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Earlier, this year, historically Black Shaw University petitioned the Raleigh City Council to rezone 27 acres of its downtown campus, requesting that its property be redesignated as a “Mixed Business District.”
Some alumni of the university adamantly opposed the plan. They formed a group called Save Our Shaw that sought to block the plan. The proposal called for historic buildings Estey Hall, Tupper Memorial Hall, Leonard Hall, and Tyler Hall to the removed if they are damaged or destroyed to more than 50 percent of their respective total replacement costs. The proposal also included a change that would allow the existing heights of buildings to increase from 12 t0 30 stories, structures that would dwarf historic buildings on the Shaw campus, according to opponents of the plan.
Save Our Shaw held a Citizens United Against Gentrification Rally on June 10, ahead of the city council’s vote on the matter. Rally participants marched around the perimeter of Shaw’s campus, demanding that city leaders and university administration prioritize the needs of the students, the community, and other stakeholders, over profit-driven development schemes.
“We advocate for alternative solutions to gentrification and support efforts to preserve the university’s history and its surrounding area. Shaw is not just a physical space, but a cultural and historical landmark that should be protected and respected,” said Eugene Myrick, of Save Our Shaw.
But on June 20, the Raleigh City Council voted 5-3 in favor of approving Shaw University’s application for rezoning. The university agreed to save the historic buildings mentioned above and to limit the height of new construction in close proximity of the historic sites.
Shaw University President Dr. Paulette Dillard said: “The ShawU District – owned and controlled by the university – envisions and reimagines the campus and its facilities to model a new era of HBCU innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship for students. By leveraging our legacy and maximizing our potential, Shaw University will empower and equip new generations of learners and leaders, while deepening our roots and securing our future as an anchor in downtown Raleigh.”
Dr. Dillard added that “this outcome reflects a recognition of the university’s commitment to education and retaining and attracting new students – and the importance of progress, innovation, and growth. We look forward to continuing our mission of providing a quality education for our students while fostering positive relationships with our neighbors and the city of Raleigh.”
Columbia University and Southern University and A&M College, a historically Black university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize a new partnership that will facilitate faculty research collaborations; exchange and experiential learning programs for students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty; and innovation and economic development initiatives.
Pathway programs for students will be a major focus of the partnership, encouraging promising Southern University undergraduates to apply to Columbia Ph.D. programs for graduate studies, where they will be co-mentored by both Columbia and Southern faculty before returning to Southern for tenure-track positions.
Dennis Mitchell, executive vice president for university life, senior vice provost for faculty advancement, and professor of dental medicine at Columbia, said that “we are looking forward to opening up collaborations for students, faculty, and trainees across our campuses. By enhancing the diversity of Columbia graduate programs, and ultimately the professoriate, we are making a long-term investment in inclusive excellence that reaches far beyond our two institutions.”
“At this pivotal moment for HBCUs, when federal agencies have carved out funding for underserved institutions, we have extraordinary opportunities to leverage,” added Dennis J. Shields, president of the Southern University System and chancellor of Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. “The intellectual capital and resources that a university like Columbia has, teamed up with an under-resourced but intellectually strong institution like Southern, could open new doors for faculty and students while creating a long-lasting impact on higher education.”
Historically Black Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh are expanding their educational partnership allowing associate degree graduates more opportunities to pursue bachelor’s degrees.
Wake Tech Community College enrolls more than 21,000 students. African Americans make up 22 percent of the student body.
Since 2012, the two institutions have offered transfer options for Wake graduates in business administration and criminal justice technology. According to the new agreement, graduates of any associate degree program at Wake Tech can now transfer up to 64 credits toward a four-year degree in an applicable degree program at the private historically Black university.
Under the new transfer agreement, students must complete an associate degree at Wake Tech with an overall grade point average of 2.0, and earn a grade of “C” or better in transfer courses. Students who meet the minimum transfer qualifications are eligible for a $2,000 per year scholarship. Students with a 2.8 or higher GPA with 40 hours of documented community service are also considered for the Community College Tuition Transfer Grant, a value of nearly $9,000 per year.
“This agreement reaffirms our commitment to our common goals, opening new pathways for students and creating new learning opportunities,” said Christine Johnson McPhail, president of Saint Augustine’s University. “We want to replicate the quality students receive at Wake Tech when they come to Saint Augustine’s University.”
Historically Black Morris Brown College in Atlanta has entered into an agreement with the John Marshall Law School to create a pathway for Morris Brown graduates to earn a law degree. Founded in 1933, John Marshall Law School is Atlanta’s only stand-alone law school focused on preparing talented students for legal careers in the public and private sectors.
Under the agreement, Morris Brown students will be able to seek application guidance from the Office of Admissions at John Marshall Law School and eligible applicants who meet the standard admissions criteria will receive priority law school admission.
“The partnership between John Marshall Law School and Morris Brown College will open doors for many students from underserved communities that show promise of succeeding in law school,” said Jace C. Gatewood, dean of the John Marshall Law School. “This partnership signals a change in the future of legal education where institutions work together to improve the educational opportunities for all students.”
Morris Brown College President Kevin James added that “we are ecstatic to partner with Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Morris Brown students now have an official pathway and opportunity to earn a juris doctorate.”
Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black educational institution in Texas, has established a new partnership centered on an undergraduate certificate program called Peace Corps Prep. Students in the Peace Corps Prep program will combine targeted coursework with hands-on experience, building the competencies needed to be strong Peace Corps volunteers or other intercultural fieldworkers.
Peace Corps Prep will be structured as an interdisciplinary certificate program housed in PVAMU’s Office of International Programs. Through a combination of coursework and hands-on experience, students will develop four core competencies that are critical to intercultural fieldwork: foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, professional and leadership development, and sector-specific skills in one of Peace Corps’ six sectors.
“Prairie View A&M University is pleased to partner with the Peace Corps, as the collaboration will help us advance an important aspect of our mission, which seeks to invest in programs and services that address issues and challenges affecting the diverse ethnic and socioeconomic population of Texas and the larger society including the global arena,” said Godlove Fonjweng, executive director of international programs at the university, who will also serve as the Peace Corps Prep coordinator. “The Peace Corps Prep program offers our students the opportunity to hone the skills they will need to be successful in the international arena, either as Peace Corps volunteers or serving the global community in other capacities.”
The Graduate School and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Vanderbilt University in Nashville has partnered with historically Black Fisk University to create a groundbreaking new postdoctoral fellowship program.
These fellowships have been designed to offer opportunities for recent Vanderbilt Ph.D. graduates to build their teaching and scholarship portfolios, receive mentoring from faculty at both institutions and allow time for publishing their dissertations or preparing other research papers. Fellows will be considered by Fisk for faculty positions, with the goal of leading to tenure-track positions.
Two, 24-month fellowships will be available for the inaugural cohort which will launch this fall. Over the next few years, the cohorts will grow to five and then 10 members, and the plan is to eventually welcome applicants from outside Vanderbilt. The program’s aim is to serve as a national model for predominantly White institutions and historically Black colleges and universities to collaborate to prepare new generations for the professoriate.
“This collaboration with Fisk creates an innovative opportunity for Vanderbilt doctoral students to strengthen their preparation for the professoriate,” said C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “One aim of our initiative is to provide everyone in our university community with opportunities for deeper engagement and more mentoring, across our campus and beyond. We are proud to partner with another leading Nashville university for the benefit of both of our campus communities.”
The University of the District of Columbia, a historically Black educational institution in Washington, has entered into an agreement with Michigan Technological University. The agreement calls for:
• Student exchanges and graduate study articulations,
• Faculty collaborations and visiting professorships
• Joint funding proposals and philanthropy.
According to the agreement, Michigan Technological University will provide mentorship in helping the University of the District of Columbia attain R2 status within the Carnegie Classification system for research universities. In return, UDC will provide cultural responsiveness mentorship to MTU.
The agreement encourages individual colleges and departments within each university to collaborate on mutually supportive endeavors. Colleges, departments, and faculty will be able to create sub-agreements underneath the umbrella of the overall partnership.
Ronald Mason Jr., president of the University of the District of Columbia, the agreement is an incredible opportunity for both universities to expand their global reach.“We look forward to seeing how our partnership impacts not only our respective schools but the world,” he said. “This collaboration is a collective commitment to go beyond common boundaries.”
Michigan Technological University in Houghton enrolls nearly 6,000 undergraduate students and more than 1,200 graduate students, according to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Education. Blacks make up just one percent of the undergraduate student body.
Historically Black Prairie View A&M University has been selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation to lead a historic national-tier University Transportation Center. Joined by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, and Texas A&M University, Prairie View University will lead the National Center for Infrastructure Transformation, which will focus on enhancing the durability and extending the life of the nation’s infrastructure.
The National Center for Infrastructure Transformation will receive $4 million per year for five years and is one of only five awarded national-tier centers. With strong capabilities to address the infrastructure issues of both urban and rural areas across all transportation modes, the work of this innovative center will improve durability and resilience across the country for years to come.
“Prairie View is the first HBCU to lead a national UTC, and we are proud to bring this to Texas, particularly when the national centers have historically been on the East and West coasts,” said John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. “This is what can be accomplished when we combine the research expertise of one of our universities with the resources of the A&M System, and this team will achieve a great result for the state of Texas and the nation.”
“I am delighted that this award has put Prairie View A&M University’s long-held transportation research expertise on the national stage,” said Judy Perkins, a professor of civil and environmental engineering who will serve as the center’s director. “Prairie View A&M University’s leadership, expertise, and spirit of innovation will, as the center’s name suggests, work to transform our nation’s infrastructure over the next five years and beyond.”
Dr. Perkins joined the faculty at Prairie View A&M University in 2004 after teaching at North Carolina A&T State University, the University of New Orleans, and Southern University in Baton Rouge. Professor Perkins is a graduate of Southern University. She holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The Virginia General Assembly has passed legislation that will allow Norfolk State University and Virginia State University – the Commonwealth’s two state-operated HBCUs – to offer in-state tuition rates to any out-of-state student who has completed 30 credit hours of college coursework in data science and technology, science and engineering, health care, or education. If an out-of-state student being charged a reduced tuition rate were to switch to another program not leading to a job in a high-demand field, they would be charged tuition at the full rate for non-Virginia students.
Sponsors of the legislation presented evidence that students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree in these programs are likely to stay in Virginia after completing college. Thus, the new program aims to produce graduates who will fill workforce needs in the state.
The original legislation would have permitted all state-operated universities to offer in-state tuition rates to these students, but that was amended so that only Norfolk State and Virginia State would be permitted to do so.
Mike Cherry, a GOP delegate from Colonial Springs who was a sponsor of the legislation, told the Virginia Mercury that “we wanted the legislation to be very narrowed, because we were trying to help our HBCUs to recruit highly qualified people for the high-demand jobs that are available here in Virginia.”
Since 2018, historically Black Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida, has more than doubled the number of degree programs offered to students. The university recently announced that by the end of this year, it will have introduced six new undergraduate degree offerings and two new graduate degrees.
The new bachelor’s degree programs are in forensic science, computer and information science, social work, accounting, public health, and sports management. The university will also be offering a master of public administration degree and a master’s degree in cybersecurity.
According to Donna H. Oliver, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Edward Waters University, these new academic offerings are not only progressive they are also distinctive and relevant in that they are strategically focused upon aligning student interest with business, industry, and community workforce needs. “Further, it is our goal to grow enrollments at EWU by providing an infrastructure for online programs and an extensive array of degree offerings while vigorously expanding professional development and leadership opportunities for our faculty and staff,” said Dr. Oliver.
“We are working to continuously demonstrate the efficacy of our programs through high student performance and success,” added Dr. Oliver. “The university is engaged in a continuous state of ongoing assessment of our faculty and instructional methods as we look for our new programs to distinguish themselves on a national scale.”
The men’s swimming and diving team at Howard University in Washington, D.C., recently won the Northeast Conference championship meet held in Geneva, Ohio. Howard is the only HBCU that continues to operate a varsity swim team program at the NCAA Division I level.
“It’s the first conference title for our men’s program in 34 years, and it feels amazing,” said Nicholas Askew, coach of Howard’s swimming and diving team. “It just feels phenomenal to know that there’s this group of young men and young women who believed that it was possible, even when we were first getting started and all kinds of things were not going our way.”
According to a joint study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis with the YMCA, a staggering 64 percent of Black children under 18 lack swimming abilities and they drown at three times the rate of White children. According to USA Swimming 1.5 percent of its approximately 295,000 competitive swimmers are Black. Black swimmers account for just 2 percent of swimmers at the collegiate level, according to NCAA data.
Coach Askew rejects the idea that among Black people, the fear of water is somehow genetic or intrinsic. “As a people, we swam well, especially coming from the coast of Africa, where we had to swim for our livelihood,” he notes. “There’s a difference between the myth that Black people don’t swim and the challenges we have. The challenges can be overcome with proper knowledge.”
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.
Clark Atlanta University has announced the relaunching and renaming of the Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy. The entity will now be known as the W.E.B. DuBois Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy.
“Dr. DuBois was an eminent scholar who spent much of his career at Atlanta University conducting cutting-edge research on the social and political conditions of Black people in the South,” said George T. French Jr., president of Clark Atlanta University. “It is only fitting that this policy center bears his name.”
The DuBois Policy Center will focus on three areas: the American South, the Global South, and university initiatives. The center will revive the Status of Black Atlanta and the Georgia Legislative Review, for which it was known for decades. Moreover, it will also commit to expanding its research into the African diaspora.
Joseph L. Jones, an associate professor of political science, has been named executive director of the center.“I am happy to continue in the tradition of Dr. DuBois to conduct serious research that leads to real policy solutions for Black people here and abroad,” said Dr. Jones.
Dr. Jones joined the faculty at Clark Atlanta University in 2021. He is the former president of Arkansas Baptist College. Professor Jones is a graduate of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he majored in political science. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Clark Atlanta University.
The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has placed Jackson State University (JSU) President Thomas Hudson on administrative leave with pay, effective immediately.President Thomas Hudson
In January, Hudson received a “no confidence” vote after a committee determined Hudson and his leadership had exhibited “a continuous pattern of failing to respect shared governance, transparency, accountability, and have worked outside of professional norms that have broad implications for the campus climate, the reputation of Jackson State University, and the university’s commitment both to providing a high-quality education and to carrying out its mission of a commitment to excellence. The faculty senate remains intent to advance the concerns of the faculty and expresses a continued willingness to engage in any forum to yield remedy to the issues shared by its body.”
Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony, chair of the JSU department of journalism and media studies, has been named temporary acting president, effective immediately.
Hayes-Anthony was previously communications professor and chair of the department of communications at Belhaven University; assistant superintendent of public information for the Jackson Public School District; and spokesperson for the Jackson School Board.
The broadcast journalist was also the first African American female news anchor on WJTV Channel 12.
Hayes-Anthony holds a B.S and a master’s degree from JSU, and a Ph.D. in organizational communication broadcast law from Southern Illinois University.
Historically Black Hampton University in Virginia has announced the launch of the Hampton University Repertory Theatre. The university says that the new theatre is the only professional theater company housed at a historically Black college or university. Establishing a professional theatre on an HBCU campus provides a platform for professional theatre practitioners, playwrights, designers, directors, and actors to showcase world premieres and set the stage for theatergoers to enjoy many of their all-time favorites, according to the university.
The theatre has an impressive lineup of offerings that will take center stage beginning in the spring of 2023. Not only will Hampton Roads audiences benefit from the establishment of the Hampton University Repertory, but Hampton students will also have the opportunity to view professional theatre on their own campus. An additional benefit will be students’ opportunity to work alongside professional theatre practitioners as repertory interns.
“One of our goals is to present engaging, thought-provoking, professional theatre for the campus and community,” says Karen Turner Ward, artistic director for the Hampton University Repertory Theatre. Dr. Ward is the Old Dominion Endowed Professor of Fine and Performing Arts at Hampton University and has more than 30 years of experience in writing, directing, acting, and producing in theatre.
Dr. Ward joined the faculty at Hampton University in 1985. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she majored in drama. Professor Ward holds a master of fine arts degree in acting from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Ph.D. in criticism and public address from Regent University in Virginia Beach.
Historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C., is teaming up with Amazon to create pipelines of diverse science talent and differentiated research. Under the agreement, Amazon will fund faculty research projects in the College of Engineering and Architecture at the university with an initial focus on machine learning and natural language processing.
As a component of these awards, faculty are assigned an Amazon Research Liaison who will stay in regular contact with the awardee for the duration of the project. Amazon Research Liaisons are technical subject matter experts who stay informed about the progress of the project and serve as a bridge to Amazon’s scientific community.
The collaboration builds on an existing relationship between Howard and Amazon Studios to “diversify the entertainment industry by creating a pipeline for Black and other underrepresented students” and a 10-week summer practicum program sponsored by Amazon Web Services, which enabled Howard University undergraduate students to pursue both a cloud fundamentals course and an applied internship with AWS.
“We are confident that the scholarly works produced by this important research collaboration will advance technological innovation in strategic domains shared by Howard and Amazon,” said Harry Keeling, associate professor of computer science at Howard University. “Further, we believe that this collaboration will attract additional funding as well as accelerate our graduates’ preparation for careers within Amazon.”
Historically Black Prairie View A&M University is now offering bachelor’s degree programs in public health. It is the first HBCU in Texas to offer such degrees.
The bachelor of science degree curriculum is designed for students interested in pursuing a career as a public health professional and/or a graduate program in public health. The bachelor of arts program is for those interested in seeking admission into professional schools, such as medical school, dental school, or physician assistant programs with an interest in public health.
“Reducing health disparities is one of the major goals of public health,” said Alphonso Keaton, dean of the Office for Undergraduate Studies and an associate professor of biology at the university. “Thus, as an HBCU, it is incumbent upon PVAMU to produce highly trained public health professionals with the core competencies in public health to develop and implement strategies to address the fundamental environment, social and economic causes of health inequities in Texas, the country, and globally.”
Dr. Keaton added that “unfortunately, in the US, we continue to suffer from racial disparities in health care, despite significant advances in modern health care. Some of the statistics are staggering, and even surprising for a developed nation.”
At a time when Blacks face such disparities in health and in society, Dr. Keaton says PVAMU has a calling and a responsibility as a historically Black university “to educate students who derive from underrepresented communities and to help bridge the gaps in these health disparities.”
Dr. Keaton holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Fisk University in Nashville. He earned a Ph.D. in physiology from Meharry Medical College in Nashville.
Miles College, the historically Black educational institution in Fairfield, Alabama, has entered into an agreement with Wallace Community College to create opportunities for community college students to continue their education.
Under the agreement, Wallace Community College students will be considered for admission to Miles College after earning an associate degree and maintaining at least a 2.0 grade point average. Up to a maximum of 64 semester hours could be transferred and credited toward a bachelor’s degree at Miles College.
The new partnership will provide reciprocal privileges for using Miles College’s Library Resource Center, College, and Career Center and admission to athletic events. There are also opportunities for advising from both Wallace Community College and Miles College.
“We have to reimagine education; we have to meet students where they are and allow them opportunities to prepare them for that global society. We should be building our enrollment at every institution in the state because we have to ensure we are preparing our students for this society and equipping them to propel our state forward,” said Bobbie Knight, president of Miles College.
Educational test prep company Kaplan and Talladega College are partnering to provide the school's undergraduate student population with free prep courses for graduate-level admissions exams and professional certifications.
The school joins Xavier University of Louisiana, Howard University, and Delaware State University as Kaplan’s first historically Black college and university (HBCU) partners for its All Access initiative.
“Our community of educators is committed to ensuring that our graduates are equipped for the global community through academic excellence, moral values, community service, and professional development. And we know that a sound investment in Talladega College students like this will help them achieve their career goals and have brighter futures," said Talladega President Dr. Gregory J. Vincent. “Our partnership with Kaplan, supported by our critical and strategic use of Title III funding, will help ensure that we continue the College’s historical legacy of preparing students not only for the world of work but also for advanced graduate studies.”
Some graduate-level admissions exams include the GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, and MCAT®.
Many students see tests as a barrier, whether it is due to the price of preparation or the difficulty of the exams, said Mark Reimonenq, Kaplan’s director of university partner solutions.
“By partnering with Kaplan, Talladega College is increasing its investment in the future and promise of its students in a powerful way, and we’re incredibly excited to partner with them to help them reach their full potential,” Reimonenq said. “Providing these free test prep resources for so many important exams and certifications is a real game changer in Talladega students’ educational and professional journeys.”
Kaplan will announce more partnerships soon, Reimonenq said.
Historically Black Fisk University in Nashville and predominantly White Belmont University in Nashville have announced the establishment of the Belmont-Fisk Social Justice Collaborative, a partnership between the universities designed to promote social justice through exposure to civil rights and social justice movements across Middle Tennessee.
The donor-funded collaborative was created to educate, empower, and inspire students through mutual respect for humanity. Designed as a course that students from both universities will enroll in together, participants will immerse themselves in the state’s civil rights history. Over the course of the semester, enrolled students will visit both campuses, a variety of museums and libraries, and will interview social justice advocates across decades. As part of the experience, students will travel to Black Mountain, North Carolina, for the Ignite Retreat, an immersive experience designed to teach students how to create change in their communities.
“Our commitment to reweaving the social fabric through hope and inclusive excellence begins with a thorough and thoughtful examination of the past, reflecting on areas where imbalance and inequality have persisted,” said Susan West, executive vice president for administration, chief of staff, and chair of Belmont’s Diversity Council. “Only with this acknowledgment can we move forward, remaining accountable as we learn along the way.”
Belmont University enrolls about 7,000 undergraduate students and 1,600 graduate students, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 5 percent of the undergraduate student body.
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