Tagged: University of Tennessee

Tashika Griffith Appointed President of Germanna Community College in Virginia

“I have been deeply impressed by Germanna’s strong sense of community and its steadfast commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and student success,” said Dr. Griffith. “I look forward to building upon this remarkable foundation as we continue advancing the College’s mission and impact across the region.”

Fiemu Nwariaku to Lead the Society of Black Academic Surgeons

For the past three years, Dr. Nwariaku has served as an endowed professor and chair of the department of surgery in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. Earlier, he spent over two decades on the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

The University of the District of Columbia’s Victor McCrary Elected Chair of the National Science Board

“We can’t succeed in a new era with yesterday’s playbook,” says Dr. McCrary. “The National Science Board supports President Trump’s aspiration for Golden Age of American Innovation and will continue to work in partnership with the White House, the Congress, and leaders across business, academia, national security, and state sectors...”

Thaddeus Johnson Recognized for Raising Awareness of Racial Issues in Criminal Justice

Prior to joining the Georgia State University faculty in 2020, Dr. Johnson spent several years as a law enforcement officer in Memphis, Tennessee. For his expertise in racially disparate justice outcomes, the Western Society of Criminology has presented him with the 2025 W.E.B. Du Bois Award.

The First Black Deaf Woman to Earn a Ph.D. in Biochemistry

A native of Sierra Leone in Africa, Dr. Sankoh became deaf at the age of three. She was sent to live with a family friend in the United States at the age of 12. She struggled in school until she was able to master American sign language. She recently earned s Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Tennessee.

New Teaching Assignment for Three Black Scholars

Alton B. Pollard III will re join the faculty of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he taught from 1988 to 1998. Renata Arrington Sanders was named chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a teaching facility for the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Kristina Kersey is a new assistant professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Agenia Walker Clark Will Be the Next President of Fisk University

For the past 19 years, Dr. Clark has been CEO of the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Prior to the Girl Scouts, Dr. Clark was the vice president of human resources for the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, senior director of human resources at Vanderbilt University, and directed human resources for Canadian telecommunications provider Nortel Networks.

Knoxville College Finds a Partner to Help With the Reaccreditation Process

Students in the doctoral program in higher education administration program at the University of Tennessee will help Knoxville College officials complete the paperwork necessary to pursue reaccreditation with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.

The University of Tennessee Acquires the Personal Archives of Artist Beauford Delaney

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Libraries has acquired the complete personal archive of internationally renowned modernist painter Beauford Delaney (1901–1979). Delaney was a member of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the leading modernist painters of his time.

Lonnie T. Brown Jr. Will Be the New Leader of the College of Law at the University of Tennessee

Lonnie Brown is currently the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and holds the A. Gus Cleveland Distinguished Chair of Legal Ethics and Professionalism at the University of Georgia School of Law. He will begin his new duties on July 1.

The Chair-Elect of the National Association of College Admission Counseling’s Board of Directors

Since 2018, Vern Granger has been director of undergraduate admissions in the Division of Enrollment Planning & Management at the University of Connecticut. In each of the undergraduate admissions cycles since his appointment, the university has attracted record numbers of students of color as part of the incoming classes.

Five African American Faculty Members Who Have Been Assigned New Roles

Taking on new positions or duties are Derrick R. Brooms at the University of Tennessee, Shona Tuck at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, Christopher Schell at the University of California, Berkeley, Deidre Pearson at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and D'Jaris Coles-White at Western Michigan University.

In Memoriam: Matthew Walker III, 1965-2021

Dr. Walker joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University in 2011 and held dual appointments as professor of the practice of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering and professor of radiology and radiological sciences in the School of Medicine. He also was associate director of the Medical Innovators Development Program.

Partnership Allows Students to Obtain Three Degrees in Engineering Fields

Students participating in the 2+2+2 program will earn an associate's degree at Motlow State Community College, a bachelor's degree at historically Black Tennessee State University, and a master's degree in industrial engineering at the University of Tennessee.

The Next Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont

Most recently Dr. Noma Anderson was dean of the College of Health Professions at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Earlier, she was dean of the School of Health Sciences at Florida International University in Miami.

Five African American Scholars Who Are Taking on New Assignments

Taking on new roles are J. Camille Hall at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Terrell Strayhorn at Virginia Union University, Shawn Ricks at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, Dwayne Mack at Berea College in Kentucky and Gerald Cannon at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio.

Two African American Historians to Receive Lillian Smith Book Awards

Jelani M. Favors, an associate professor of history at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia, and Brandon K. Winford, an associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, were honored for the books on social justice topics.

Four African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Posts at Universities

Taking on new administrative positions in higher education are Bill Means at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Darrell B. McMillon at Delaware State University, Amber Williams at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and Malik Washington at the University of Pennsylvania.

John Morrow Is the First African American to Win Prestigious Award for Military Writing

John H. Morrow, Jr., professor of history at the University of Georgia, is the 13th recipient of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. The award includes a gold medallion and a $100,000 honorarium.

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