Breaking News

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently announced the 22 latest recipients in its fellowship program, commonly referred to as “genius grants.” Of this year’s 22 winners, two are African American scholars with current ties to the academic world in the United States.

“As provost, I will advance Emory's academic mission by enhancing the conditions in which our students thrive and our faculty produce life-changing, life-saving scholarship and research,” said Dr. Ahad.

Scott's latest donation is her second major gift to Morgan State University, bringing her total investment in the HBCU to $103 million in just five years.

Historically Black Knoxville College in Tennessee has been unaccredited for almost three decades. As it seeks to achieve financial stability, the HBCU has selected Dasha Lundy, former chief operating officer, as its interim president.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be selected as the next president of Peru State College,” said Dr. Mock. “Peru State College has a long history of academic excellence, innovation, and service, and I am inspired by its traditions, energized by its aspirations, and eager to work alongside this extraordinary community to build on its many strengths.”

For the past three years, Dr. Nwariaku has served as an endowed professor and chair of the department of surgery in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. Earlier, he spent over two decades on the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

This year, 15 works of fiction authored or edited by 19 writers and poets were awarded an American Book Award. Of these winners, three are Black scholars currently holding faculty appointments at American-based institutions.

MacKenzie Scott has donated $70 million to the United Negro College Fund. The organization will leverage the gift to bolster the endowments at its 37 member institutions.

Ofosuwa M. Abiola is dean of the Graduate School at Bowie State University in Maryland and Vonda M. Easterling is dean of students at Fort Valley State University in Georgia.

The Trump Administration is redirecting some $350 million initially allocated for Minority-Serving Institutions to be included in a $500 million, one-time investment in historically Black colleges and universities and tribal colleges. HBCUs are slated to receive $435 million of these funds.

“I am honored to join Denmark Technical College at such a pivotal moment in its history,” said Dr. Brown. “This institution has a proud legacy of engaging, educating and empowering students, and I look forward to building on that foundation with a transformative vision that will expand opportunities and strengthen the student experience.”

For the nineteenth consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report has named Spelman College in Atlanta the best HBCU in the country. Howard University was second, Morehouse College was third, Tuskegee University was fourth, and Florida A&M University was fifth. These five institutions have topped the magazine's annual list for three years in a row.

Enrollments are down at many colleges and universities across the United States. But many historically Black colleges and universities have reported significant increases and some have achieved a record number of enrolled students.

Alena Allen, the first Black law school dean at Louisiana State University, claims the university has discriminated against her, forcing her to resign from her position after she raised concerns about the school's finances.

“We hope this gift, focused on the students, can become a catalyst, a spark, the beginning of something transformative for students, this city, and the future of Huston-Tillotson,” said Ross Moody. “We believe in the vision of Huston-Tillotson and the extraordinary leadership of [President Melva Wallace] and the board.”

“These terroristic threats, designed to intimidate and foment hatred against everyday Americans — in this case, Black institutions of higher learning — cannot go unchallenged and must not be swept aside. Black students and HBCU communities deserve to be protected,” writes Yvette D. Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In August, eight board members of Florida Memorial University claimed they were excluded from the decision to appoint interim president William C. McCormick as the university's permanent leader. Now, a judge has tossed out the group's lawsuit, finding “Mr. McCormick's actions as full-time president, as opposed to interim president, of FMU pose no threat to irreparable injury.”

Some $350 million in grant funding initially allocated for Minority-Serving Institutions – including Predominately Black Institutions – will be redirected to other programs “that do not include discriminatory racial and ethnic quotas,” according to the U.S. Department of Education. Notably, these cuts do not affect federal grant programs allocated for historically Black colleges and universities.

Connecticut State Community College has recently appointed seven inaugural campus presidents to lead operations at the system's campus locations throughout the state. Three of these newly appointed presidents are African Americans.

According to a statement from the SAU board of trustees, Dr. Burgess resigned for personal reasons, effective August 31. Verjanis A. Peoples, interim provost, has been selected to lead the HBCU's administrative responsibilities until further notice.