Tagged: Fisk University

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.

For more than three decades, Dr. Jackson taught English at Alabama State University. During her long tenure, she served as director of the interdisciplinary honors program and chair of the department of humanities.

“This isn’t just about a scholarship - it’s about designing systems that honor where students are coming from and set them up for long-term success,” said Tiffany Steward, vice president for enrollment management and student success at Fisk University.

“This partnership is a cornerstone of our Fisk Future,” said Fisk University President Agnenia Clark. “By investing in language education and global experiences, we’re preparing our students to become the next generation of global leaders.”

Nikki Giovanni was a professor at Virginia Tech for 35 years. She was the author of numerous poetry collections, children's books, and works of nonfiction.

Dr. McWorter - also known as Abdul Alkalimat - has donated a collection of his papers to the archives at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he is a professor emeritus of African American studies. The donation includes materials on the history of the Black studies field and the civil rights movement, as well as personal family records.

Black high school students, particularly Black girls, tend to doubt their math teachers' capabilities to provide them with an adequate education, resulting in a frequent misunderstanding of the importance of math skills in pursuing their future careers.

Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to [email protected].

The new faculty appointments are Jack Eaddy at the University of Georgia, Karida Brown at Fisk University, and Elihuruma Kimaro at Arizona State University.

Dr. Drake brings over 40 years of experience to his new role, having held leadership positions in both higher education and private sectors. He recently served as interim president of historically Black Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Dr. Jordan has led St. Mary's College of Maryland for the past 10 years. She has previously held faculty and leadership positions with Xavier University of Louisiana, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Lewis & Clark College.

Taking on new administrative duties are Constance Meadors at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Crystal Churchwell Evans at Fisk University in Nashville, and James White at Texas Southern University.

Dr. Edelin founded the first African American studies program at Northeastern University in 1972. She is credited for introducing the term "African American" into American vernacular.

Dr. Bolden, who taught for 42 years at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, earned a Ph.D. in music at Michigan State University. She was the first African American woman to receive a doctorate in music from Michigan State University.

Taking on new administrative positions in higher education are Patrick Davis Sr. at the new BlueOval City campus of Tennessee College of Applied Technology Jackson, Salena Gray Jegede at Spelman College in Atlanta, Marchon Jackson at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Wendy Thompson at Fisk University in Nashville.

Jordan Ealey is a new assistant professor of Black studies at the University of Rochester in New York. G. Preston Wilson Jr. was appointed director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers at Fisk University in Nashville and Linda Greene, who became the inaugural dean of the Michigan State University College of Law in 2020, is stepping down from her post to take a faculty position at the university.

Jeremy Toulon is the newly appointed director of student transition and success at Binghamton University in New York. Valencia Jordan is the new director of athletics at Fisk University in Nashville and Sharcus Steen is the new chief investment officer for the University System of Maryland Foundation.

In addition to her service as dean of the Honors College at Texas Southern University, Dr. Jemison Pollard was chair of the department of fine arts at the university for 10 years. She also was an award-winning university stage director who directed over 50 productions.

For the past 19 years, Dr. Clark has been CEO of the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Prior to the Girl Scouts, Dr. Clark was the vice president of human resources for the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, senior director of human resources at Vanderbilt University, and directed human resources for Canadian telecommunications provider Nortel Networks.

Taking on new roles are Brandon A. Logan at Grambling State University in Louisiana, Melinda Spaulding Chevalier at Rice University in Houston, Jeremy Carter at Philander Smith University in Little Rock, Arkansas, Holly Rachel at Fisk University in Nashville, Marriel Hardy at Talladega College in Alabama, and Kenneth Elvis Jones at Wilberforce University in Ohio.