Tag: Harvard University
Harvard Professor Receives a Presidential Appointment
Evelynn M. Hammonds, who holds an endowed professorship at Harvard University, was appointed by President Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.
This Week’s Appointments of African Americans to Key Posts in Higher Education Administration
Taking on new administrative roles are Venessa Funches, Nancy L. Jones, Michael A. Ellington, Michael Williams, Kenyatta Tatum Futterman, Zella Palmer, Loretta A. Moore, Angela Simmons, and Marquetta Faulkner.
The Chief Justice of Massachusetts to Become a Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University
Roderick L. Ireland is the first African American Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He is leaving the bench in July and has accepted the position as Distinguished Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University in Boston.
Will Healthcare Reform Eliminate Racial Disparities in Cardiac Care?
A new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Howard University College of Medicine finds that healthcare reform in Massachusetts, which has many similarities to the federal Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare), has not reduced racial disparities in cardiovascular care.
Maggie Williams Named Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University
Williams is the former assistant to the President and chief of staff for First Lady Hillary Clinton and later was chief of staff at the Clinton Foundation. Recently, she has headed up her own consulting firm.
Seven African American Scholars Elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Through an analysis of the list of new fellows conducted by JBHE, it appears that 11 of the 188 new American members of the AAAS are African Americans. Thus, African Americans make up only 5.9 percent of the new members of the academy.
Karl Reid to Lead the National Society of Black Engineers
Dr. Reid has been serving as senior vice president of research, innovation, and member college engagement for the United Negro College Fund. Earlier he was associate dean for undergraduate education at MIT.
Kurt L. Schmoke to Be the Next President of the University of Baltimore
A former Rhodes Scholar and mayor of Baltimore for 12 years, Schmoke served as dean of the Howard University School of Law from 2003 to 2012. Most recently, he has served as interim provost and general counsel at Howard.
A Record Number of Black First-Year Students to Enter Harvard This Fall
A total of 177 Black students have accepted the university's offer of admission to the Class of 2018. It appears that Blacks will make up about 11 percent of the entering class this fall.
Emery Brown Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
While the academy does not release data on the race or ethnicity of its members, after an analysis of the list of 84 new members by JBHE, it appears that only one of the new members is an African American.
Edward Blum Launches Another Assault on Affirmative Action
The Project for Fair Representation has set up three websites seeking individuals who believe they were rejected for admission at three universities due to affirmative action or so-called reverse discrimination.
African Americans Fare Well in Admissions at Harvard University and Williams College
African American students are 11.9 percent of the admitted students at Harvard University and 14.3 percent of all students admitted to Williams College in Massachusetts.
New Posts for Three African American Administrators
The appointees are Cheryl Harrelson at New Mexico State University, Claude Poux at the Harvard College Observatory and Ferentz Lafargue at Williams College in Massachusetts.
Sylvester James Gates Jr. Named the 2014 Scientist of the Year
Dr. Gates, the John S. Toll Professor of Physics and the director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland College Park, is being honored by the Harvard Foundation.
A New African American Member of the Board of the Harvard Corporation
Kenneth I. Chenault, CEO of American Express, has been elected to the board of the Harvard Corporation, the principal fiduciary governing authority of the nation’s oldest university.
Harvard Pioneer Chosen for Induction Into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame
William Clarence Matthews, a member of the Class of 1905 at Harvard University, led the university's baseball team in batting for three straight seasons. In 1905 he batted .400 and stole 22 bases.
Harvard’s New Group of W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute Fellows
Black scholars who are among the new group of fellows are Christopher Emdin, Shose Kessi, Achille Mbembe, Mark Anthony Neal, Wole Soyinka, and Deborah Willis.
Black Authors Named Finalists for National Book Critics Circle Awards
Included among the 30 finalists are Jesmyn Ward an assistant professor at the University of South Alabama. Hilton Als and Chimanmanda Ngozi Adichie, who have both taught at U.S. universities, are also finalists.
Herbie Hancock Named the 2014 Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University
As the Norton Professor, Hancock will give a series of six lectures entitled "The Ethics of Jazz" during the spring semester. Among the previous holders of the post are T.S. Eliot, Igor Stravinsky, and Leonard Bernstein.
Early Admission of African Americans to Leading Colleges and Universities
Several of the nation’s highest ranked colleges and universities have reported data on students they have accepted under early decision or early action admissions plans. Some have provided data broken down by race.
Phyllis Curtis-Tweed Takes on New Assignment in Bermuda
The Harvard-educated woman who is currently a dean at Oakland Community College in Michigan, will become the seventh principal of The Berkeley Institute, a highly selective preparatory school in Bermuda.
Harlem Charter School Gets Results
A paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that students in a Harlem charter school performed better academically and had fewer societal problems than their peers who attended regular public schools.
In Memoriam: Mitchell Wright Spellman, 1919-2013
Dr. Spellman served on the faculty at the medical schools of Howard University, Charles R. Drew University, the University of Southern California, UCLA, and from 1978 to 2004 at Harvard Medical School.
African American Entrepreneur Creates New Fellowships at Harvard
Sheila C. Johnson, the CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, has pledged to donate $5 million over five years to create fellowships for students who are dedicated to improving the lives of African Americans.
Two Black Men Named to High-Level Diversity Officer Positions
Reg Chhen Stewart was promoted to chief diversity officer at the University of Nevada at Reno and Norm J. Jones, formerly dean of institutional diversity at Dickinson College, was appointed associate chief diversity officer at Harvard University.
Higher Education Grants of Interest to African Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Making Racial Health Disparities an Issue of Social Justice
The Social Equity Leadership Mobilization Alliance is a consortium established to mobilize the next generation of leaders in the public health field. Harvard, Brown, and Morehouse are members of the alliance.
Gender Differences in Acceptance of Black Students at Predominantly White High Schools
The research found that stereotypes about African American boys' prowess in sports and their general perception as being "cool or street smart," helps them cope in social situations better than African American girls.
How Racial Bias Affects the Perception of Fairness in Economic Decisions
In an ultimatum game, participants were more likely to regard low financial offers from Black proposers as unfair and were thus more willing to "punish" the Black proposer by leaving them with no money.
Harvard Study Finds Different Neural Activity When Subjects View Black and White Faces
Researchers in the department of psychology at Harvard University have found a region of the brain where neural patterns changed when test subjects viewed either a Black or White face.
University of South Carolina Creates Exhibit to Honor Its First Black Faculty Member
The University of South Carolina has recently acquired and placed on displayed the law school diploma of Richard Theodore Greener its first Black faculty member who taught philosophy, Greek, and Latin during the Reconstruction period.
Winthrop University Scholar Discovers the Identity of an Early Black Woman Novelist
Gregg Hecimovich, chair of the English department at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has discovered new evidence on the identity of the author who is believe to have written the earliest novel by an African American woman.
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.
Harvard Study Finds African Americans Sleep Less Than Whites
A new study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health finds that African Americans tend to sleep less than White Americans. The racial differences in sleep duration are particularly pronounced among professionals.
Harvard-Trained Doctor Named to Head United Nations Effort on HIV/AIDS in Africa
Dr. Speciosa Wandira-Kasibwe is a senior adviser to the president of Uganda on population and health. From 1993 to 2004, she served as vice president of Uganda, the first woman in Africa to hold such a position.
Bridget Terry Long Named Academic Dean at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Dr. Long joined the faculty at the school in 2000 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 2009. Her research deals with the transition from high school to college focusing on college access, financial aid, and academic preparation.
