Tag: University of Southern California

Walden University Names Its School of Social Work in Honor of Barbara Solomon

Dr. Solomon played a major role in the development of the social work program at Walden University. Earlier in her career, she was professor, vice provost, and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

One African American Among Finalists for Key Post at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Richie Hunter, vice chancellor and vice president of university marketing, communication, and media relations for the University of Houston, is a finalist for vice chancellor for university relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Fielding Graduate University Names New Center for Marie Fielder

Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California, has announced the establishment of the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education, a multidisciplinary research and advocacy center aimed at advancing diversity and inclusion throughout society.

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.

Two Black Scholars Win National Book Awards

Ta-Nehisi Coates won the National Book Award in the nonfiction category. He has taught at MIT and the City University of New York. Robin Coste Lewis, a Provost’s Fellow in the creative writing and literature doctoral program at the University of Southern California, won the National Book Award in the poetry category.

Safiya Sinclair Receives $25,800 Fellowship Award From The Poetry Foundation

Safiya Sinclair is currently a Dornsife Doctoral Fellow in literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California. She is a graduate of Bennington College in southwestern Vermont and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Virginia.

Racial Views of Blacks in Multiracial Congregations Come to Resemble the Opinions of Whites

According to a new study by researchers at three leading universities, explanations for inequality among members of multiracial church congregations become more similar across groups, coming to resemble the views of the Whites.

Study Finds Lack of Racial Diversity in Hollywood’s Top-Grossing Films

Only 17 percent of the films had a lead actor from an underrepresented minority group. In 2014, 17 of the top-grossing films did not feature one Black or African American speaking character. Less than 5 percent of the directors were Black.

A Milestone Faculty Appointment at the University of Kansas

Nicole Hodges Persley is the first African American woman to be granted tenure in the department of theatre at the University of Kansas. She is also the first Black scholar to serve as director of the graduate studies in the theatre department.

Claudia Rankine to Join the Faculty at the University of Southern California

Claudia Rankine was appointed to the Aerol Arnold Chair of English in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Professor Rankin will begin teaching at the University of Southern California in the fall of 2016.

Safiya Sinclair Wins the 2015 Prairie Schooner Book Prize for Poetry

Sinclair, a native of Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a graduate of Bennington College in southwestern Vermont and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Virginia. She is currently a Dornsife Doctoral Fellow at the University of Southern California.

The New President of Hennepin Technical College in Minnesota

Merrill Irving Jr. recently became president of the largest technical college in Minnesota serving 10,000 students at campuses in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie. African Americans make up 21 percent of the student body.

People Who Go to Large Churches Tend to Discount Discrimination as Responsible for Racial Inequality

A study by researchers at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and the University of Southern California finds that people in churches with congregations of more than 2,000 tend to believe that racial inequality is not due to discrimination.

Black Students Admitted to a Select Group of Colleges and Universities

Some of the nation's most selective colleges and universities have released data on the number of Black students accepted for admission into the Class or 2019.

Studying the Racial Gap in Infant Mortality Rates

The authors compared U.S. infant mortality rates to those in two European countries. They found that the reason infant mortality is lower in Europe is simply because these countries take better care of their low-income citizens than is the case in the United States.

University of Southern California Creates a Diversity Report Card on the Entertainment Industry

The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California announced that it will conduct an annual survey and grade Hollywood entertainment companies on their diversity efforts.

USC Professor Raphael Bostic Named to the Board of Freddie Mac

Raphael Bostic, professor at the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, has been elected to the board of directors of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.

Shana Redmonds Named to Professorship Honoring Civil Rights Activist Ella Baker

The University of California, Santa Barbara, has established a visiting professorship to honor Ella Baker, a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and its network of Freedom Schools. Shana Redmond of the University of Southern California will be the first holder of the post.

John Brooks Slaughter Is Honored by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering

Dr. Slaughter is professor of education and professor of engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is the former president of NACME and was chancellor of the University of Maryland and president of Occidental College.

Five African Americans in New Administrative Roles in Higher Education

The appointees are Damon L. Williams Jr. at Emory University, Tiffany C. Graham at the University of South Dakota, Timothy E. Sams at Morehouse College, Keith McIntosh at Ithaca College, and Kermit Crawford at the University of Southern California.

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.

Nathaniel Mackey Honored by the Poetry Foundation

Nathaniel Mackey, professor emeritus of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has been named the winner of the 2014 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. The prize comes with a $100,000 award.

Blacks Are 7 Percent of the University of Southern California’s Accepted Students

Of the more than 9,200 admitted students, 7 percent are African Americans. In the current academic year, there are 182 Black first-year students, who make up 6.2 percent of the first-year class.

Linda Burton Named to Dean Post at Trinity College of Duke University

Dr. Burton is the James B. Duke Professor of Sociology at Duke University. She came to Duke in 2006 after teaching for 22 years at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Blacks Still Underrepresented in Top Films, According to USC Research

The University of Southern California study found that Blacks had 10.8 percent of all speaking roles, less than the Black percentage of the U.S. population. But in the top-grossing films, Blacks had only 5 percent of the speaking roles.

Two Black Women in New Teaching Roles

Nobel Peach Prize winner Leymah Gbowee was named the inaugural Distinguished Fellow in Social Justice at Barnard College. Stacy Finley was hired to the biomedical engineering faculty at the University of Southern California.

Major Research Project to Study Genetic Link to Disease Susceptibility Among Minorities

The research teams are located at the University of Southern California, Rutgers University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

A New Vice Provost at the University of Southern California

Ainsley Carry was appointed vice provost of student affairs at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He was serving as vice president for student affairs at Auburn University in Alabama.

Protest Held at the University of Southern California Over Police Treatment of Black Students

Black students at the University of Southern California claim that the Los Angeles Police Department exhibited racial bias when responding to noise complaints about end-of-the-semester parties held just off campus.

After 18 Years, Michael L. Jackson Stepping Down From Student Affairs Post at USC

After 18 years as vice president of student affairs, Dr. Jackson will take a one-year sabbatical and then will return to USC as vice president emeritus, executive director of institutional advancement, and professor of higher education.

The Huge Earnings Benefit for Minority Students Who Major in STEM Fields

The study found that Black and other minority students who major in STEM fields earn at least 25 percent more than their peers who majored in humanities or education.

Ten African Americans Named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Through an analysis of the list of new fellows conducted by JBHE, it appears that 10 of the 220 new members are Black. Thus, African Americans make up 4.5 percent of the new members.

Architecture Students Win Diversity Scholarships

Chisom Ezekwo of the University of Southern California and Damian Bolden of Auburn University will receive financial aid and an internship.

In Memoriam: Thomas C. Cox (1939-2011)

A history scholar, he taught at the University of Southern California from 1982 to 2008.

Honors and Awards

Four awards of note relating to African Americans in higher education.

Eight African Americans in New Administrative Positions in Higher Education

Here is news of African Americans who are assuming new posts at colleges and universities throughout the United States.

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