Tagged: University of Illinois

Orlando McMeans to Lead Southern University in Louisiana

Beginning January 1, Dr. McMeans will serve as interim president of Southern University in Louisiana. For the past six years, he has served as chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and dean of the university's College of Agricultural, Family, and Consumer Sciences.

Study Theorizes Generative AI Could Improve Mental Health Care for Diverse Populations

“AI is a train that’s already in motion, and it’s picking up speed,” said Dr. Cortney VanHook, assistant professor of social work at the University of Illinois. “So, the question is: How can we use this amazing tool to improve mental health care for many populations?”

FAMU’s Areto Imoukhuede Receives National Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law

Professor Imoukhuede was recently honored by the Education Law Association for his article, “The Walk Away from Racial Equality,” which examines how recent Supreme Court decisions have shifted away from Brown v. Board of Education's vision of racial equality.

In Memoriam: Leon Edwin Bailey, 1936-2025

An undergraduate alumnus of historically Black Hampton University, Dr. Bailey taught theatre and served as associate provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Connecticut.

Study Finds Performance-Based State Funding Policies Lead to Declines in Black Undergraduate Enrollment

According to a new study from scholars at the University of Illinois, highly-visible public universities in states that have adopted performance-based funding policies have experienced declines in their Black undergraduate enrollment.

Robert N. Corley III is the New Provost of Elizabeth City State University

Dr. Corley comes to Elizabeth City State University from another HBCU, Virginia State University, where he was a special advisor to the president. Earlier, he spent more than a decade on the faculty of historically Black Tuskegee University in Alabama.

Badia Ahad Appointed Provost of Emory University

“As provost, I will advance Emory's academic mission by enhancing the conditions in which our students thrive and our faculty produce life-changing, life-saving scholarship and research,” said Dr. Ahad.

In Memoriam: Mildred Barnes Griggs, 1942-2025

Dr. Griggs spent three decades on the faculty of the University of Illinois, where she was the first African American to be promoted through the ranks to full professor and the first woman to serve as dean of a college.

Eight Academic Institutions Receive Grants to Preserve African American History

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has recently bestowed $3 million worth of grant funding to 24 projects across the country that center on Black joy, resilience, innovation, and activism. Eight of these grants have gone to higher education institutions.

Four Black Scholars Selected for Dean Positions

The dean appointments are Chukwuka Onwumechili at Howard University, Myra Bozeman at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, Joan Tilghman at Coppin State University in Baltimore, and Omolola Eniola-Adefeso at the University of Illinois.

African Literature and Culture Society Honors Duriel Harris for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry

Dr. Harris has served as a professor of poetry and poetics at Illinois State University for the past 15 years. Her teaching and academic interests include poetry writing, poetics, and African American literature.

White People More Likely to Stand Up to Racism on Social Media When Setting Social Norms

A new study from the University of Illinois and the University of California, Santa Barbara found that White people were more likely to confront racism on social media if their goal was to set social norms rather than change the author's personal beliefs.

Three African American Faculty Members Appointed to New Positions

Cynthia Oliver has been named to a Gutgsell Endowed Chair at the University of Illinois. Najja Baptist was named director of African and African-American Studies Program in the history department at the University of Arkansas and associate professor BJ Arnett was appointed chair of the department of art and fashion at Clark Atlanta University.

A Trio of African American Scholars Taking on New Faculty Roles

The three Black scholars in new roles are Nikia A. Laurie at North Carolina Central University, Christopher Freeburg at the University of Illinois, and Dawn M. Turner at Oakwood University in Alabama.

Conrad Tucker Has Been Named Director of Carnegie Mellon University in Africa

Dr. Tucker is currently serving as interim director of the Kigali, Rwanda College of Engineering location. He is also a professor of mechanical engineering and holds courtesy faculty appointments in machine learning, robotics, and biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Two African Americans Appointed to University Dean Positions

Jamelle Sharpe is the new dean of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law and Natasha Hutson has been appointed as dean of University College at Alcorn State University in Mississippi.

The Next Leader of the School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago

Nadya Mason has been serving as the Rosalyn S. Yalow Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has also served as the director of the University of Illinois' Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. 

Lorrie Frasure to Lead the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA

Dr. Frasure joined the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2007. She was the first woman of color and the first Black woman to earn tenure and promotion to full professor in the political science department at the university. As the new director of the center, she will hold the inaugural Ralph J. Bunche Endowed Chair.

Three African Americans Taking on New Diversity-Related Roles in Higher Education

Taking on new administrative roles relating to diversity are Nicholas M. Creary at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Vermont, Nicole Del Castillo at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Marc Reed at Grinnell College in Iowa.

Vanderbilt University Scholar Has Established the “Possibilities Project”

The Possibilities Project, under the direction of Chezare Warren, an associate professor of leadership policy, and organizations at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development “is an arts-informed knowledge hub committed to improving Black students’ well-being in education and beyond.”
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Sonja M. Brown to Lead Academic Affairs at Fayetteville State University

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Dr. Brown is the new interim provost at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. She currently serves as the HBCU's associate vice chancellor for academic and faculty affairs.

Martin University Trustees Announce the College’s Permanent Closure

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One month after the trustees of Martin University announced the college would pause operations indefinitely, the board has decided to permanently close Indiana's only predominately-Black institution of higher education.

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