“Savannah State has a rich history of producing world class artists, educators, scientists, military leaders, corporate executives and public policy advocates," said Dr. Whirl. "I look forward to working with the students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater Savannah community to continue the legacy of the state’s first public HBCU.”
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.
Newly appointed to dean positions are Joyce Bylander at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, Kaetrena Davis Kendrick at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Ian Williamson at the University of California, Irvine.
Fred Aikens is the new interim dean of the College of Business at Central State University Ohio. Wanda C. Gonslaves was appointed interim dean of the College of Natural, Applied, and Health Sciences at Kentucky State University, and Takita Felder Sumter is the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Winthrop University.
Over the past twenty years, Dr. James has served in both faculty and administrative positions at several universities. Most recently, he served as interim CEO of the 100 Black Men of America Inc., a nonprofit organization that hosts mentorship and community services initiatives across the country.
Dr. Newkirk most recently served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and as a professor of history at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. Prior to that, he served as associate provost and dean of the graduate school at Alabama A&M University.
The new center is being led by Derrick Alridge, a professor in the Curry School of Education at the university. Professor Alridge also is the director of “Teachers in the Movement,” an oral history project that explores the ideas and pedagogy of teachers during the civil rights movement.
Winthrop University has announced that the university's top academic prize for students will no longer be named after "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman, a former segregationist governor of South Carolina and U.S. Senator.
Vann R. Newkirk has been serving as associate provost for academic affairs, dean of graduate studies, and professor of history at Alabama A&M University.
The project is called Teachers in the Movement and it is led by Derrick P. Alridge, a professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Dr. Alridge hopes to record 200 interviews of teachers by the end of 2016.
Gregg Hecimovich, chair of the English department at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has discovered new evidence on the identity of the author who is believe to have written the earliest novel by an African American woman.
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