Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Terrence Gee and family donate $1M to university to establish Center for African and African American Studies at Rice University

Rice University trustee Terrence Gee and family have donated $1 million to the university to help establish the Dr. Anthony B. Pinn Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Center for African and African American Studies.

Rice University trustee Terrence Gee and family have donated $1 million to the university to help establish the Dr. Anthony B. Pinn Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Center for African and African American Studies.

Gee ’86, a member of the humanities advisory board and the Rice Board of Trustees, and his wife, Terri, are long-standing champions of the humanities at Rice. The Dr. Anthony B. Pinn Postdoctoral Fellowship is intended to recruit the best and brightest scholars from the humanities and social sciences whose research is pivotal to African and African American Studies.

“We recognize the vital significance of African and African American studies in today's world,” Gee said. “Our donation reflects our firm conviction that one should actively back the causes close to their heart, and this field is undeniably one of them.”

“Rice is deeply grateful for Terrence and Terri Gee’s support of the Center for African and African American Studies, and of Rice in general,” President Reginald DesRoches said. “Because of their generosity, we will be able to elevate the center onto an international stage and enhance Rice’s overall reach and impact.”

Gee said his hope is that this hybrid endowment will attract rising academic stars who will launch the center into prominence and pave the way for more support.

“We wanted to invest in rigorous scholarship and dedicated, emerging scholars,” he said. “There is no better place to make that investment than Rice University, and we encourage others to do the same.”

In addition to supporting this vision, Gee said he is pleased to honor the work of Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities, professor of religion and founding director of CAAAS, by naming the endowment after him.

“The Center for African and African American Studies is positioned to make major curricular and research contributions that give Rice wide-ranging recognition, and the gift from Terrence and Terri Gee will go a long way in helping the center become a prime location for innovative work,” Pinn said. “I am particularly honored and grateful to have this fellowship in my name. I’m humbled by their thoughtfulness.”

A native of Houston, Gee has been a member of Rice’s Humanities Advisory Board since 2013 and a Rice trustee since 2017. He also has been a staunch supporter of interdisciplinary scholarship at the university throughout the years, helping start various initiatives like the Civic Humanist and BrainSTEM programs.

Gee spent more than 20 years at Accenture, the global management and technology consulting firm. He is currently the chief information officer at privately held Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, the fourth-largest Black-owned business in the United States.

[SOURCE: RICE.EDU]

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke promoted to Provost at Rutgers University

Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke, a veteran faculty member and administrator, has been promoted as Rutgers–New Brunswick’s provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Chancellor Francine Conway appointed Tomlinson-Clarke to the new role, following Tomlinson-Clarke’s service for two years as senior vice provost for academic and faculty affairs.

“With my direct knowledge of her professionalism, character and commitment to the success of our faculty and students, I have no doubt that Provost Tomlinson-Clarke will help lead Rutgers–New Brunswick to ever greater levels of success,” Conway said.

As provost, Tomlinson-Clarke will continue to support the chancellor in providing support to all academic areas related to research, growth in academic program development aligned with the Academic Master Plan and faculty. This appointment sharpens Rutgers–New Brunswick’s focus on supporting academic excellence across its academic units, residential colleges and institutes.

Tomlinson-Clarke also will oversee initiatives that help faculty members advance in their careers through recruitment, mentoring and leadership development.

“It takes thriving, fulfilled and successful faculty members to produce thriving, fulfilled and successful students – and student success is, of course, our highest goal,” Tomlinson-Clarke said. “I am grateful for this opportunity and proud to continue supporting our academic mission.”

Tomlinson-Clarke, a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the Graduate School of Education, has served on the Rutgers–New Brunswick faculty for more than three decades. She also is a licensed psychologist and fellow of the American Psychological Association whose research focuses on the development of culturally responsive interventions to enhance learning.

Conway, who led Rutgers–New Brunswick under the hybrid title of “chancellor-provost” for two years, was appointed as chancellor by Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway earlier this summer.

Thursday, June 29, 2023

NAACP Condemns SCOTUS Ruling on Affirmative Action

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued extreme decisions reversing decades of precedent on affirmative action. The court's rulings in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina jeopardize hard-fought progress for Black Americans in classrooms and beyond.

NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson released the following statement reaffirming the Association's commitment to tools that support equal access to higher education for Black students:

"Today the Supreme Court has bowed to the personally held beliefs of an extremist minority. We will not allow hate-inspired people in power to turn back the clock and undermine our hard-won victories. The tricks of America's dark past will not be tolerated. Let me be clear - affirmative action exists because we cannot rely on colleges, universities, and employers to enact admissions and hiring practices that embrace diversity, equity and inclusion. Race plays an undeniable role in shaping the identities of and quality of life for Black Americans. In a society still scarred by the wounds of racial disparities, the Supreme Court has displayed a willful ignorance of our reality. The NAACP will not be deterred nor silenced in our fight to hold leaders and institutions accountable for their role in embracing diversity no matter what."

Saturday, June 03, 2023

Xavier Jones, the teen who walked 6.5 miles to 8th grade graduation awarded full scholarship to college

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill-Xavier Jones, a teenager walked six miles in order to make it to his 8th graduation. His journey from two ends of the city has led him to secure a full ride for his future at Harris Stowe State University.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

HBCU Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health Partner to Create College of Medicine

 Xavier University of Louisiana (Xavier) and Ochsner Health (Ochsner) today announced an agreement to establish a joint College of Medicine. The two institutions will create a strong physician pipeline that addresses longstanding inequities within the nation’s health care system and builds the health care workforce of the future. By anchoring their partnership with a College of Medicine, Xavier and Ochsner affirm their legacy of advancing health care excellence and education for the next generation, bringing new opportunities to marginalized populations in Louisiana and the United States.  

To launch the College of Medicine, Ochsner and Xavier will form a nonprofit corporation, create a new curriculum and use facilities, personnel, and administrative processes of both institutions. The new College of Medicine will be governed by a board of directors nominated by Ochsner and Xavier, with each institution appointing an equal number of directors. 

 

This initiative builds on a long-standing partnership between Ochsner and Xavier that dates to the early 1980s, when Ochsner and Xavier’s College of Pharmacy came together to offer more clinical training sites for pharmacy students. Xavier’s College of Pharmacy is the oldest in Louisiana and has for years been among the top in the nation in producing African American graduates with Doctor of Pharmacy degrees.  

“Our work with Ochsner and other partners who hold close to their hearts a vision of healing a broken world is a testament to Xavier’s mission to promote a more just and humane society,” said Dr. Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University of Louisiana. “Xavier was bestowed that mission by our founders St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament almost a century ago. Our dedication to preparing more Black health care professionals in our fight against health inequity is our answer to the call of our nation’s critical need and makes their legacy proud.”  

 

XULA and Ochsner: A Legacy of Collaboration  

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world and disproportionately affected people of color, highlighting health disparities faced by historically marginalized communities. Ochsner Health and Xavier again forged partnerships to improve health equity through new graduate programs in health sciences and the establishment of the Ochsner Health and Xavier University Institute for Health Equity and Research (OXIHER)A few years before, Xavier and Ochsner also worked to improve diversity within the health sciences through a memorandum of understanding to establish a new Physician Assistant (PA) Program. In May 2022, Ochsner and Xavier celebrated the first graduating class of 37 students in the full-time graduate PA Program, which leads to a master’s degree in health sciences and trains the next generation of providers to make a meaningful impact on health care. 

“Ochsner has a long and rich history of excellence in medical education, and we are honored to continue our work with Xavier to improve the health of our state and region,” said Pete November, CEO of Ochsner Health. “The Xavier medical students will get outstanding clinical training in our integrated health care system, and this significant expansion of our partnership with Xavier demonstrates our commitment to training the next generation of health care providers to solve the critical shortage of physicians in the United States and meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve.” 

In 2022, Xavier became an integral advisory board partner for Healthy State by 2030, an ambitious plan to lift Louisiana off the bottom of national health rankings. Collectively, partners across multiple sectors and industries from across the state are committed to comprehensive public health initiatives, education, and outreach. 

“Investing in education, training and workforce development is critical to building a healthier state and stronger communities. Our partnership with Xavier furthers our Healthy State mission of enhancing diversity among health care providers, which has been linked to better care for diverse communities of our region and throughout the nation,” said Dr. Leonardo Seoane, MD, FACP, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for Ochsner Health. “We must work together to solve the challenges faced in our health care workforce and ensure communities across the country have access to the highest quality of care.” 

Closing the National and Local Workforce Gap 

For decades, Xavier University of Louisiana has produced more African American students and students of color who achieve medical degrees and doctorates in the health sciences than any other higher education institution in the nation. Ochsner, the largest academic health care system in Louisiana, has a long history of training medical students, residents, and fellows. Ochsner is invested in excellent health care, workforce development and education of communities throughout the Gulf South. The institutions are uniquely positioned to co-lead efforts in closing the health care workforce gap. 

“With their historic agreement to establish a College of Medicine at one of the nation’s top HBCUs, Xavier and Ochsner have heeded the call to shape the health of the state, the country, and the world for generations to come,” said Dr. Anne McCall, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost of Xavier University of Louisiana. 

Research shows an urgent need for an HBCU College of Medicine now, as demand for doctors is expected to grow. Louisiana is projected to rank third nationally for a shortage of physicians by 2030, according to a Human Resources for Health analysis. Representation of African Americans within medicine lags, as they comprise 5% of the nation’s physicians -- although Black and African American populations account for 13% of U.S. residents. A new College of Medicine with Xavier, a high-ranking HBCU, and Ochsner, a high-performing academic health system with experience in training medical students, will result in representation among medical practitioners with excellent health care training, which is critical to bettering health outcomes by increasing quality of care, access, and patient trust in their health care providers. 

To learn more, please visit www.xula.edu and www.ochsner.org 

Saturday, December 24, 2022

John B. King Jr. Appointed the Fifteenth Chancellor of the State University of New York

John B. King Jr. has been appointed the fifteenth chancellor of the State University of New York, the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States.

More than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY operates four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs.

“I am humbled and honored to accept the position of chancellor,” Dr. King said. “Public education quite literally saved my life when I lost both of my parents at a young age, and I have dedicated my professional career ever since to ensuring that every student has access to the academic opportunities that they need and deserve. I look forward to working with all members of our campus communities, lawmakers, and stakeholders to bring SUNY to new heights and maximize its potential.”

Since 2017, Dr. King has been the president of The Education Trust, a nonprofit organization that promotes high academic achievement for all students in early childhood, K-12 education, and higher education. In the fall of 2015, President Obama tapped Dr. King to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Chancellor King served as state education commissioner in New York – a post to which he was appointed in 2011 – overseeing all elementary and secondary schools, as well as public, independent, and proprietary colleges and universities, professional licensure, libraries, museums, and numerous other educational institutions.

Dr. King is a graduate of Harvard University, where he majored in government. He earned a master’s degree in social studies education and a doctorate in educational administrative practice from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Dr. Also holds a juris doctorate from Yale Law School.

African American Graduate Finishes College Education 50 Years After Starting

A University of Arkansas Little Rock history student is celebrating the completion of his lifelong dream of finishing his college education, a dream that is 50 years in the making.

By all measures, Ellis “Gene” Thompson of Little Rock has led a very successful life. He has a loving family and had a very successful career in media sales spanning more than four decades.

“After leaving KATV as the local sales manager here, I finished that career and was faced with what I want to do,” Thompson said. “Something that had always been nagging me was to get my degree. Life had taken that opportunity away from me earlier when I was in Washington, D.C.”

A native of Joliet, Illinois, Thompson joined the U.S. Navy and worked in an experimental surgery unit and then enrolled at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1973.

“There I really started to mature and find my sea legs, as you will,” he said. “The doctors were very supportive of me going to college. That is why I went to Georgetown, but I was married and had a child and work. I couldn’t sustain a decent lifestyle and go to Georgetown, which was very demanding.”

In 1975, Thompson left Georgetown with an associate degree and a strong desire to one day finish his college education. His career took him from Washington, D.C., to Chicago, to Dayton, Ohio, to Orlando and New York City. His final stop brought him to Little Rock in 2010 to work at KATV.

“I had a great run in TV, but I’m done,” Thompson said. “I had a deep love of history, and I got that while I was at Georgetown. One of my instructors was the department head, and I fell in love with history after taking her class. I decided to come to UA Little Rock as a history major.”

Thompson joined UA Little Rock in 2017 and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in history in 2019. He graduated this semester with a master’s degree in public history, which brings his journey to complete his college education to an end 50 years after he started.

“It’s something that I feel I should have done a long time ago,” he said. “It’s basically been unfinished business as far as my life is concerned. So, getting this degree is a culmination of a lifelong search for my own comfort with myself. It’s a culmination of something that I felt I should have done a long time ago and should have been determined earlier in my life. However, it feels just as good now. This is who I should have been all my life, a person with a master’s degree.”

One of his favorite experiences in graduate school was participating in a class taught by Dr. John Kirk, George W. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History, which examined the criminal cases of Robert Bell and Grady Swain, two African American teenagers who were convicted of the first-degree murder of Julius McCollum and sentenced to death. Bell and Swain confessed to the crime, but later said their confessions were forced. The class wrote a paper about the case that received the Lucille Westbrook Award from the Arkansas Historical Association for the best article manuscript on an aspect of local history.

“That class really grabbed me, and I learned so much about going through archives and dusty, old records,” he said.

Thompson wrote his thesis, “The Fight for Freedmen’s Minds in Arkansas,” about the development of educational programs for African Americans in the state in the 1860s and 1870s.

“Arkansas was one of the last states to develop a public primary and secondary school system for African American students,” Thompson wrote. “While education was for the most part privatized, an important philosophy for educating African Americans was developed early by the Free African Society and the AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church that influenced Arkansas public and private Freedman education.”

In the 1860s and 70s, there were millions of newly freed formerly enslaved people who needed an education with competing methods of how that should work. Samuel Armstrong, founder of the Hampton Institute, created an educational model called the Hampton-Tuskegee Model, which emphasized character building through manual labor and learning occupational skills. The AME church strongly contested the Hampton-Tuskegee Model.

“The AME church put forth the philosophy that they wanted Freedman taught in the classical manner, emphasizing subjects like English, literature, and algebra,” Thompson said. “They wanted to train a middle-class population with doctors, teachers, and lawyers. The Hampton model emphasized teaching people manual labor skills – how to be a blacksmith, how to sew. They taught young girls how to work in houses as maids. It was being put out there that this was necessary because industrialists needed a large workforce.”

Thompson dedicated his thesis to his mother, who was the daughter of an AME preacher and an inspiration for him to complete college.

“I also did this for my mom who always believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” Thompson said. “She used to sit in the kitchen with me to do my homework when I was a child. She instilled in me that desire to get it done, and that was one of the real drivers in writing my thesis.”

With graduation approaching, Thompson is thankful to history professors James Ross, Barclay Key, Jess Porter, Edward Anson, Carl Moneyhon, and Marta Cieslak for inspiring him to succeed.

“My experience here has been absolutely magnificent,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about the history department and the professors. These people are first rate, and I know because I came from one of those fancy east schools. I had a very successful career, but this is something different that I needed to do and I’m so glad I did it. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would end up living in Arkansas and getting a master’s degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. I believe it’s a top-rate education.”


Sunday, December 11, 2022

Missy Elliott offers encouragement and advice at Norfolk State University graduation

Missy Elliot gave the keynote speech at Norfolk State University's graduation ceremony Saturday. Elliot also offered offers encouragement and advice to the graduates.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Charles F. Robinson becomes University of Arkansas’ first Black chancellor

The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas today approved the selection of Charles F. Robinson, Ph.D., as the next chancellor of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Robinson will be the first Black chancellor of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Following its regular executive session, the Board voted unanimously to appoint Robinson, who has served as interim chancellor since Aug. 16, 2021, to a three-year employment term as chancellor.

“Dr. Robinson has proven to be a very good steward of the university and its Land-grant mission during his time as interim Chancellor,” Bobbitt said. “He now has the opportunity to cast a broader vision for advancing the university as a leading public research university in the region and raising its status on the national stage. He has a unique ability to inspire others and to relate to the many different constituencies across the university, and I look forward to working with him to help make his tenure as Chancellor a success.”

Robinson said he was eager to get to work.

"I'm looking forward to serving our campus in its entirety and greatly appreciate the support and confidence shown in me to lead the university and advance our land-grant mission," Robinson said.

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Optiv’s Annual $40,000 Scholarship for Black, African American Identifying STEM Students Now Open for Applicants

As part of its continued commitment to diversity within the cyber and information security fields, Optiv, the cyber advisory and solutions leader, is accepting applications until January 27, 2023 for its annual $40,000 scholarship for Black, African American identifying STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students.

Awarded by Optiv’s Black Employee Network, the scholarship is paid out over four years. Previous recipients include AJ McCrory, a freshman studying computer science with an emphasis on software development at James Madison University, and Lauren Harris, a sophomore studying biology and computer science at Princeton University.

Applicants must meet the following qualifications to apply:

Be a graduating high school senior.

Verify acceptance into an eligible degree program in a STEM related field (including but not limited to computer science, electrical engineering, math, etc.).

Minimum cumulative high school GPA is 3.5 on 4.0 scale.

Must maintain a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.8 on 4.0 scale over the course of four years to remain eligible for the scholarship.

Be planning a career in cybersecurity/information security.

Complete the scholarship application, including a one-page essay and two letters of reference.

Identify as Black and/or African American (African, African American, Caribbean, for example) and be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. national or permanent resident.

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and learn more about the scholarship program here.

“It’s our belief that our organization is at its best and our clients are better-served when a diverse range of voices has the opportunity to be heard, lead and make an impact,” said Heather Strbiak, Optiv’s chief human resources officer. “We want boardrooms and breakrooms across our industry to more closely represent the population at-large. By dedicating effort and resources to spur that outcome, we’re aiming to close the talent and diversity gap in cybersecurity.”

Optiv’s Black Employee Network (BEN) is entirely employee-driven and part of the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative.

“The most creative, thought-provoking and successful projects I’ve worked on have been the result of inclusive environments where everyone’s unique ideas were valued and represented,” said Tesfaye Williams, Optiv’s BEN community outreach leader. “This scholarship is our way of ensuring the cybersecurity industry continues to progress and be an attractive career path for people of color seeking to make a difference.”

Optiv honors and embraces the diverse perspectives, ideas, backgrounds and experiences of its people. The company’s approach to DEI is grounded in listening, learning and growing.

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

NBA star Charles Barkley announces $1 million donation to Spelman College

NBA legend Charles Barkley is known for his generous donations and a metro Atlanta university is his latest recipient.

Spelman College will receive $1 million donation from Barkley.

Officials told Channel 2 Action News that they have not received the donation yet but say they look forward to coordinating with Barkley.

“Charles Barkley’s $1 million gift to Spelman College comes at a significant time as we continue to close education and wealth inequality for Black families and maintain affordable education opportunities for women of African descent,” Spelman president Dr. Helene Gayle said.

“As one of the country’s leading engines of social mobility and the nation’s leading HBCU, this generous gift will help build upon Spelman’s legacy of developing the next generation of leaders.”

Barkley says he chose Spelman because his friend and business partner’s daughter attends the historically Black college.

“John has been a great mentor, a great friend, and a great business partner,” Barkley told AL.com. “I was ready to do another HBCU and with his daughter doing great things at Spelman, so I told him, ‘Why not there?’”

Barkley previously donated $1 million to Morehouse College in 2017.

[SOURCE: WSBTV]

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Kenneth Elmore Appointed President of Dean College

The board of trustees of Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts, has announced that Kenneth Elmore has been selected to serve as the college’s fourteenth president.

Founded in 1865, Dean College is currently home to 1,200 full-time students and 400 part-time students enrolled in over 30 full-time, part-time, bachelor’s and associate degree programs. African Americans make up 12 percent of the study body.

Elmore has been serving as an associate provost and the dean of students at Boston University, where he has been a member of the leadership team for nearly two decades. Elmore worked as a practicing attorney and in the college’s student orientation and residence offices prior to joining its leadership team in 2003.

President Elmore earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He holds a master’s degree in educational policy, planning, and administration from Boston University and a juris doctorate from New England Law School in Boston.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

Thirteen Years After Entering NBA, Steph Curry Graduates with Davidson College Class of 2022

Steph Curry, the Davidson Wildcat legend and NBA superstar graduated as a member of the class of 2022 today. Preparations for the Western Conference Finals prevented him from attending the ceremony but his achievement electrified the College’s 185th Commencement.

Throughout his NBA career, the two-time MVP and three-time NBA champion has repeatedly emphasized the importance of education, how much he valued his Davidson College experience and that he is committed to earning his degree.

Curry needed to finish just one semester to graduate. With the help of a handful of professors—two from Davidson, one from Stanford and a UC Santa Cruz professor who had taught Curry while they were both at Davidson—Curry finished the coursework and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in Sociology.

Now that he’s graduated, Davidson College looks forward to an opportunity on campus in the future when it will present his diploma.

The Golden State Warriors acknowledged Curry's achievement.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Ohio Teacher, Kurt Russell named 2022 National Teacher of the Year

The Council of Chief State School Officers announced Tuesday that Kurt Russell is the organization’s National Teacher of the Year for 2022.

A 25-year veteran of the classroom, Russell was first inspired to become a teacher in middle school, when he encountered his first Black male teacher. Now as 2022 National Teacher of the Year, he plans to advocate for classrooms to better reflect the students within them — from a curriculum that reflects their backgrounds and identities to a more diverse teaching profession. 

Kurt teaches history at Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio, where he was born and raised; his classes include African American history, which he has taught since the late 1990s, and Race, Gender and Oppression, a class he developed. He also serves as faculty advisor for the student-led Black Student Union, whose work has led to positive impacts for students across racial groups.

In addition to his classroom and extracurricular duties, Kurt is the head coach for the school’s varsity basketball team. He sees basketball as an extension of the classroom, and a place where young people can learn about working together and how to handle both adversity and success.  

Kurt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in history and a minor in Black studies from the College of Wooster and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from Ashland University. He continues to take courses in child development at Oakland City University.

He was previously recognized as teacher of the year by the Oberlin Heritage Center and the Oberlin chapter of the NAACP, and as Lorain County Basketball Association Coach of the Year and the Northeast Ohio Coach of the Year. 

 Kurt lives with his wife, Donna, in Oberlin. They are the parents of two adult sons, Kurt Junior (KJ) and Korey. Kurt enjoys reading non-fiction and traveling.
  

Saturday, April 16, 2022

USM Board of Regents Appoints Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby as Next President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents has appointed Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby as the next president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Ashby, currently Dean of Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, will begin her tenure as UMBC president on Aug. 1.

Ashby has been dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences since 2015, and was reappointed for a second, five-year term in 2019. She received her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and completed her postdoctoral research at the Universitat Mainz, Germany.

Ashby came to Duke from UNC, where she chaired the chemistry department from 2012-15 and was a faculty member since 2003. She has served on UNC’s Arts & Sciences Foundation Board of Directors and Research Advisory Council, and chaired the College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Diversity Task Force. Dean Ashby also directed the UNC National Science Foundation Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented students completing doctoral degrees and continuing into the professoriate in science, technology, engineering and math and social, behavioral and economics fields.

Ashby will succeed Freeman Hrabowski, who has led UMBC to national and international acclaim since his appointment as president 30 years ago in 1992.

“Dr. Ashby is clearly the impressive scholar and dynamic leader we need to build on the strong foundation of inclusive excellence at UMBC,” said Board Chair Linda R. Gooden. “UMBC is a jewel—nationally and internationally recognized for its innovative teaching and pathbreaking research.  All of this success is due to the dedication and hard work of President Hrabowski and his outstanding team.  The Board of Regents knows this legacy will be in good hands with Dr. Ashby.  I am grateful to the UMBC presidential search committee, chaired by Regent Michelle Gourdine, for finding such a distinguished leader among so many great candidates.”

“It is an incredible honor to be asked to lead a university that has excelled in so many ways that are essential both nationally and to me personally – particularly in regards to foregrounding inclusive excellence,” Ashby said. “I have tremendous respect for all the members of the UMBC community and am looking forward to working in partnership with the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who are the heart of this institution.”

“I’m excited to see how Dr. Ashby’s vision will shape the next chapter for UMBC,” said USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. “Without question, she has the experience and the attributes needed to grow UMBC’s academic and research prominence, and she’s steeped in the culture of inclusive excellence that has made the university a national exemplar of access, equity, and achievement. It’s hard to imagine finding a better fit for a school whose future is as bright as UMBC’s.”

As dean at Trinity College, Ashby elevated the national and international prominence of the humanities and social science departments across the college by investing in faculty- and student-driven strategic areas. She completed the Duke Forward campaign, exceeding the $435 million Trinity goal by $45 million, including $200 million raised for financial aid post-campaign.

As a researcher, Ashby has focused on synthetic polymer chemistry with an emphasis on designing and synthesizing materials for biomedical applications such as X-ray contrast agents and drug delivery materials. She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Career Development Award, the DuPont Young Faculty and 3M Young Faculty Awards, as well as numerous teaching awards.

UMBC is a dynamic public research university integrating teaching, research, and service to benefit the citizens of Maryland. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education recently placed UMBC into the category of doctoral universities with very high research activity, popularly known as Research 1 (or R1). UMBC is now ranked as one of only 146 R1 institutions nationally, including 107 public and 39 private universities. As an Honors University, the campus offers academically talented students a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation that prepares them for graduate and professional study, entry into the workforce, and community service and leadership. At the graduate level, UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services, and public policy. More about UMBC’s mission and vision is here.

Chancellor Perman appointed the search committee in October 2021, informed by outreach to the campus community after President Hrabowski’s late August announcement that he would begin retirement at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. The committee reflected the board’s commitment to finding a successor who will continue UMBC’s impressive strength in education and research, its commitment to access and affordability, its embrace of community service, and its leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

President Hrabowski is nationally celebrated for his results-driven commitment to inclusive excellence, collaborative approach to leadership, and mentorship that pairs high expectations with strong support. Through his time at UMBC, these qualities have become core to the university’s unique culture and community. They have also inspired national and global recognition. 

In a combined statement shortly before the start of the current academic year, Chair Gooden and Chancellor Perman noted President Hrabowski’s influence and remarkable legacy at UMBC. “In fact, it’s UMBC’s commitment to the achievement of every student, and its work in cultivating a diverse corps of scholars and leaders, that has marked the university as one of the most respected (and emulated) pioneers in American higher education,” they wrote.

“To follow President Freeman Hrabowski is a distinct privilege,” Ashby said, “as he has been a role model for so many in higher education over the last 30 years, including myself. His extraordinary leadership and dedication to UMBC ensures that I am arriving at a university that is already performing at a very high level. There is no ceiling on what we can achieve from here.”

To learn more about UMBC, visit www.umbc.edu.

The USM comprises 12 institutions: Bowie State University; Coppin State University; Frostburg State University; Salisbury University; Towson University; the University of Baltimore; the University of Maryland, Baltimore; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; the University of Maryland, College Park; the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and the University of Maryland Global Campus. The USM also includes three regional centers—the Universities at Shady Grove, the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, and the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland—at which USM universities offer upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses.

Systemwide, student enrollment is roughly 165,000. The USM and its institutions compete successfully for nearly $1.5 billion in external grants and contracts annually. USM institutions and programs are among the nation's best in quality and value according to several national rankings. To learn more about the University System of Maryland, visit www.usmd.edu.

Friday, April 15, 2022

Hampton University to Erase Outstanding Student Balances for the Spring 2022 Semester

Recognizing that many Hampton University students and their families have continued to experience financial hardships and have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. William R. Harvey, Hampton University President, has announced there will be no increase in tuition, fees, room and board for the 2022-2023 academic year. In addition, all outstanding student account balances for the Spring 2022 semester will be erased.

“In keeping with the University’s efforts to help our students, there will be no increase in tuition, fees, room and board for the 2022-2023 academic year,” said Dr Harvey. “In addition, on behalf of the University, I am pleased to announce that all outstanding balances for the Spring 2022 semester will be erased. We hope that this action will continue to assist our students and their families at our Home by the Sea.”

This is the latest example of Hampton University assisting its student body financially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified students received distributions under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund and those who had an outstanding balance at the completion of the Spring 2021 semester had their balances paid off. The University also issued a $200.00 book scholarship to all enrolled students for the Spring 2022 semester. In April of 2020, Dr. and Mrs. Harvey made a $100,000 matching donation of their own money to a $100,000 gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to provide each on-campus student $100 to assist with travel costs to retrieve their belongings from campus or to return to school in the fall. In May, Hampton University provided each graduate in the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021, who had a federal student loan, the sum of $500 toward repayment of that loan. These payments were sent directly to the U.S. Department of Education loan servicer that was the holder of the student loan. Those students who did not have student loans were reimbursed their graduation fee of $150.

Monday, February 28, 2022

DR. LATONIA COLLINS SMITH APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF HARRIS-STOWE STATE UNIVERSITY

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) announces that Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith is the 21st President of the University. Dr. Collins Smith is the first African American woman President of HSSU, following the legacy of Ruth Harris, the first African American woman President of Stowe Teachers College in 1940.

Chair of the Board of Regents, Michael McMillan commented that “Dr. Collins Smith exemplifies Harris-Stowe’s core values of Personal Growth, Respect, Innovation, Diversity, and Excellence. She has demonstrated her extraordinary ability to connect with all of our stakeholders and to catapult Harris-Stowe forward in these critical times.”

Dr. Collins Smith, appointed as Interim President June 1, 2021, will assume the Presidency March 1, 2022. Dr. Collins Smith has more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience with an extensive background in administration and program development. She began her career in higher education at HSSU in 2010. She served as the co-principal investigator of a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to strengthen STEM in the state of Missouri and serves as chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration Commission of Missouri.

During Collins Smith’s time as Interim President, HSSU made significant strides. The University raised more than $3.5M in scholarships, donations, including those designated to endowments, as well as grants. HSSU kicked-off renovations for the former Vashon Community Center Building, which will become home to the Don and Heide Wolff Jazz Institute and National Black Radio Hall of Fame. The University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is in its early development phase. In 2020-2021, HSSU graduated its largest class in the University’s history (201 students) and increased its 6 year graduation rate by 6.3%.

Collins Smith has received numerous awards, most recently receiving the Frankie Muse Freeman/Norman R. Seay Commitment to St. Louis Award with Michael McMillan at the St. Louis City NAACP 110th Anniversary Celebration and Freedom Fund Dinner. Other awards include the Equal Education Opportunity Group Pioneer Award, the NAACP Ben Hooks Community Leader award and the AKA, Inc. Central Region’s Outstanding Educational Advancement Captain award. She is a 2019 Millennium Leadership Initiative Protégé and a St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Fellow and a Higher Education Leadership Foundation Fellow.

A native of the Historic Ville Neighborhood in St. Louis, Dr. Collins Smith is a proud graduate of St. Louis Public Schools. She earned an educational Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University. She holds a Master of Social Work degree and a Master of Public Health degree from Saint Louis University. She is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri, where she majored in social work.

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Robert F. Smith Launching $1.8M Grant Program To Help HBCU Students


Robert F. Smith's organization, the Student Freedom Initiative recently announced via a press release their partnership with Prudential Financial who is providing $1.8 million in microgrants to HBCU students.

Read that press release below:

As resources are directed towards Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across America, there remains an ongoing crisis among HBCU students of failing to matriculate due to unforeseen, emergency expenses. According to a recent study by the Federal Reserve, 40% of Americans – predominantly Black and minority Americans – would have difficulty covering an emergency $400 expense, relying on borrowing the money from friends or family or incurring further credit card debt.

To provide this urgently needed aid, Student Freedom Initiative today announced catalytic support from Prudential Financial, with Prudential providing $1.8 million in microgrants to HBCU students in an effort to accelerate economic mobility and close the financial divide. Prudential will also provide paid internships and pro bono services to enable improved financial literacy for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) families and students.

This grant from Prudential will support the launch of the Handling Everyday Life Problems for Students (HELPS) Program, a crucial service to address unexpected, one-time expenses disproportionately faced by Black students, furthering Student Freedom Initiative and Prudential’s shared commitment to close the racial wealth gap. Launching as a three-year pilot program with nine HBCUs, the HELPS Program supplements HBCU-provided resources and will be launched with the Spring 2022 academic year at participating institutions. Students who qualify will receive supplemental funds to address emergent financial issues that present a risk to the student’s ability to matriculate, including issues that may cause immediate risk to a student’s health, life, property, or environment, requiring immediate attention.

In recent conversations with HBCU presidents, many detailed the challenges their students face, particularly in this hybrid environment. One president recalled how one of their students was unable to fully participate on camera for class – a requirement – due to a damaged computer, adversely impacting the student’s grades.

Another president described always keeping petty cash in their office, at one time providing a student $300 to cover an unexpected expense. The student later told the president had it not been for that $300, it is likely they would not have graduated at all.

With the implementation of the HELPS program, students like these can now access critical microgrants to support their persistence to graduation.

Committed to a fully inclusive workforce within its own ranks, Prudential will also provide paid internships via the internX.org platform, which pairs highly qualified, rising sophomores through seniors across all majors with companies seeking diverse talent. There are over 220 companies, over 14,000 students, and 1,300+ Course Learning Management Systems on the internX.org platform. In addition, Prudential will collaborate with Student Freedom Initiative and the participating institutions to prepare and conduct age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, financial literacy education and training for students, in a format that is culturally sensitive and recognizes the current hybrid model employed by these institutions.

“Student Freedom Initiative applauds the leadership of Prudential Financial and their support for our shared mission of eliminating barriers of access for underserved communities,” said Robert F. Smith, Chairman of Student Freedom Initiative. “By enabling the launch of the HELPS Program, a vital component of our work to address the holistic needs of HBCU students and families, Prudential’s gift will provide long-needed and often overlooked aid and support persistence of those most vulnerable in our community.”

“At Prudential, we’ve spent decades working to close the financial divide, in part through partnerships that address systemic barriers to economic, social, and racial equity,” said Sarah Keh, vice president, Inclusive Solutions, at Prudential Financial. “As part of our multiprong strategy to support HBCUs, our partnership with Student Freedom Initiative will help us scale solutions so that more Black students will remain in college and ultimately graduate, putting them on a path to financial security.”

“Over 75% of students at HBCUs are considered low-income, relying on Pell Grants to meet their college expenses. However, for many of these students, these grants are not enough,” added Mark A. Brown, Executive Director of Student Freedom Initiative. “During recent onsite visits at multiple HBCUs, we learned from executive leadership and student focus groups that many of our students are unable to overcome financial challenges for expenses that are not directly related to the cost of college. These expenses, left unaddressed, can derail their college plans. In addition, most of these students lack the necessary financial literacy to make informed decisions, though they are asked to signed complex promissory notes that could indebt them well into their adult lives. Further, while some may have support from parents through costly Parent PLUS loans, many of these students have reported feeling personally responsible for any negative affects these loans had on their families. With additional financial support from sponsors, we can ensure that more HBCUs and eligible students will not be forced to choose between their education or their financial wellbeing if met with a hardship during the course of their studies.”

Students may begin taking advantage of Student Freedom Initiative’s HELPS Program starting in the Spring semester 2022. Visit HELPS Program to learn more.

About Student Freedom Initiative

A single purpose nonprofit organization, Student Freedom Initiative provides a catalyst for freedom in professional and life choices for students attending Minority Serving Institutions (“MSIs”) by increasing their social and economic mobility using a student centric, evidence based, holistic, and collaborative approach. Initially focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Student Freedom Initiative enables mobility through four transformational components: (1) Income Contingent Alternative to Parent Plus and Private Loans, (2) Internships, (3) Tutoring/Mentorships/Other Services, and (4) Targeted HBCU Capacity Building. Student Freedom Initiative collaborates with community-based organizations, businesses, and governmental entities through public-private partnerships to make sustainable, systemic changes to support the entire HBCU ecosystem.

To date, Student Freedom Initiative has received generous contributions from our anchor donors Robert F. Smith, Fund II Foundation, and Cisco Systems, and many others who have provided financial and/or in-kind services. The program has also been acknowledged and supported by the Business Roundtable's Racial Equity & Justice Subcommittee on Education.

To learn more, visit www.StudentFreedomInitiative.org or find us on Twitter @StudentFreedom.