Black Issues in Higher Education articles from August 2000

Black Issues in Higher Education archives from August 2000

Double Standard Reform.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... Reports abound across the country of ex-welfare mothers who can't make ends meet. Booted out of a system they depended on for so long, many lack the skills necessary to secure gainful employment despite taking training programs the federal...

Panel Pushes Support for Women, Minorities in Technology.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... WASHINGTON -- The federal government must "significantly expand" initiatives to recruit minorities and women for science and technology careers through larger Pell grants, increased support for Black colleges and other services, a bipartisan...

Quote of Note.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... "The problem has been studied enough. Now we need action." -- Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, on recommendations to increase funding for financial aid and Black colleges to help recruit more science professionals.

HBCU Wins Commerce Funds.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration's new initiative to improve communities in the Mississippi Delta region continues to provide benefits for colleges in that area. Mississippi Valley State University has received a $90,000 university...

Black, Hispanic Caucuses Launch Dual-Degree Effort.
August 3, 2000... WASHINGTON -- Black and Hispanic lawmakers have come together to sponsor new legislation that could create a long-debated "dual degree" program for minority-serving colleges. The just-introduced bill would provide $40 million in start-up...

Bush Outlines Plan For Pell -- With Math, Science String Attached.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... WASHINGTON -- Texas Gov. George W. Bush wants to offer college students more Pell grant money if they pursue math or science studies. The Republican's new plan would provide $1 billion more for Pell grants -- if students take college-level...

California Professor Launches Hunger Strike Over Tenure Decision.(Dr. Stanley O. Gaines Jr.)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... POMONA, Calif. -- A professor at Pomona College who says he was denied tenure because of race discrimination went on a hunger strike last month, hoping the attention would pressure the school to reopen the case. Dr. Stanley O. Gaines Jr....

Chambers Stepping Down From N.C. Central University.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Julius Chambers, a civil rights lawyer who spent the last seven years confronting decades of neglect at North Carolina Central University, plans to step down as chancellor. Chambers says he will leave in June, or after...

Search Committee's Lack of Diversity Upsets Ky. Faculty.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Some Black faculty members at the University of Kentucky are angry that no minorities are included among a committee searching for the school's next president. Faculty members recently sent a letter to Board of Trustees...

BI What's New Programs, Accreditations & Initiatives.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... The federal government has given surgeons at East Carolina University and four other hospitals the green light to use the nation's first robotic surgical device, a three-armed assistant named "da Vinci." Last month, the da Vinci Surgical...

Hampshire Professor Sues Over Black Replacement.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- A White college teacher is suing Hampshire College, claiming officials there discriminated against her when they hired a Black replacement. Laurie Alberts, 46, a writing teacher, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District...

Miss. Auditor Praises Jackson State University.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... JACKSON, Miss. -- State Auditor Phil Bryant has praised Jackson State University officials for improvements since he issued a demand to collect nearly $147,000 to offset problems with missing inventory three years ago. "It is important for...

Iowa Dentistry Student to Plead Diminished Responsibility.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... IOWA CITY, Iowa -- A University of Iowa dentistry student charged with sending racist e-mails to fellow minorities will use a diminished-responsibility defense against two felony charges. The diminished-responsibility defense means Tarsha...

LSU Officials Seek to Boost Minority Enrollment in Baton Rouge.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Under pressure from a federal judge, Louisiana State University officials are implementing a five-year plan to boost the percentage of Black students and teachers at its Baton Rouge campus. "As a university with a legacy...

Educator Jarrett Dies at 87.(Obituary)
August 3, 2000... ATLANTA -- Thomas Jarrett, who spent half a century as an educator and served as president of Atlanta University, died last month of complications from a heart condition. He was 87. His 50-year career in education included serving as...

Florida Judge Deals Blow to Minority Admissions.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- An administrative hearing judge upheld a state plan to ban consideration of race in college admissions last month, rejecting a challenge by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP...

Federal Judge Halts $3.5 Million Appropriation to Miss. Colleges.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... Officials say action against Black schools shows need to settle desegregation suit JACKSON, Miss. -- More than $3.5 million allocated for Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State universities related to the state's college desegregation...

REMEDIATION REFORM.
August 3, 2000... Only time will tell whether California's remediation policy will continue to turn out success stories or if disadvantaged students who can't catch up in time will mark the system's biggest failure. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Brandon Kountz is...

Ambitious Outreach.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... California State University officials tackle remediation by offering a little help to K-12 LONG BEACH, Calif. -- A veteran university administrator, Dr. Charles B. Reed has seen his fair share of controversy during a career that includes...

BI THE NUMBERS.(Illustration)
August 3, 2000... SYSTEMWIDE REMEDIATION AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FALL 1998 -- FALL 1999 [GRAPHS OMITTED]

ROARING UP FROM BEHIND.(Prince George's Community College curriculum improves student college performance)
August 3, 2000... While a report from the Southern Regional Education Board acknowledges falling short of remedial education goals, one college offers an example of developmental success LARGO, Md. -- They don't like calling the students "at risk."...

Army Announces $600 Million Program to Educate Soldiers.(higher education program evaluated)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... WASHINGTON -- Soldiers who choose the Army over school will soon be able to spend evenings in their bunks working for a college or technical degree. A new $600 million Army education program, designed to attract and keep recruits while...

Morris Brown College To Require Laptop Computers This Fall.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... ATLANTA -- Morris Brown College will require its students to buy laptop computers this fall, offering them at discount prices as part of school financial aid. School officials say they believe Morris Brown is the first historically Black...

Some Colleges Blocking Explicit Web Sties.(restriced Internet use in universities and colleges)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Some colleges are blocking sexually explicit Web sites and even penalizing students who continue to try to visit a banned site. Lee University has blocked Web sites for several years. When students reach a blocked...

Ohio State President Urges $2 Billion Technology Investment.(investment seen as necessary for Ohio's progress)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The president of Ohio State University urged the state last month to invest $1 billion to $2 billion in technology over the next five years or risk falling behind in the information-age economy. The state's share of that...

No Hassles: Buying a Reliable PC.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... More so than ever, personal computers are commodities, with little differentiation between offerings from one vendor to the next. Sure, you can choose a PC with a faster or slower processor, more or less memory, or a larger or smaller hard...

Good News Doesn't Close Gaps.(African Americans still fall behind economically)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... Four gaps define the African American economic experience for me -- the income gap, the Digital Divide (or access gap), the credit gap and the education gap. In terms of the income gap, African Americans still earn a fraction of what...

Career consultants.(discussing salary requirements at academic job interviews)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... DEAR BI CAREER CONSULTANTS: I've been offered a faculty/administrative position. Can you give me some advice on negotiation strategies and protocol? Are there any nuances that are unique to higher education? ROBERT HRADSKY Executive...

Professional APPOINTMENTS.(academic appointments)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... ACADEMIC DR. EMMET DENNIS has been named vice president for student affairs at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Previously, he held the position in an acting capacity. Dennis earned a bachelor's in biology from Cuttington University in...

GRANTS & AWARDS.
August 3, 2000... * Creighton has received a $2.5 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to determine whether calcium and vitamin D supplementation can prevent fractures caused by osteoporosis. * Prairie View A&M University has been...

Teaching in the World That Is (Instead of the World That Should Be).(Brief Article)
August 3, 2000... In this rapidly changing technological world, many of us educators are still hanging on to a 20th century ideal image of what college should be like. Students should be happy to expand their personal and professional horizons. They should be...

The Thrill of Academic Frenzy.(developments in higher education)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 17, 2000... A college president once told me that each time the students go home for the summer, he gets empty nest syndrome. The university grounds get so quiet, he almost doesn't know what to do with himself. When the students return, so does the...

LETTERS.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... JOHNSON C. SMITH OFFERED COMPUTER DEGREE IN 1993 Dear Editor, In the July 6, 2000 issue, accolades were given to Xavier University of Louisiana for being the nation's first historically Black college or university to independently...

CORRECTION.(students attaining doctorates)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... A story that ran in the July 6 edition of Black Issues about students getting their doctorates in education entitled "Studied Indifference," included a quote that was incorrectly attributed. The following quote should have been credited to Dr....

Black Caucus Criticizes GOP Effort to Help HBCUs.(Grand Old Party)(Historically Black Colleges and Universities)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... The June summit of congressional Republicans and Black college leaders continues to stir interest on Capitol Hill, with the Congressional Black Caucus leader criticizing the meeting as Republicans begin to map plans to expand these discussions....

QUOTE OF NOTE.(Rep. James Clyburn, D.S.C, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... "It is hard to imagine that the `summit' was a little more than a photo opportunity for members who have absolutely no history of involvement and support for HBCUAs and who, in fact, have a track record of hositlity toward these very...

CONGRESS TO RE-EXAMINE AMERICORPS.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... Congress has another deadline this year on whether to extend the popular but politically divisive AmeriCorps national service program. In recent weeks, the House and Senate have taken vastly different strategies on the program, which helps...

GOP Announces Watts Scholarship.(Grand Old Party)(J.C. Watts Civic Achievement Scholarship Program)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... The Republican National Committee recently announced the establishment of the J.C. Watts Civic Achievement Scholarship Program, which will offer nine "civically inspired" students who attend historically Black colleges and universities the...

Education Dept. Resolves Promotion Lawsuit.(filed by African-American employees)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... After nine years, the U.S. Department of Education has resolved a class-action lawsuit filed by some of its African American employees regarding the executive promotion process at the department. About 1,000 current or former employees...

REPORT: CONTINUE SCHOOL-TO-WORK.(end of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... The federal government and private foundations should provide financial support to continue school-to-work leadership activities once the School-to-Work Opportunities Act ends next year, a new report says. The act provided states and...

Education Department Study Says Most Student Borrowers Pay Off Loans in Four Years.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... The National Center for Education Statistics recently released a report showing that most students have either paid off their loans or are close to doing so four years after graduation. However, the report, Debt Burden Four Years After College,...

New Loan Rules Would Help Students Who Were Victimized by Unethical Trade Schools.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... The U.S. Department of Education last month proposed rules that would make it easier for the agency to forgive the loans of students who were victimized by unscrupulous trade schools. The proposed regulations were in response to a decision by a...

Black America Status Report Finds Good and Bad News.(National Urban League)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... WASHINGTON The National Urban League's annual overview on the state of Black America -- a report that largely details the disparities among Blacks and Whites in this country -- has some good and bad news. The bad news? One of the...

Journalism Professor Sues Florida A&M In Tenure Dispute.(Gloria Horning's civil rights law suit against Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... TALLAHASSEE, FLA. A White female journalism professor at Florida A&M University has sued the school in a tenure dispute, claiming "Black men are favored" in promotion to top faculty jobs. Gloria Horning's civil rights suit alleges she...

GM Backs U Mich. Minority Admissions.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... DETROIT General Motors Corp. is publicly supporting the University of Michigan's minority admissions programs, the subject of two federal class-action lawsuits. Eliminating affirmative action would deprive businesses of well-trained...

Oregon Student Files Reverse-Discrimination Case Against Community College.(Adrienne Williams)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... PORTLAND, ORE. A Portland Community College student here has filed a reverse-discrimination complaint alleging she is being denied free tuition because she is White. Adrienne Williams, 29, claims a teacher development program violates...

Walker Named President at Southern Illinois University.(James Walker)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... CARBONDALE, ILL. Dr. James Walker, president of Middle Tennessee State University, will become the next president of Southern Illinois University. He is the first African American to hold the position. Meanwhile, officials at Middle...

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND ARTIFACTS ON NEV. SITE OF BLACK SALOON.(University of Nevada findings)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... VIRGINIA CITY, NEV. Archaeologists and students excavating the site of an African American saloon have unearthed artifacts and structural debris believed lost when the building burned in an 1876 fire. Sixteen students from the...

Federal Judge Rules That Georgia has No Compelling Interest in Promoting Diversity.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... SAVANNAH, GA. A federal district judge ruled late last month that three White female applicants denied admission to the University of Georgia in 1999 should be offered admission to the institution this fall, effectively ending the...

James Farmer Rests in Peace, But Mary Washington College Still Wrestles with Multicultural Issues.
August 17, 2000... FREDERICKSBURG, VA. A plan at Mary Washington College to relocate the school's James Farmer Multicultural Center and divert resources to "cultural" programming has provoked angry protests from faculty and others. Faculty at the...

Diversity Deferred in AACC Presidential Choice.(American Association of Community and Junior Colleges chooses white candidate Dr. George R. Boggs)
August 17, 2000... WASHINGTON, D.C. After a nine-month search for the person who will lead community colleges in the new millennium, the American Association of Community Colleges here announced last month that Dr. George R. Boggs had been tapped to fill the...

These Famous People of Color Got Their Start at a COMMUNITY COLLEGE.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... U.S. Representatives With Community College Backgrounds Earned an Associate's Degree: CHAKA FATTAH, D-PA. Community College of Philadelphia CAROLYN CHEEKS KILPATRICK, D-MICH. Ferris State University KWEISI MFUME, D-MD.(*)...

Natural Allies.(African American Colleges education program for minority students)
August 17, 2000... Black colleges and two-year schools try to come together to create a network of seamless education for minority students SAN FRANCISCO Several years ago, officials at San Francisco City College here began the African American...

Making a Way Where There is None.(University of Missouri-Rolla recruits students from the Minority Engineering program of St. Louis Community College District)
August 17, 2000... Despite those who say minority engineering students are hard to come by, one Missouri school has uncovered a hidden treasure -- the local community college Attracting minority students into engineering programs is a challenge. A rural...

Community College Education ...
August 17, 2000... Not Just an American Thing Anymore WASHINGTON The telephone calls, letters and e-mail requests pour in from the four corners of the Earth -- from countries where government coffers are flush with oil money, as well as afford to feed...

Community College Faculty.(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2000... Though pursuing research can be difficult at two-year colleges, many scholars of color are drawn by the opportunities to teach an increasingly diverse student population COLUMBUS, GA. Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Marilyn Howard fit the...

Re-Calculating Math Instruction.(in African American colleges and universities)
August 17, 2000... Professors in the ethnomathematics movement are bringing diversity, culture and a more accurate history to math instruction ORANGE COAST, CALIF. Michael Jordan, according to some math professors, is a mathematician. He estimates wrist...

Campus Cops Try To Fill Role As Cyber Superheroes.(computer crime)
August 17, 2000... IOWA CITY, IOWA Minority students here at the University of Iowa's College of Dentistry received a series of threatening e-mail messages last March warning them to "be afraid, not only for their future careers but for their lives. "If...

TECH briefs.(Association for Computing Machinery)(Commission for the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology)(SBC Communications Inc.)(National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... STUDY FINDS STAGNATION IN NUMBER OF WOMEN STUDYING COMPUTER SCIENCE WASHINGTON A recent study says the percentage of women in computer science programs will likely remain stagnant while overall undergraduate computer science...

Reach Out and Touch With Technology.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... For the past 4,000 years, humans have relied on technology to communicate with one another over distance. Using clay, papyres, paper, smoke, drum beats, electrons and photons carried by camel, horse, pigeon, boat, plane, truck, air and wire, we...

ON THE MOVE.(appointments)(grants and awards)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... DR. BERNICE GUILLAUME will become the assistant vice chancellor for academic and multicultural affairs at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. She earned a bachelor's from Scripps College in California, a master's from Brown University...

Community Colleges: More Than a Reasonable Alternative to Success.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2000... Twenty-six years ago when I began my professional career, I told the dean with whom I interviewed that the reason I wanted to teach at a community college was because students who enrolled there did so because they wanted an education. Not...

The More Things Change ...(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... It seems as if every generation thinks that it is the chosen one. The young are convinced that their insights into the pressing issues of the day and their prescriptions for the future are uniquely insightful and better than anything that...

LETTERS.
August 31, 2000... DEVRY HAPPY TO MOVE OVER Dear Editor, We read with great enthusiasm your recent article, "Move Over, DeVry," announcing that historically Black colleges and universities now top the list of the number of computer and information...

Black, Hispanic, American Indian Colleges May Reap Gains From New Grant Program.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... Historically Black colleges and other institutions with a history of serving minority students stand to benefit from a new U.S. Department of Labor program to improve the skills of tomorrow's work force. The department is looking for HBCUs,...

GEAR UP Facing Criticism.(Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... Congressional sponsors of the 2-year-old Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs have beaten back attempts to terminate the initiative, but prospects for future funding growth may be dimming. House and Senate...

HOUSE REPUBLICAN-HBCU SUMMIT LEADERS ANNOUNCE TASK FORCE.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., and some of his colleagues announced the formation of a task force to follow up on the first House Republican Historically Black Colleges Summit on Capitol Hill earlier this summer (see Black Issues, July 6). The...

PELL, TRIO SLATED FOR FUNDING GAINS.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... House and Senate negotiators have agreed to increase funding for Pell grants and TRIO college-access programs next year. Bridging gaps between competing House and Senate bills, Republican leaders in both chambers have recommended a $350...

University of Georgia Files Appeal in Race-Based Admissions Ruling.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... SAVANNAH, GA. The University of Georgia's president, Dr. Michael F. Adams, announced here earlier this month that the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia will pursue an "extremely vigorous" legal appeal of a federal...

NCAA REJECTS CONFEDERATE FLAG PROTEST IN GEORGIA.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... ATLANTA The National Collegiate Athletic Association has rejected calls from civil rights groups to move upcoming basketball tournaments from Georgia unless the state removes the Confederate battle symbol from its state flag. The...

FLORIDA CITIES VIE FOR FAMU LAW SCHOOL.(Florida A & M Law School)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... DAYTON BEACH, FLA. Daytona Beach officials have reached an agreement to eliminate a building lease charge if they are awarded the new Florida A&M law school. City officials and International Speedway Corp., which owns the building...

REPORT: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT DIVERSITY IN COLLEGES.
August 31, 2000... WASHINGTON The majority of Americans polled during a recent telephone survey say it is important for colleges to have students of different races, cultures and backgrounds, and that colleges should be allowed to act to ensure a diverse...

OHIO STATE MINORITY AFFAIRS DIRECTOR LASTS A YEAR.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... COLUMBUS, OHIO Dr. Timothy Knowles, hired to help Ohio State University improve diversity, has been fired after only a year on the job. University spokesman Dave Ferguson says Knowles' brief stint as minority affairs director at Ohio...

N.Y. JUDGE DISMISSES STUDENTS' DISCRIMINATION SUIT.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... SYRACUSE, N.Y. A federal appeals court has dismissed discrimination charges in a lawsuit brought by 32 Black students at the State University of New York at Oneonta, who alleged that state police singled them out as suspects in an...

U. OF WISCONSIN TO HELP BUILD TELESCOPE IN AFRICA.(University of Wisconsin helping to build Southern African Large Telescope)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... MADISON, WIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison astronomers will help build a telescope in South Africa powerful enough to peer deep into distant galaxies. The $35 million Southern African Large Telescope, to be built on a mountaintop...

UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT WHO PROMOTED RACIAL EQUALITY DIES AT 91.(Dr. Miller A. F. Ritchie)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
August 31, 2000... PORTLAND, ORE. Dr. Miller A.F. Ritchie, a former Pacific University president, died early this month at his home in Hillsboro. He was 91. Ritchie was chairman of human relations at the University of Miami in the late 1940s and early...

Grants Lure D.C. Kids To Va., Md. Schools.(federal grants encourage Washington, D.C. high school graduates to apply to colleges in Virginia and Maryland)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... WASHINGTON Colleges and universities in Maryland and Virginia are favored by high school graduates here benefiting from a new federal grant program that offers cheaper rates at all public and a few private institutions in the nation. ...

Pathways to Displacement.(expressway construction had most impact on black communities)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... Researcher examines how route of U.S. interstates reshaped racial landscapes Although the interstate highway system is a valuable asset for Americans, one researcher argues that its construction during the racially charged 1950s and 1960s...

The Art of Diversity.(racial diversity in schools)(Interview)
August 31, 2000... WASHINGTON Dr. Arthur E. Levine is in a pretty enviable position. As president of Columbia University's Teacher College, he sits at the helm of a Harlem, N.Y.-based institution steeped in its legacy of inclusion. Back in the 1940s, '50s...

Campuses Move Toward Wireless Computing.
August 31, 2000... WASHINGTON Students arriving at Howard University this fall will find one of the latest information technology amenities available to them in their dormitory rooms -- the ability to access the campus computer network through a wireless...

Internet Leading to Changes in Personal Computing.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... Is it time to scrap your PC or dump your investments in the likes of PC kingpins Intel and Microsoft? For the past five years a vocal melange of pundits and industry leaders have been predicting the death of the PC. It's complicated, expensive,...

Sen. Lieberman and The Diversity Dilemma.(Brief Article)(Column)
August 31, 2000... The conventional political wisdom about the major political parties is that Republicans ignore African Americans, and Democrats take us for granted. Thus, 84 percent of us voted Democratic in 1996, because, according to the adage, we had...

ON THE / MOVE.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... DR. ELAINE JOHNSON COPELAND is the new dean and vice president of academic affairs at Livingston College in Salisbury, N.C. Copeland earned a bachelor's from Livingstone College, a master's in education from Winthrop University and an...

GRANTS & AWARDS.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2000... THE COLLEGE FUND/UNCF has received $96,415 from the estate of James W. Norwood, a retired assistant curator with the Smithsonian Institution. The gift will provide scholarships for students to attend UNCF member institutions. CREIGHTON...