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Pamela E. Scott-Johnson was named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Spelman College in Atlanta, effective August 1. She has been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Before joining Monmouth, Dr. Scott-Johnson served as the dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at California State University, Los Angeles. She spent nearly 15 years on the psychology faculty at Morgan State University in Baltimore. Earlier, she held a tenured faculty post at Spelman College.
“I am thrilled to be returning to my alma mater as a member of the leadership team to help shape and enhance the academic landscape through which women of Spelman develop as change agents,” said Dr. Scott-Johnson. “Spelman has been and will continue to be a special place for women of African descent and how they impact the world. I look forward to guiding additional pathways for advancing faculty, at all levels, and delivering innovation in student success from retention to graduation.”
Dr. Scott-Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology and neuroscience from Princeton University in New Jersey.
Allyson L. Watson was appointed provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida A&M University. Dr. Watson, who came to the university in 2019 as dean of the College of Education, has served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs since December 2022. Before she arrived at Florida A&M University, Dr. Watson served as the interim chief academic officer and dean at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. Earlier, Dr. Watson spent nearly 14 years on the faculty at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where she held the
“Florida A&M University is an institution of academic excellence. I am honored to represent the significance of our history and the academic contributions we have accomplished and be at the helm of such an important time for our future,” Dr. Watson said. “Our future is bright, and I look forward to leading with vision, tenacity, and innovation.”
Dr. Watson holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. She earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in educational administration, curriculum, and supervision from the University of Oklahoma.
Ana Hunt was named provost of the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College. She has been serving as interim provost and previously was interim chancellor of the college. She joined Pulaski Tech in 2019 as registrar. Earlier, she was registrar at National Park College in Hot Springs, Arkansas. From 2012 to 2016, Dr. Hunt was registrar and enrollment coordinator at Baptist Health College in Little Rock, Arkansas.
“I’m humbled and very grateful that the search committee chose me,” Dr. Hunt said. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to offer the best educational experience in Arkansas.”
Dr. Hunt is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello. She holds a master’s degree in college student personnel from Arkansas Tech and a doctorate in educational leadership and management from Capella University.
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.
Saint Louis University received a five-year $2,830,00 grant from the National Cancer Institute for programs to increase HPV vaccination and HPV screening to lower incidents of cervical cancer among girls and women in Nigeria. Currently, in Nigeria, only 10 percent of eligible women have been screened and 14 percent of girls are vaccinated for HPV. The project is under the direction of Juliet Iwelunmor, a professor of global health and behavioral science and health education in the university’s College for Public Health and Social Justice. Dr. Iwelenmor holds a Ph.D. in bio-behavioral health from Pennsylvania State University.
Spelman College, the historically Black liberal arts educational institution for women in Atlanta, received a $10 million gift from Rosemary K. and John W. Brown to support STEM educational programs at the college. The Browns’ gift will support the architectural, construction, and equipment costs for the college’s new Center for Innovation & the Arts, scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. John Brown is chairman emeritus of Stryker Corporation, a multinational medical technologies corporation based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Rosemary K. Brown is a long-time educator.
The School of Medicine at the University of Louisville in Kentucky received a $1.2 million grant from the Humana Foundation that will support cardiac disease screening and nutrition-based interventions to address cardiac health disparities among older Black adults in Louisville.
Historically Black Bowie State University in Maryland received a $1,589,014 Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Education for programs to recruit and prepare Black male educators in early childhood/special education, elementary, or secondary education who can provide effective, culturally relevant/responsive instruction.
The Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, a historically Black educational institution in Los Angeles, received a $150,000 grant Grifols, a biopharmaceutical solutions company. The funds will support a scholarship in nursing and the university’s Saturday Science Academy program. The Saturday Science Academy exposes pre-K through 12th-grade students to fun and engaging science material in an effort to motivate them to move into the healthcare field after graduating high school.
Spelman College, the historically Black liberal arts educational institution for women in Atlanta, has entered into a partnership with OceanX, a nonprofit organization involved in global ocean exploration, to offer the college’s students an in-depth experience with ocean exploration and marine science and operations.
Through its signature Young Explorers program, OceanX selects students to embark on an educational journey aboard OceanXplorer, its one-of-a-kind scientific research, media production, and exploration vessel, during which they learn about the convergence of captivating media and ocean exploration, research, and operations.
“Our collaboration with OceanX’s Young Explorers has opened up once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for Spelman College students to combine scientific exploration of our oceans with cutting-edge media techniques to bring discoveries back to humanity for greater understanding,” said Jerry Volcy, co-director of the Spelman Innovation Lab. “This formal partnership will ensure our students benefit from the experience – both on the ship and in our classrooms – for years to come.”
Faculty members will also have opportunities to participate in the OceanX-Spelman partnership, with curriculum development being a key component of the planned work. Live classroom opportunities will be incorporated into biology courses, and professors will be invited to join the OceanXplorer, working with other professionals to help guide their curriculum. Similarly, professors and students alike will have opportunities to participate in ocean research projects.
The OceanX-Spelman partnership will extend beyond academia, creating employment opportunities at OceanX for Spelman students.
Roslyn Pope, a civil rights leader and educator, died on January 19 in Arlington, Texas. She was 84 years old.
A native of Atlanta, Pope was a graduate of Spelman College. While a senior at the historically Black college for women, Pope along with a young Julian Bond wrote “An Appeal for Human Rights,” which was published by three newspapers in the city and was reprinted widely across the United States and read into the Congressional Record. The “Appeal” laid the groundwork for civil rights protests by college students in Atlanta.
After graduating with a degree in music from Spelman College, Pope moved to Florida and taught in the public schools in Fort Lauderdale, while raising a family.
Later, Dr. Pope studied piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She earned a master’s degree in English from Georgia State University and a Ph.D. in humanities from Syracuse University. Dr. Pope taught at Pennsylvania State University and later historically Black Bishop College, which was founded in Marshall, Texas, and moved to Dallas in 1961. The college closed in 1988.
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