Tagged: University of Southern Mississippi

Steven Jones Appointed President of Mississippi Delta Community College

Dr. Jones has been serving as Mississippi Delta Community College's vice president of administrative and student services. He is slated to become the institution's 10th president on January 1.

Monic Ductan Receives Inaugural Tennessee Book Award in Fiction

Monic Ductan was honored for her first book, Daughters of Muscadine: Stories. She currently teaches creative writing and literature at Tennessee Tech University.

Sherita Johnson Appointed Director of the Africana Research Center at Pennsylvania State University

Sherita Johnson is a scholar of nineteenth-century African American literature and print culture. She has conducted extensive archival research on the experiences of Black writers, activists, and public intellectuals.

Six African Americans Selected for Administrative Positions at Universities

Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to [email protected].

Connie Walton Is the New Leader of Grambling State University in Louisiana

Dr. Walton has been serving as the institution’s provost and vice president for academic affairs and has worked at Grambling for over 30 years. Dr. Walton has been a professor of chemistry at the university. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of molecules that exhibit liquid crystalline behavior and polymer synthesis. She holds two U.S. patents.

Six Black Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to New Faculty Roles

Taking on new duties or roles are Reginald Perry at Florida A&M University, Tiffany Morris at North Carolina A&T State University, Derreck Williams at the University of Southern Mississippi, Aaron Kamugisha at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, Tonya Pinkins at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, and Alford A. Young Jr. at the University of Michigan.

Four Black Faculty Members Who Are Taking on New Assignments

Taking on new duties are Royel Johnson of the University of Southern California, Karen Keaton Jackson at North Carolina Central University, Aaron Allen at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Corcoran Holt at the Arizona State University School of Music, Dance and Theatre.

Rodney Bennett Selected to Serve as the Next Chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

As required by state law, Dr. Bennett’s candidacy now undergoes a 30-day vetting period which will include a series of public sessions during which members of the university community and the news media can meet him and ask questions. After 30 days, the board of regents can vote on Dr. Bennett's appointment. If approved, he will be the first African American to lead the university.

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.

Rodney Bennett Announces He Will Step Down as President of the University of Southern Mississippi

Rodney Bennett, who has served as president of the University of Southern Mississippi since 2013, announced that he will step down from his post at the end of his contract in 2023. He is the first African American to serve as president of one of the state's five predominantly White public universities.

Jinx Coleman Broussard Honored for Her Mentoring Work in Public Relations

Jinx Coleman Broussard, the Bart R. Swanson Endowed Memorial Professor in the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State Univerity, has been selected as the 2021 Bruce K. Berger Educator Honoree from the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. The center is housed at the University of Alabama.

Five Black Scholars Taking on New University Faculty Assignments

Taking on new roles are Garrett L. Washington at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Marjuyua Lartey at the University of Southern Mississippi, Darius Young at Florida A&M University, LaTasha Barnes at Arizona State University, and Gregory K. Freeland at California Lutheran University.

Gary Crosby Will Be the First Man and First African American to Lead Saint Elizabeth University

Since 2015, Dr. Crosby has been vice president for student affairs at Alabama A&M University. Prior to joining AAMU, he served in various capacities at Jackson State University in Mississippi. When he takes office on July 1, he will be the first man and first African American to lead the university in its 121-year history.

In Memoriam: Jacqueline E. Fuller Certion, 1972-2020

Jacqueline Certion was the assistant director of the Foundations for Academic Success Track, or FASTrack, in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi. In her position, Certion served as an adviser and mentor for thousands of students over the past 19 years.

Connie Walton Appointed Provost at Grambling State University in Louisiana

Dr. Walton is a professor of chemistry at the university. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of molecules that exhibit liquid crystalline behavior and polymer synthesis. She holds two U.S. patents. Dr. Walton has served as interim provost since May 2019.

University of Southern Mississippi Acquires Papers of its First African American Faculty Member

In 1970, John Calvin Berry became the first African American faculty member at the university when he was named an instructor of student teaching. He retired from the university in 1985 as an associate professor of educational leadership and research.

Four African Americans Who Have Announced Their Retirements From University Posts

The four African Americans who have retired or have announced their retirements are Tommie Stewart at Alabama State University, Adolph Reed Jr. at the University of Pennsylvania, Walter Fluker at the School of Theology at Boston University, and Alfreda Horton at the University of Southern Mississippi.

University of Southern Mississippi Team Finds the Wreckage of the Last Slave Ship

In 1860, the ship Clotilda is believed to be the last vessel to import slaves into the United States, more than 50 years after the international slave trade had been abolished.

New Faculty Appointments for Five African American Scholars

Taking on new assignments are Alondra Nelson at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, Keith A. Alford at Syracuse University, Kendall M. Campbell at East Carolina University, Duane Lee Hollland Jr. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Curtis Davis. Jr. at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Two African American Scholars Announce Their Impending Retirements

Joyce E. Smith, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, has announced she will retire in summer 2020 and Eddie A. Holloway, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Southern Mississippi, will retire in June.
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Manya Whitaker is the Fifteenth President of Colorado College

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"I am inspired daily by our students’ passion, our faculty’s wisdom, our staff’s dedication, and the entire campus community’s commitment to the College’s values," said Dr. Whitaker. "I look forward to working together to build on our strengths and shape an even brighter future for Colorado College."

Jason Geary Is the New Provost of Rutgers University

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“I’m honored to lead ongoing efforts to reach new heights of research and student success in New Brunswick,” said Dr. Geary. “I’ve spent my career building connections to maximize impact on campus and in the community, and I’m eager to continue this work as provost in service to all faculty, staff and students.”

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