Tag: University of Connecticut

New Study Shows Racial Health Gap in HIV Cases Remains Wide

In 2016, Blacks were 8.4 times more likely than Whites to be diagnosed with HIV, whereas in 2005 they were 7.9 times more likely. The number Black men diagnosed with HIV increased from 9,969 in 2005 to 12,890 in 2016.

In Memoriam: David G. Carter, 1942-2018

David G. Carter was the former chancellor of the Connecticut State University System and former president of Eastern Connecticut State University. He was the first African American to serve as president of a four-year institution of higher education in Connecticut.

New Website Pays Tribute to Black Grandmothers

LaShawnDa Pittman, an assistant professor of American ethnic studies at the University of Washington, has established the website Real Black Grandmothers where she presents oral histories of African American grandmothers who play a vital role in the Black community.

New Black Issues in Philosophy Blog Now Available Online

A new blog series produced by an editorial team in the philosophy department at the University of Connecticut, is being featured on the website of the American Philosophical Association. Lewis Gordon, a professor of philosophy, is the executive editor.

Scholar Develops Software to Search the Dark Web for Hate Group Manifestos

Ugochukwu O. Etudo, a new assistant professor of operations and information management in the School of Business at the University of Connecticut in Stamford, has developed software that can be used to search the internet and the so-called "Dark Web" to identify websites that espouse radical views and violent behavior.

Samuel Mukasa Is One of Three Finalists for Provost at the University of Connecticut

Samuel B. Mukasa is dean of the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. From 2011 to 2016, Dr. Mukasa was dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of New Hampshire.

James B. Hughes Jr. to Lead the Emory University School of Law

Professor Hughes has been a member of the faculty at the law school since 1992. He also has been serving as associate dean for academic affairs. Earlier, he was a partner in the Atlanta law firm Trotter, Smith & Jacobs, where he practiced commercial real estate law.

Psychologists Find White College Students Continue to Hold Prejudicial Beliefs

A new study finds that many White college students continue to harbor racists beliefs. These beliefs lead many White students to communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults in the form of microaggressions.

Mandatory Free College Entrance Examinations Can Boost Enrollments of Low-Income Students

The data showed that that for every 10 students from low-income families who took a college entrance exam before they were mandatory, there were an additional five students who didn’t take the test but who would score well enough to get into college if they did.

University of Connecticut Study Finds Racial Differences in Coping With Overweight Stigma

The study asked a large group of adults if they had been treated unfairly, discriminated against, or made fun of because of their weight and how they coped with these experiences. The researchers found that Blacks were less likely than Whites to blame themselves for being overweight.

A Shortage of African American Men in the Medical Profession

Today, African American men make up just 2.8 percent of all medical school applicants. Of all African American medical school applicants, men make up only 38 percent of the total.

Black Youth Exposed to More Junk Food Ads on TV Than White Youth

A new study by researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut finds that the number of junk food advertisements seen by Black youth rose 30 percent between 2008 and 2012. There was an 18 percent increase for White youth.

Sociologist at the University of Connecticut Finds Bias in Hiring at Environmental Organizations

The study, authored by Maya Beasley, found that nearly 90 percent of the search consultants commonly used to find high-level executives for environmental organizations have encountered bias at the organizations that were seeking new employees.

Marilyn Nelson Wins the $25,000 Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature

Marilyn Nelson is a professor emerita at the University of Connecticut. Professor Nelson is a winner of the Pushcart Prize and has been a finalist for the National Book Award three times. From 2001 to 2006, Dr. Nelson was the poet laureate of the state of Connecticut.

Study Finds Army Vets Are More Comfortable With Racial Residential Integration Than Non-Vets

A new study by sociologists at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Connecticut finds that soldiers' experiences with racial integration in the military result in veterans being more willing to live in racially integrated neighborhoods once they return to civilian life.

In Memoriam: Robert Colbert, 1950-2016

Robert Colbert was an associate professor and director of the counseling program in the department of educational psychology in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.

Five Black Scholars Are Taking on New Assignments

Jose Cossa is joining the faculty at Vanderbilt. Michael Woods at Hamilton College and Dean E. Robinson at the University of Massachusetts were named to endowed professorships. Derek Conrad Murray of the University of California, Santa Cruz was named to an editorial board and UConn's Michael Bradford was named chair of dramatic arts.

Six African Americans Named to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

The appointees are Trevor A. Dawes at the University of Delaware, Patricia Lowe at Boston College, Sandra Hodge at Jackson State University, K. Matthew Dames at Georgetown University, Joelle Murchison at the University of Connecticut, and Jason Pina at Ohio University.

In Memoriam: Russell G. Hamilton, 1934-2016

Dr. Hamilton, professor emeritus of Spanish and Portuguese at Vanderbilt University, joined the faculty at the university in 1984 as dean for graduate studies and research. He was the first African American to serve as a dean of a Vanderbilt school or college.

The Three Finalists for Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Connecticut

The three candidates for chief diversity officer are Lisa McBride of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Joelle Murchison, an executive at The Travelers Companies in Hartford, and Franklin A. Tuitt of the University of Denver.

University of Connecticut to Establish a Living / Learning Community for Black Men

The Scholastic House Of Leaders who are African American Researchers and Scholars will be located in a 200,000-square-foot dorm set to open in 2016. About 40 Black men will be able to participate in the living/learning community.

Gladis Kersaint Appointed Dean of the School of Education at the University of Connecticut

Dr. Kersaint is a professor of mathematics education and associate dean of the College of Education at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She will begin her new duties at the University of Connecticut in July.

Two African Americans Selected for Notable Honors

The honorees are William Jelani Cobb, an associate professor of history and director of the Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut, and Christine Grant, a professor of chemical engineering at North Carolina State University.

Cato Laurencin to Receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation

Cato T. Laurencin has been selected by President Obama as one of seven winners of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. He is the only African American among the seven winners of the award this year.

University Study Finds Racial Bias Among Mainline Protestant Church Denominations

Researchers at the University of Connecticut have found in a new study that mainline protestant denominations, many of which participated on the front lines of the civil rights movement were less likely to be welcoming to prospective Black members than conservative evangelical denominations.

University Scientists Develop Portable Device for Sickle Cell Diagnosis

Scientists at the University of Connecticut, Yale University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new method of detecting sickle cell disease that can be used in remote areas that do not have advanced medical technology.

Two Black Men Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education

Andrew Agwunobi was appointed executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Connecticut and Marvin E. Green Jr. was promoted to associate athletics director for sports administration at Florida A&M 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.

Jennifer Baszile Named Director of the Consortium on High Achievement and Success

Jennifer L. Baszile was named director of the nation's oldest and largest organization dedicated to the success of underrepresented students on liberal arts college campuses nationwide. She previously served on the faculty at the University of Connecticut and Yale University.

Veterans Are More Likely to Live in Racially Integrated Neighborhoods Than Non-Veterans

Sociologists at the University of Connecticut and Brigham Young University examined records of more than 13 million home mortgages between 2008 and 2013. They found that veterans of all races were significantly more likely to live in racially integrated neighborhoods.

Companies Target Minority Youth in Marketing Fast Food, Sugary Drinks, Snacks, and Candy

A new study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut finds that Black youth saw almost twice as many TV ads for candy, soda and other sugary drinks, and snacks than their White peers.

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.

Cato Laurencin Receives a Pioneer Award From the National Institutes of Health

He is the first faculty member at the University of Connecticut to win the award. The award comes with a $4 million grant to enable Dr. Laurencin to continue his groundbreaking work on regenerative engineering.

Ten Universities to Tackle the Problem of K-12 Teacher Diversity

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education has selected 10 universities to participate in a program with the goal of increasing the number of Black and other minority men who teach in the nation's public schools. Only 2 percent of public school teachers are Black males.

Cato Laurencin One of Three Finalists for Provost at Purdue University

Cato T. Laurencin is the chief executive officer of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, University Professor, and director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut.

Three Black Scholars in New Teaching Roles

Nneka Logan is a new assistant professor of communication at Virginia Tech. Tamika La Salle has joined the education faculty at the University of Connecticut and Courtney Simons is teaching food science at Wright State University.

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