Tag: University of Chicago
Four African American Academics In This Year’s Class of MacArthur Fellows
The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation has announced the selection of 26 individuals in this year’s class of MacArthur Fellows. This year, five of the 26 MacArthur Fellows are Black. Four have current ties to academia.
University of Chicago Creates an Interactive Map Detailing the 1919 Chicago Race Riots
The new map highlights how Chicago's Black residents were at risk of being victimized across much wider swaths of city than previously known.
Mississippi State University Appoints New Leader of African American Studies Program
Donald M. Shaffer is an associate professor of English and African American studies at the university. His research examines the social and historical construction of race in African American and Southern literature.
University of Chicago Releases Progress Report on Its Diversity & Inclusion Initiative
The report is broken down into four sections: infrastructure, climate, people, and community. In each section, the university details how each area of the institution has made improvements to the school's overall diversity over the past year and a half.
Chemist William Lester Honored by the International Association of Top Professionals
William Lester currently serves as a professor and associate dean in the College of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the associate director and faculty senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Universities Partner to Produce the Official Oral History of Barack Obama’s Presidency
The Obama Foundation has selected the Columbia Center for Oral History Research to produce the official oral history of Barack Obama's presidency. The University of Hawai'i and the University of Chicago will also serve as contributing partners for the project.
The National Science Foundation Pays Tribute to Physicist Dr. Walter Massey
Walter E. Massey will receive the Vannevar Bush Award from the National Science Foundation on May 14. The prestigious award honors science and technology leaders who have made substantial contributions to the welfare of the nation through public service in science, technology, and public policy.
Syracuse University’s Kal Alston Elected President of the Philosophy of Education Society
Dr. Alston currently serves as a professor of cultural foundations of education and associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Education at Syracuse University in New York. She has been very active within the Philosophy of Education Society for the past 30 years.
A Pair of African American Scholars Who Have Been Named to Dean Positions
Janette M. Braverman is the new dean of the College of Business and Management, External Partnerships at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee and Maurice Charles has been named dean of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago.
Four Academic Powerhouses Join Forces to Study Racial Issues in the Humanities
Academic centers at four leading universities have entered into a partnership to investigate the connections between the study of race and racism and academic fields in the humanities. The four participating institutions are Yale University, Stanford University, Brown University and the University of Chicago.
Young Blacks Who Experience Discrimination Are More Likely to Engage in Political Activism
A new study by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Chicago has found that Black teens and young adults who experience racial discrimination are more likely to engage in social and political activism on issues that are important to the African American community.
The State of Illinois Now Requires Public Universities to Offer Courses on Black History
A new bill passed into law in the state of Illinois requires all state-operated colleges and universities in the state to include at least one course on Black history. The educational institutions can meet the requirement by offering an online course.
Two Black Male Medical School Professors Who Are Taking on New Roles
Russell Reid has been named the first Bernard G. Sarnat M.D. Professor in the department of surgery at the University of Chicago School of Medicine and Patrick Nana-Sinkam, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Silent Movie Shows the Earliest Depiction of African American Affection Captured on Film
Researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Southern California recently discovered a silent movie that was filmed in 1898. The film, entitled Something Good-Negro Kiss, is believed to be earliest depiction of African American affection captured on film.
Yolanda Watson Spiva Named President of Complete College America
Complete College America is a national nonprofit organization that works with states to significantly increase the number of Americans with quality career certificates or college degrees and to close educational attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations.
The First Cohort of Obama Foundation Scholars Comes to the University of Chicago
This class is made up of 25 emerging leaders from around the globe who are committed to finding practical solutions to global challenges such as climate change, education, and government transparency.
In Memoriam: Michelle R. Howard-Vital, 1953-2018
Dr. Howard-Vital became Cheyney University’s eleventh and first woman president in 2007. She served in that role until 2014.
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.
Study Finds Healthcare Clinicians Have Low Expectations for Their Black Patients
A new study finds that doctors and other healthcare providers rated White patients as significantly more likely to improve, more likely to adhere to recommended treatments, and be more personally responsible for their health than Black patients.
Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Positions
Taking on new administrative roles are Tomika P. LeGrande at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, John Barker at the University of Rochester in New York, Yesomni Umolu of the University of Chicago, and Darryl Holloman at Spelman College in Atlanta.
Two Black Scholars Taking on New University Faculty Roles
Dwight N. Hopkins was named the Alexander Campbell Professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School and Van B. Sapp was appointed dean of the School of Business, Management & Technology at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
University of Chicago Aims to Boost Academic Research in Africa
Africans make up 15 percent of the world's population but produce only 2 percent of the world's research. The University of Chicago's Interdisciplinary Collaborations in Africa Workshop aims to increase the participation of African scholars in academic research.
Valerie Jarrett Named a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School
For eight years, Valerie Jarrett was a senior adviser to the President during the Obama administration. In her new role, she will participate in academic seminars, conferences, and student-led initiatives. Jarrett will continue to focus on issues of gender equality, criminal justice reform, health care, and civic engagement.
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.
University of Chicago Honors a Pioneering African American Alumna
The University of Chicago recently unveiled a bust of Georgiana Rose Simpson that sits on a pedestal in the Reynolds Club, the student center on campus. Dr. Simpson is widely considered as the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D.
A New Tribute to Educator and Civil Rights Icon Benjamin E. Mays
Earlier this month a new statue of Benjamin E. Mays, the educator and civil rights leader was unveiled at the Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site near Epworth, South Carolina, near where Dr. Mays was born. Dr Mays was president of Morehouse College from 1940 to 1967.
Seven African Americans Appointed to New Administrative Posts at U.S. Universities
The appointees are Kimberly Weatherly at the College of William and Mary, Walter P. Parrish III at the University of Chicago, Emil L. Cunningham at Penn State, Althea Counts at the University of South Carolina, Damien M. Williams at Fayetteville State, Patrice Dickerson at Virginia Tech, and Diedrick Graham at the University of Kansas.
The New Director of the Black Film Center/Archive at Indiana University
Terri Francis joined the faculty at Indiana University in 2014. Earlier, she taught for nine years in the department of African American studies and the film and media studies program at Yale University. She is an expert on African American cinema and Jamaican film history.
Michelle Howard-Vital Named to Lead Florida Memorial University
In 2016, Dr. Michelle Howard-Vital was chosen to serve as executive vice president and provost at Florida Memorial University. From 2007 to 2014, she was president of Cheyney University in Pennsylvania.
New Administrative Duties for Four African Americans in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative duties are Karyn Scissum Gunn at California State University, Fullerton, Kenton W. Rainey at the University of Chicago, Damon L. Williams at Northwestern University in Illinois, and Charles Isbell at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In Memoriam: Eddie Nathan Williams, 1932-2017
Eddie N. Williams was the long-time president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington and former administrator at the University of Chicago.
Rachel Lindsey Appointed to Lead Chicago State University
Dr. Lindsey has served as a professor of psychology and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Chicago State University. Earlier in her career, she taught at Northeastern Illinois University and Loyola University of Chicago.
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.
In Memoriam: Mark Q. Sawyer, 1972-2017
Dr. Sawyer joined the faculty at UCLA in 1999 as an assistant professor. He was instrumental in transforming the African American studies program into an academic department at the university.
A Major Celebration of the Life and Work of Gwendolyn Brooks
Brooks, who died in 2000, was the former poet laureate of the state of Illinois and in 1950 was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize. The University of Chicago is holding a major celebration of her life and works on the 100th anniversary of her birth.
Selwyn Rogers Named the Founding Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Trauma Center
Dr. Rogers, who has been serving as vice president and chief medical officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch since 2014, will also serve as executive vice president for community health engagement at the University of Chicago.
