Tag: Pennsylvania State University
Sherita Johnson Appointed Director of the Africana Research Center at Pennsylvania State University
Sherita Johnson is a scholar of nineteenth-century African American literature and print culture. She has conducted extensive archival research on the experiences of Black writers, activists, and public intellectuals.
New Appointments for Five Black Administrators in Higher Education
The Black administrators in new roles are Phenicia McCullough at California State University, Fullerton, TK Smith at Emory University in Atlanta, Ron Darbeau at Pennsylvania State University, Monique "Mo" Brown at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and Greg Harris at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Higher Education Gifts or Grants 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.
Nurses in Black-Serving Hospitals Experienced Increased Levels of “Moral Distress” During the Pandemic
Moral distress is defined as a feeling of being prevented from making a morally-ethical action, which contributes to mental health challenges. Nurses under moral distress are more likely to experience burnout and quit their jobs.
Three Black Scholars Selected for Endowed Professor Positions
The appointments are Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin at Pennsylvania State University, Gretchen Robinson at North Carolina A&T State University, and Stephen Hancock at North Carolina A&T University.
United States Department of Agriculture Honors Ozzie Abaye for Excellence in Teaching
Ozzie Abaye, the Thomas B. Hutcheson Jr. Professor of Agronomy at Virginia Tech, has received with the 2023 Excellence in College and University Teaching Award for Food and Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Abaye states, "Teaching is not what I do for a living, but what I do to live."
College of Engineering at Pennsylvania State University Has Named Tonya Peeples as Dean
Dr. Peeples joined Penn State in 2018 as a professor of chemical engineering and as the inaugural associate dean for equity and inclusion in the College of Engineering. Before coming to Penn State, Dr. Peeples was a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at the College of Engineering of the University of Iowa.
Three African Americans Appointed to Positions Relating to Diversity in Higher Education
Barbara J. Lawrence has been named vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. Michael Snowden is the new chief diversity officer for Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville and Lynette Yarger is the associate dean of equity and inclusion for the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University.
Kimberly Rogers Appointed the Fifteenth President of Contra Costa College in California
Before being named acting president of the college in 2022, Dr. Rogers was vice president for instruction. Earlier in her career, she held academic appointments at the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York System, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Université de Haute-Alsace in France.
Five African Americans Taking on New Administrative Duties in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative roles are Evan Williams at Pennsylvania State University, Jacari Henderson at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carlane Pittman-Hampton at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, Jeanine A. Irons at Syracuse University in New York, and Alexis J. McLean at LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York.
Head of African American Studies Department at Penn State Resigns in Protest
Michael West, head of the African American studies department at Pennsylvania State University, has resigned as chair but will remain a member of the faculty. He has served less than one year of a five-year term. Dr. West says that five faculty have left the department since 2019 and only two new faculty members have been hired.
Three African Americans Appointed to Diversity Positions in Higher Education
Derek A. James was appointed dean of equity, diversity, and inclusion at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Noura Allen was named director of diversity and inclusive excellence for the College of Professional Studies at Syracuse University and Jeanine Staples-Dixon, a professor at Pennsylvania State University. was appointed the senior faculty mentor in the Office of Educational Equity.
In Memoriam: Randall Robinson, 1941-2023
Randall Robinson was a lawyer, civil rights activist, and educator. He was one of America's leading voices in opposition to South African apartheid. He taught at Pennsylvania State University from 2008 to 2016.
Penn State’s Denise Okafor Wins the Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences
First awarded in 2015, the Mason Award is a highly competitive award that attracts applications from the very best early-career female chemists across the country. Dr. Okafor's research focuses on understanding how protein function is regulated.
Ron Darbeau Is the New Chancellor of the Altoona Campus of Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Darbeau was vice president for faculty affairs and academic operations at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, the integrated institution of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities that was established in July 2022. Earlier, he served as interim dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Arkansas—Fort Smith.
Three Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions
Levon Esters will be the next dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education at Pennsylvania State University. Ann-Margaret Esnard will serve as the interim dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and Robert E. Bedford was appointed dean of students, housing, and residence life at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Harriet B. Nembhard Will Be the Next President of Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California
A nationally respected leader in the field of industrial and operations engineering, Dr.Nembhard currently serves as dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa. Before coming to Iowa in 2020, Dr. Nembhard was the Eric R. Smith Professor of Engineering and head of the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University.
New Administrative Position for Four African Americans at State Universities
Taking on new administrative duties are Shawn Turner at Michigan State University, Stephanie Hawkes at Wayne State University in Detroit, Larry D. Terry II at Pennsylvania State University, and Ashley Holloway at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.
Three Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Posts in Higher Education
Taking on new roles relating to diversity are Edward Antonio at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, Jennifer Hamer at Pennsylvania State University, and Jeffrey Coleman at Framingham State University in Massachusetts.
Penn States Scraps Plans to Establish the Center for Racial Justice on Campus
Last fall, Pennsylvania State University announced plans for the center that it said would be dedicated to research and scholarship around racism and racial bias. Now, after installing a new president, the university's plans for the new center have been abandoned.
Penn State’s Felecia Davis Honored for Her Work in Digital Design
Felecia Davis, an associate professor of architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School at Pennsylvania State University, has been named the winner of the 2022 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum National Design Award in the Digital Design category for her work that explores the use of computational textiles.
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.
George Grant Jr. Will Be the Next President of Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan
When he takes office on December 1, Dr. Grant will be the first person of color to lead the university. Since January 2021, Dr. Grant has served as chancellor of Pennsylvania State University-Berks. Earlier, he was dean of the College of Community and Public Service at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.
Charles Dumas Wins the Living Legend Award at the National Black Theatre Festival
Professor Dumas, who has written, directed, produced or acted in more than 300 plays, joined the faculty at Penn State in 1995 and now holds the status of professor emeritus. He is presently a professor in residence at the African-American Theatre Program at the University of Louisville.
African American Scholar is the First Faculty Hire for the Columbia Climate School
Kristina G. Douglass was the Joyce and Doug Sherwin Early Career Professor in the Rock Ethics Institute and assistant professor of anthropology and African studies at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Douglass' research focuses on investigating human-environment interaction in Madagascar.
New Penn State Initiatives Aim to Boost Diversity in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
Pennsylvania State University is undertaking multiple initiatives, including a collaboration with North Carolina A&T State University and the BRIDGE project, a new mentoring initiative for undergraduates who are from underrepresented minority groups or are first-generation college students.
Penn State Dickinson Law School Is Establishing an Antiracist Development Institute
The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law School in Carlisle is creating an Antiracist Development Institute, a program offering organizations across the country systems design-based approaches to implementing antiracist practices, processes, and policies.
Study Finds Americans Are Less Likely to Respond to Emails If the Sender is Black
The researchers sent emails to a random list of 250,000 Americans. When the sender had a White-sounding name, they were 15 percent more likely to receive a response than emails where the sender had a Black-sounding name.
In Memoriam: Albert Odontoh Richardson, 1946-2021
A native of Ghana, Albert Richardson was a professor emeritus of computer and electrical engineering at California State University, Chico. He joined the faculty there in 1989 and was named professor emeritus in 2012.
Pennsylvania State University Launches Its Center for Racial Justice
The new center will be dedicated to research and scholarship around racism and racial bias. It will be housed within the Social Science Research Institute, which aims to foster research addressing critical human and social problems.
Andra Johnson to Lead the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service
Dr. Johnson has been serving as associate director of Pennsylvania State University Extension. Earlier in his career, he was assistant director of research and graduate research at Alcorn State University in Mississippi and vice chancellor for research and technology development at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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.
Five Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Posts in Higher Education
Taking on new roles as diversity officers are Larry P. Thomas at Pennsylvania State University, Sibby Anderson-Thompkins at Sewanee: The University of the South, Kauline Cipriani at Colorado State University, Lemuel W. Watson at Indiana University in Bloomington, and Norm Jones at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.
Four African American Scholars Appoointed to New Teaching Posts at Major Universities
The scholars in new faculty posts are Kwame Dawes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nadia Brown at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Christopher Wayne Robinson at the Pennsylvania State University Allegheny Campus in McKeesport, and Roderick A. Ferguson at Yale Universsity.
New Report Exposes Widespread Academic Racism at Pennsylvania State University
The new report presents the results of a survey of Black professors at the main and satellite campuses of Penn State regarding their experiences with racism, on the institutional and interpersonal levels, perpetrated by students, colleagues, administrators as well as the academic culture in which they work.
In Memoriam: Lee Vernon Stiff, 1949-2021
In 1983, Dr. Stiff joined the faculty of mathematics and science education at North Carolina State University. He rose through the ranks to become a full professor of mathematics education. At the time of his retirement in 2020, Dr. Stiff was the associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in the College of Education at the university.
