Tagged: University of Florida

Dr. Jackson, professor and chair of the anthropology department at the University of South Florida, was honored for her work to recover and restore Black cemeteries. As founder and director of the Black Cemetery Network, she has been able to retrieve a rich but forgotten history of Black cemeteries as an integral part of Black life in the United States.

“This is an exceptional opportunity to collaborate with students and colleagues to build something new within such a storied institution, and I look forward to supporting and challenging undergraduates to maximize their learning across their varied experiences inside and outside of the classroom,” said Dr. McKnight, who will begin his new role on June 1, 2026.

In an analysis of 11 years of data on New York City Public Schools, researchers found high levels of teacher turnover led to increased likelihood for office disciplinary referrals and suspensions for all students. Black students were the most likely group to receive disciplinary action when their teachers left mid-year.

Dr. Joe Lee Smith was a former president of Brevard Community College in Florida. He had a long career in education, as well as public service. For 36 years, he served 12 consecutive terms on the Rockledge City Council.

Gerald Kayingo is the inaugural Leslie S. Robinson, MD Endowed Professor and Chair of Health Professions Education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s School of Graduate Studies, and Riché Barnes is the new director of the African American studies program at the University of Florida.

According to a new study led by Cornell University, Black Americans and other Americans of color are the more willing than White Americans to engage in efforts to mitigate COVID-19 health disparities, even though they are underrepresented in scientific efforts to do so.

With decades of experience in hospital administration, Dr. Watson most recently served as interim CEO of the University of Florida Health St. Johns. His new appointment marks a return to Howard University Hospital, where he served in various administrative roles for 10 years.

A scholar of civil and transportation engineering, Charles Alvin Wright spent most of his academic career on the faculty at Florida A&M University, an HBCU in Tallahassee.

A psychology faculty member with City St. George's, University of London for over a decade, Jessica Jones Nielsen has been named the institution's first-ever Black woman full professor. She has served as the university's assistant vice president for equality, diversity, and inclusion since 2021.

Dr. Alexander brings more than three decades of experience in higher education leadership to his new role as chancellor of the University of Michigan Flint. He currently serves as chancellor of University of Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Edward Waters University does not have a nursing program. This partnership gives qualified biological sciences majors at Edward Waters University who are interested in a nursing career the option to pursue a nursing degree at the University of Florida. This is the first partnership between an HBCU and the University of Florida College of Nursing.

Taking on new roles relating to diversity are Darryl C. Mace at Alvernia College in Reading, Pennsylvania, Dominique A. Quarles at Georgia Southern University, Lydia Contreras at the University of Texas at Austin, Myron Burr at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, and Lakesha Butler at University of Florida Health.

Taking on new administrative roles relating to diversity are Crystal McCormick Ware at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Jason J. Dorsette at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon, Marsha McGriff at the University of Florida, and Andrea Cornett-Scott at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia.

Tarshia Stanley, dean of the division of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, and professor of English at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been selected as the winner of the Teaching Literature Book Award, an international prize for the best book on teaching literature at the college level. The award is presented biennially by the graduate faculty in English at Idaho State University.

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.

Mira Lowe, a veteran journalist and editor, has been assistant dean for student experiences at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications since 2019. Before entering academia, Lowe enjoyed a successful career as a professional journalist.

Dr. Haley joined the faculty at the University of Florida in 2017 as dean of the College of Medicine-Jacksonville. He was the first African American to hold that position. Dr. Haley also was a professor of emergency medicine and vice president for health affairs for the University of Florida.

The trio of African American men in new diversity pots includes Daryl A. Carter at East Tennessee State University, Micahe; Bowie at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, and Michael Young at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Over the six-year study period, the share of surgery department chairs and full professorships held by White doctors decreased by 4 to 5 percentage points, but it was Asian faculty who filled the void, rising by 4 percentage points over the same timeframe. Male Black chairs actually lost ground during the study period.

Most recently, Dr. Powell has served as dean of performing arts and communications at Bethune-Cookman University. During his time at the university, Dr. Powell has served in several leadership roles including interim provost and vice president of institutional advancement.