Named Dean of Engineering at the City College of New York
Dr. Barabino was associate chair for graduate studies and professor of biomedical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and previously served on the faculty at Northeastern University in Boston for 18 years.
Blacks Are More Likely to Be Enrolled in School Than Whites
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that in October 2012 there were 11,918,000 African Americans enrolled in school at all levels of education. This was 31.4 percent of the entire Black population over the age of 3.
