Tag: Cornell University
Ending Affirmative Action May Not Produce a More Academically Gifted Student Body
Scholars from Cornell University have found removing race data from AI applicant-ranking algorithms results in a less diverse applicant pool without meaningfully increasing the group's academic merit.
‘Dimeji Togunde Honored for Lifetime Achievement in Global Education
Dr. 'Dimeji Togunde is the vice provost for global education at Spelman College. Since joining the college's faculty in 2011, he has more than doubled the number of study abroad destinations for Spelman students.
Kimberlé Crenshaw Honored With Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal
Presented by Harvard University, the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal is considered the university's highest honor in the field of African and African American studies.
Seven Black Scholars Receive Faculty Appointments at Colleges and Universities
Here is this week’s roundup of Black scholars who have been appointed to new faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.
The Economic Gap Between Black and White Americans Born Into Low-Income Families Is Shrinking
A new study from scholars at Harvard, Cornell, and the U.S. Census Bureau has found a significantly smaller economic gap between Black and White millennials from low-income families that has not seen in prior generations.
NAACP Awards Prestigious Spingarn Medal to Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
The NAACP's Springarn Medal is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious prizes recognizing outstanding achievements by Black Americans. Dr. Gates, professor at Harvard University, is the 109th recipient of the prize since its inception in 1915.
Five Black Scholars Selected for New Faculty Appointments
The Black scholars appointed to new faculty positions are Ishion Hutchinson at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Martha Hurley at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, Sandy Alexendre at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Marcia Chatelain at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dwight A. McBride at Washington University in St. Louis.
Five African American Scholars Appointed to New Faculty Positions
The new faculty appointments are Judith Byfield at Cornell University, Nikki Hoskins at Harvard University, Edda Fields-Black at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Shawn Utsey at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jonathan Jefferson Appointed President of Roxbury Community College in Boston
Dr. Jefferson comes to his new role with more than three decades of professional experience. He has been serving as chief academic officer and provost at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Tuskegee University Partners With Cornell University for Digital Biology and Sustainable Agriculture Research
Tuskegee University is the first HBCU to join the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems, a collaborative research group led by Cornell University. The center is currently conducting research to develop tools that can communicate with plants.
Study Finds Racist Patterns Among Commonly Used Artificial Intelligence Tools
The research found artificial intelligence language models such as ChatGPT can hold racist views towards speakers of African American Vernacular English, describing speakers of the dialect as less employable and more likely to be criminals.
Jamila Michener to Lead the Cornell Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures
Dr. Michener is an associate professor of government in the College of Arts and Sciences and senior associate dean of public engagement at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She will begin her new duties in September.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Identify Biases in the Jury Selection Process
Using natural language processing tools to analyze transcripts from 17 South Carolina capital cases, researchers determined that prosecutors asked questions with significant differences in the length, complexity, and tone of the questions to potential African-American jurors versus those posed to potential White jurors.
A Quartet of Black Scholars in New Faculty Positions
Taking on new duties are Ruth L. Okediji at Harvard University, Milton S.F. Curry at Cornell University, Felicia McGhee at Florida A&M University, and Summer Perry at Columbus State University in Georgia.
In Memoriam: Micere Githae Mugo, 1942-2023
A native of Kenya, Dr. Mugo fled her native land to political turmoil and taught at St. Lawrence University. After returning to Africa to teach in Zambia and Zimbabwe, in 1992 she was named a visiting professor at the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University. A year later, she joined the department of African American studies at Syracuse University where she served for 22 years.
Higher Education Grants or Gifts of Interest to African Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Francine Conway Named Chancellor of Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Francine Conway is the new chancellor of the flagship campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She has led Rutgers–New Brunswick under the hybrid title of “chancellor-provost” for the past two years. The separation of responsibilities between chancellor and provost mirrors the leadership structures of Rutgers’ other campuses.
Regardless of Where They Live, Blacks Still Face Discrimination in Labor Markets
In a study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame and Cornell University found that Black families — regardless of where they lived — still ended up in similar economic circumstances as they moved into adulthood and entered the workforce. “Race, not class origins, is the dominant factor governing the economic mobility of Black individuals,” the researchers wrote.
Yolanda Pierce Honored by the American Academy of Religion
Yolanda Pierce, who is the new dean of the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, has won the 2023 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. From 2017 to 2023, she wad dean of the Howard University Divinity School.
New Assignments for Five Black Faculty Members at Universities
Taking on new roles or duties are Brian Burt at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kimberley McKinson at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Amber Wiley at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design of the University of Pennsylvania, Eljenette West at the Mississippi University for Women, and Chelsea Mikael Frazier at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Six Colleges and Universities Announce the Hiring of Black Faculty Members
Here is this week’s roundup of Black faculty members who have been appointed to new positions or given new duties at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@JBHE.com.
New Assignments for Six Black Faculty Members at Colleges and Universities
Here is this week’s roundup of Black faculty members who have been appointed to new positions or given new duties at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@JBHE.com.
In Memoriam: James E. Turner, 1940-2022
Professor Turner served as director of the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University from 1969 to 1986 and returned for a five-year term from 1996 to 2001.
Six African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Higher Education Administrative Posts
Taking on new assignments are Branden Grimmett at Emory University, Allison Morgan Bryant at Howard University, Christine D. Lovely at Cornell University, Tauheedah Jackson at Harvard University, Norbert Rome at Dillard University in New Orleans, and Breanna McKnight at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Once Again, Robert Smith Takes a Major Step to Help Blacks in Higher Education
Robert F. Smith, founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, announced a gift of $15 million to the College of Engineering at Cornell University. The funds will be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund to provide financial aid for Cornell engineering students from urban high schools and graduates of HBCUs.
New Cornell University Fellowship Honors The First Black Student to Earn a Ph.D. in Botany
The Thomas Wyatt Turner Fellowship will support up to 10 graduate students from 1890 institutions, which are historically Black colleges and universities that are land-grant universities. They will spend the 2022-23 academic year on the Cornell University campus.
Howard University Establishes the Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities
The Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities will be established utilizing $3 million of the $40 million gift that philanthropist Mackenzie Scott donated to Howard in 2020. Professor Morrison, who won the Nobel Prize in literature, was a graduate of Howard University and also taught there.
Cornell University Scholar Wins the Best Book Prize From the African Studies Association
Dr. Naminata Diabate is an associate professor of comparative literature at Cornell. The prize recognizes the most important scholarly work in African studies published in English and distributed in the United States during the preceding year.
In Memoriam: Gwendolyn Gordon, 1980-2021
Dr. Gordon was an assistant professor in the department of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a secondary appointment in the School of Arts and Sciences’ department of anthropology. She held degrees from three different Ivy League universities.
Kimberlé Crenshaw Receives the Top Honor From the Association of American Law Schools
Kimberlé W. Crenshaw is the Promise Institute Professor of Human Rights at the School of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia University. She was honored by the Association of American Law Schools for her work on critical race theory and intersectionality."
New Cornell University Fellowship for Students From Francophone Africa
Awards are for one year of study in the Cornell Law School LLM program or the Global Development program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The fellow receives a $20,000 stipend and a college tuition waiver. David Arnaud Ngam à Kibeng from Cameroon is the inaugural fellow.
Crystal Williams Will Be the Eighteenth President of the Rhode Island School of Design
President-elect Williams has been serving as a professor of English and vice president and associate provost for community & inclusion at Boston University. She began her academic career at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. She later served as associate vice president for strategic initiatives at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.
East Carolina University Names Robin Coger as Provost/Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Dr. Coger is currently the dean of the College of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. Earlier, she was a faculty member in the department of mechanical engineering and engineering science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1996 to 2011. She will take on her new job in July 2022.
Three African Americans Who Have Been Appointed Deans at Universities
Marla Love has been named the Robert W. and Elizabeth C. Staley Dean of Students at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Asquith S. “Sean” Armstrong has been named dean of University College at Washington University in St. Louis and Arlene J. Montgomery is the new interim dean of the School of Nursing at Hampton University in Virginia.
Higher Education Grants or Gifts of Interest to African Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Two African American Women Appointed to Diversity Positions
Tekita R. Bankhead has been named executive director for support programs in the Division of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion at Mississippi State University and Sonia Rucke was appointed the associate vice president of the department of inclusion and belonging at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
