Black Issues in Higher Education articles from March 2003

Black Issues in Higher Education archives from March 2003

The art of high performance in technology, science, life. (Editor's Note).
March 13, 2003... In "Mastering the Challenge of High-Performance Computing," senior writer Ronald Roach examines the nexus between information technology and scientific discovery. For the nation's colleges and universities to have truly competitive information...

Congress, Bush finally agree on 2003 budget: minority-serving institutions, TRIO, GEAR UP receive slight increases. (Washington Update).(education spending)
March 13, 2003... After months of negotiations, the U.S. Congress and the White House finished work on a 2003 budget bill with a 5 percent increase for Black colleges and slightly higher Pell grants for needy students. Approval of the package ends months of...

Minority-serving institutions join forces to seek change. (Washington Update).
March 13, 2003... In an effort to promote mutual goals, leaders of Black colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions and tribal colleges are endorsing an ambitious agenda that includes a doubling of the maximum Pell grant and new incentives to promote student...

Talbert O. Shaw retires after 15 years at Shaw University. (Noteworthy News).
March 13, 2003... RALEIGH, N.C. At a time when some historically Black colleges are making headlines for financial mismanagement and woes, Shaw University's outgoing president is being remembered for daring to take the reins of a financially troubled...

Clarence G. Newsome named 13th President of Shaw University.(Biography)
March 13, 2003... RALEIGH, N.C. Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, longtime dean of Howard University's School of Divinity, becomes Shaw University's 13th president on April 1. Newsome's appointment was officially announced in mid-February at a news conference for...

Colleges prepare for possible end to affirmative action: interest in alternatives to race-conscious admissions high at Quality Education for Minorities conference. (Noteworthy News).
March 13, 2003... WASHINGTON With the U.S. Supreme Court's hearing of arguments in the University of Michigan's affirmative action cases only weeks away, the tone of the annual Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) conference held here last month was one...

Report: college affordability in jeopardy. (Noteworthy News).
March 13, 2003... SAN JOSE, CALIF. Public higher education tuition has soared in the past year as state spending for colleges and universities has dropped sharply, according to a new report on college affordability released last month. "The states are...

Yale researchers' new SAT Test could better predict college success. (Noteworthy News).
March 13, 2003... NEW HAVEN, CONN. A revised college admissions test that measures creative and practical skills as well as memory and analytical ability has succeeded in its first round of testing with college students, according to the lead investigator...

Black guide to life at Harvard debuts.(resources for black students)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. Harvard University's Black Students Association unveiled its long-awaited "The Black Guide to Life at Harvard" last month during an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Afro-American Studies department. The...

Oprah, P&G boost morehouse, Tuskegee fund-raising campaigns. (Noteworthy News).(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... ATLANTA Morehouse College and Tuskegee University both edged closer to their fund-raising goals last month with single donations exceeding the $1 million mark. Oprah Winfrey will donate $5 million to Morehouse College, according to...

Michigan researchers study letters of slave-trading family: papers revisit long-standing taboo of mixed-race affairs. (noteworthy news).
March 13, 2003... DETROIT A collection of 10,000 letters written by a family of slave traders and studied by University of Michigan researchers touches on one of the most controversial topics of the time: mixed-race affairs and the families that resulted....

State Attorney General stops Ohio State's plans to back Michigan. (noteworthy news).(Jim Petro disagrees with University of Michigan admissions policy)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... COLUMBUS, OHIO Attorney General Jim Petro has nixed plans by Ohio State University to file a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the University of Michigan's affirmative action policies. Petro refused to sign the "friend of...

Entertainer Steve Harvey establishes textbook award program. (noteworthy news).(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... BATON ROUGE, LA. Entertainer Steve Harvey and his wife, Mary, have contributed $40,000 to establish a book award program at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La. The Harveys also have pledged to donate at least $20,000...

Report: minorities hold few top college sports jobs in Michigan. (noteworthy news).
March 13, 2003... DETROIT Although state universities and the NCAA have discussed the issue of diversity for decades, nine out of 10 jobs in Michigan college athletics are still going to White candidates, and three out of four to men. The findings of a...

Missouri-Columbia to keep summer program for minorities. (noteworthy news).(University of Missouri at Columbia)
March 13, 2003... COLUMBIA, MO. The University of Missouri at Columbia is sticking by its Transitions program for incoming minority students, even as other schools change or eliminate their programs in anticipation of the Supreme Court's decision on the...

Black college bands `get paid' to showcase talents. (noteworthy news).(Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... ATLANTA Marching bands from eight historically Black colleges brought their unique, high-stepping, energetic musical performances to the Atlanta Georgia Dome in January as part of the inaugural Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational...

Lincoln University may fight for control of valuable art, judge says. (noteworthy news).
March 13, 2003... PHILADELPHIA A judge ruled last month that Lincoln University, a historically Black college outside Philadelphia, may fight a court petition that would dilute its control over a valuable, world-renowned collection of art. Lincoln...

A scientific mandate: interview with Dr. Rita R. Colwell, Director of the National Science Foundation. (Special report: technology in higher ed.).(Interview)
March 13, 2003... Established by the U.S. Congress through the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense," NSF finds itself at the...

The ways of Washington: NSF board chairman keeps long-term policy issues at the forefront. (Special report: technology in higher Ed).(Warren Washington, National Science Foundation)(Biography)
March 13, 2003... At a time when immediate homeland security concerns are helping to bring about increases n the National Science Foundation's budget, Dr. Warren Washington can be expected to press the federal agency on long-term policy issues, such as improving...

Mastering the challenge of high-performance computing: but there are perils in ignoring developments in the rising field, scholars say.
March 13, 2003... Not long after her appointment as Hampton University's first chief information officer in 1999, Debra S. White, a former IBM executive, found that in addition to managing a campus IT network upgrade she had to contend with demanding scientists...

On the technology job market: slight decline in new computer science majors, prompts researchers to ponder current, future state of technology employment. (Special report: technology in higher Ed).
March 13, 2003... The downturn in the economy and the recent dot-com and technology bust may be causing more undergraduates to think twice about majoring in computer science or engineering. In 2001 and 2002, there was a slight decline in the number of new...

A super science project: New Jersey teen is first African American student to win prestigious competition.(Juliet Girard)
March 13, 2003... Juliet Girard sounds a lot like the girl next door. Friendly. Perky. Chatty. But Girard is not the girl next door. A senior at William Dickinson High School in Jersey City, N.J., Girard recently won the Siemens Westinghouse Competition for a...

Life experiences color online: classmates' identities.(online education)
March 13, 2003... The words "race blind" literally took on a new meaning when I enrolled in an online class. Gone were the labels I had used so often, like reaching for a TV remote control. Black and White. Asian. Multiracial. So it wasn't surprising that race...

Technology in Higher Ed. (Special Report).
March 13, 2003... * The Top 10 Best Places to Work in IT, 2002 (1) University of Miami (2) State Farm Insurance Cos. (3) Avon Products Inc. (4) Fannie Mae (5) Cabot Corp. (6) The Home Depot Inc. (7) Harrah's Entertainment Inc. ...

Challenging the future of Black Studies: scholars debate and discover `profound generation gap' at conference. (Faculty Club).
March 13, 2003... NEW YORK While hundreds of Black scholars from across the nation were making plans to converge on New York City last month for what promised to be one of the landmark conferences of the year--"The State of Black Studies: Methodology,...

Need to buy a computer? Use a computer to buy it. (Tech Talk).(online shopping)
March 13, 2003... Tuition paid? Check. Books bought? Check. Now it's time to go shopping for that other classroom sine qua non: computer equipment. Except you probably don't have much money left for a big purchase like a computer. With the economy in the...

Nanotechnology center dedicated in California. (tech briefs).(California NanoSystems Institute)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... LOS ANGELES Officials broke ground last month on what is touted as the world's most advanced facility for atomic-level research. The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at the University of California, Los Angeles will explore the...

Open source software maker offers academic program. (tech briefs).(Red Hat Academy)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... RALEIGH, N.C. Red Hat Inc., a leading Linux and open source software provider, has announced the Red Hat Academy, a comprehensive educational package enabling schools and colleges to certify their students in Linux operating system and...

AT&T, University of Minnesota launch children's Web site. (tech briefs).(GoCyberCamp)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... MINNEAPOLIS Parents who want their children to use the Internet safely--and to learn while having fun--have a new online resource that lets children "camp out" all year long. AT&T and the Center for 4-H Youth Development, part of the...

Is there a solution to buggy computers? (Personal Computing).(computer viruses)
March 13, 2003... As I was writing this, Microsoft issued three more updates for Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6--one "critical" update, one security update and one patch. Recently a security vulnerability in Microsoft's database...

Higher Education budget cuts and the ground crew. (Speaking Of Education).
March 13, 2003... The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released report last month, "College Affordability in Jeopardy," that owed public colleges "continue to become less affordable for students and families." According to the independent,...

Teachers College, Columbia University. (On The Move).(Dr. Darlyne Bailey named acting president)
March 13, 2003... DR. DARLYNE BAILEY has been named acting president of Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, she was vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. Bailey earned a bachelor's from Lafayette College, a master's from...

Florida A&M University. (On The Move).(appoints Lanedra Carroll)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... LANEDRA CARROLL is the new director of university relations and public affairs at Florida A&M University. Carroll has worked for the Tallahassee Democrat and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and most recently served in the Bush administration...

University of North Carolina. (On The Move).(Dr. Colllie Coleman named associate vice chancellor for outreach)
March 13, 2003... DR. COLLIE COLEMAN has been named associate vice chancellor for outreach at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and chief academic officer for Voorhees College in South Carolina....

Alabama State University. (On The Move).(Dr. Richard Cosby new athletic director)
March 13, 2003... DR. RICHARD COSBY is the new athletic director at Alabama State University. Cosby earned a bachelor's in physical education/elementary education from Delta State University, a master's from the University of Tennessee and a doctorate from...

Johnson C. Smith University. (On The Move).(Lee Hampton named vice president of institutional advancement)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... LEE HAMPTON has been named vice president of institutional advancement at Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina. Previously, he was the executive director of corporate and foundation development at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University....

Winston-Salem State University. (On The Move).(Paula M. Jeffries named vice chancellor for finance and administration)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... PAULA M. JEFFRIES has been named vice chancellor for finance and administration at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. Previously she was associate vice chancellor for finance and administration at the university. Jeffries, a...

Grants & awards.(universities and colleges receive funds)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Baltimore City Community College received $25,000 from the Verizon Foundation to support the college's initiative known as the Workforce Scholarships for Working Students Program. Elmhurst College (III.) received a $35,000 grant from the...

Events.(conferences on education)(Calendar)
March 13, 2003... MARCH March 22-26 NASPA Student Affairs Administrators In Higher Education "Gathering at the Gateway--Renewing Our Spirit" St. Louis E-mail: www.naspa.org March 26-28 8th Annual South Carolina Association for Access...

Quality educational leaders: those without realm, range need not apply. (Last Word).
March 13, 2003... Based on 1993 data, the Digest of Education Statistics recently reported that roughly 86 percent of all employees in executive, administrative or managerial (EAM) positions in institutions of higher education were White. Careful attention,...

21st century Higher Education: a global view. (Editor's Note).(issue contents)(Editorial)
March 27, 2003... Our two opinion pieces, "BI Forum" and the "Last Word," written by Evelyn Hamilton and Dr. Kimberly Battle-Walters respectively, touch on a similar theme--the urgent need to understand cultures other than our own. Indeed, this need has never...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 27, 2003... "The State of Black Studies: Methodology, Pedagogy, and Research" conference featured in the March 13th edition of Black Issues In Higher Education was also sponsored by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, in addition to...

Affirmative action policies gain Washington boosters: higher education groups, lawmakers show support for the University of Michigan in friend-of-the-court brief. (Washington Update).(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... Higher education organizations, including those representing Black colleges, have filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the University of Michigan's affirmative action program that is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Associations...

Quote of note. (Washington Update).(Elijah Cummings on college admissions)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... "We know from the evidence that the minority students who have studied at world-class institutions like Michigan's live up to our highest aspirations--that they contribute substantially both to our nation and to their communities." --Rep....

Leaders lash out at `price control' legislation. (Washington Update).(tuition controls)
March 27, 2003... Higher education leaders are waging a pre-emptive strike against new legislation they fear could impose government price controls on colleges. At issue is a proposal from Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the U.S. House of...

New bill puts technology funds in the hands of HBCUs. (Washington Update).(Digital and Wireless Network Technology Program Act)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... A new bill from Senate Republicans seeks to address the digital divide by providing minority-serving colleges with money to address technology issues. The Digital and Wireless Network Technology Program Act would provide funds to upgrade...

Revised welfare rules would hinder educational pursuit, some say. (Washington Update).(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... The U.S. House of Representatives has approved sweeping changes to federal welfare policy that some argue will make it tougher for recipients to obtain needed educational services. In passing H.R. 4 by a partyline vote, the House endorsed a...

Hundreds rally in support of affirmative action. (Affirmative Action Watch).(University of Michigan)
March 27, 2003... DETROIT The weather outside was freezing, but the crowd was on fire. Despite temperatures around 30 degrees, a couple hundred people, many waving signs and wearing University of Michigan colors maize and blue, filled a city street earlier...

MBA graduates face sobering job market. (Noteworthy News).
March 27, 2003... PRINCETON, N.J. The market for recent MBA graduates is as cold as the weather here, and students can only hope for a spring thaw of last minute recruiting, according to the Web site CollegeJournal.com, the Wall Street Journal's site for...

Kenyan named Virginia Military Institute's 10th Rhodes Scholar. (Noteworthy News).(Michael Lokale)
March 27, 2003... LEXINGTON, VA. Star student and athlete Michael Lokale says his life has been filled with many blessings. And now, as the Virginia Military Institute's 10th Rhodes Scholar, the first classman is looking forward to yet another. As one...

North Carolina Nursing Departments launch Health Disparities Center. (Noteworthy News).
March 27, 2003... DURHAM, N.C. The Departments of Nursing at North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University and the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently launched the Center for Innovation in...

Ayers plaintiffs ask appeals court to throw out desegregation pact. (Noteworthy News).(Lillie Ayers, Mississippi college desegration case)
March 27, 2003... JACKSON, MISS. A federal appeals court has been asked to throw out the settlement of Mississippi's college desegregation case and start the process from step one. Attorney Alvin Chambliss asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in...

UVA student victim of campus hate crime. (Noteworthy News).(Daisy Lundy, University of Virginia)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. The mood for University of Virginia students returning from Spring Break is likely to be somber as they attempt to grapple with the fallout from the latest of a string of divisive racial incidents: an assault on a...

UNCF lends Morris Brown financial support. (noteworthy news).(United Negro College Fund)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... NEW YORK The United Negro College Fund's 39 member presidents unanimously voted earlier this month to provide Morris Brown College with $1,471,309 to help the college overcome current financial challenges. "The presidents of the...

Florida schools to partner in film scholarship program. (noteworthy news).(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. GOV. Jeb Bush and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) have joined forces to create a film scholarship program for Florida's Black college students. As part of the program, Bethune-Cookman College will partner with the...

Three school to test alternative medicine curriculum. (noteworthy news).(complementary and alternative medicine)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... RESTON, VA. The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) recently selected three medical schools to test a new curriculum designed to integrate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches into mainstream medical school...

Pitt Engineering School implements new program to recruit, retain underrepresented students. (noteworthy news).
March 27, 2003... PITTSBURGH The University of Pittsburgh's School of Engineering (SOE) is implementing a program that will help minority and disadvantaged students attain a stronger educational background and provide them with positive role models. ...

Noir Paris: study abroad program explores historical, cultural intellectual connections between African Americans and the "City of Lights".
March 27, 2003... Over the course of American history, Paris has stood out as an intriguing place for African Americans. Josephine Baker renounced American racism along with her citizenship in favor of the more accepting French capital and--while performing as a...

Driven by service: Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program aims to give African women a `greater voice in their own lives' and skills to strengthen their native countries.
March 27, 2003... NEW YORK Stella Chidinma Iwuagwa, of Nigeria, had long admired Oprah Winfrey's energy and power, but never would have imagined she would be a recipient of the media mogul's charity. "I never thought that Oprah could have any say in my...

Riding the high tide: India has surpassed China as the leading sender of foreign students to the United States, so why are its students increasingly drawn to U.S. universities?
March 27, 2003... When 24-year-old Anil Mukherji joined Louisiana State University as a postdoctoral research assistant in chemistry in 1957, he was one of four Indians in the school. More than four decades later, in 2003, LSU's Indian Student Association, one...

Following the Indian model of higher education.
March 27, 2003... Higher education in India has evolved in divergent and distinct streams with each stream monitored by an apex body, indirectly controlled by the Ministry of Human Resources. The universities are funded by the state governments. However,...

High-profile alumni of Indian institutions.(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... GURURAJ "DESH" DESHPANDE: President and CEO, Sycamore Networks Education: Bachelor's, IIT-Madras, master's, electrical engineering from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, Ph.D., Data Communications, Queens University, Canada ...

Living out a dream--abroad: law professor Catherine Powell takes interest in human rights to Israel. (Faculty Club).(Interview)
March 27, 2003... The faint of heart might think Catherine Powell, professor of law at New York's Fordham University and former executive director of Columbia University's Human Rights Institute, has chosen an odd location to bear her first child: Jerusalem. ...

International educational exchange: the best defense. (BI Forum).(fostering cultural understanding)
March 27, 2003... We are living in perilous times. They are times of instability, intolerance and uncertainty. Each day, we are bombarded with images and ideologies that force us to admit our vulnerability as global citizens. The wall that seemed to protect the...

Innovative robotics research keeps spotlight on MIT grad student: James McLurkin recipient of annual Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for inventiveness. (tech talk).
March 27, 2003... It's not common that graduate school research brings national attention and prestigious awards to doctoral candidates. For James McLurkin, however, his work in robotics has won widespread recognition, most recently a prestigious student...

Microsoft aids Black public college technology program. (tech briefs).(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... WASHINGTON, D.C. Microsoft has announced a $15 million software grant to the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund (TMSF) technology initiative, which is a multi-year effort to raise more than $100 million to upgrade technology at public...

Sun Microsystems starts Bioinformatics project. (tech briefs).(Sun North Carolina Research Triangle Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO Building on its commitment to advance academic research through high-performance computing technology, Sun Microsystems Inc. has announced the Sun North Carolina Research Triangle Center of Excellence (COE) in Bioinformatics...

Cal State campus solar powered. (tech briefs).(California State University Northridge)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... NORTHRIDGE, CALIF. In what is believed to be the largest solar energy project at an American university, California State University-Northridge has completed the installation of 3,000 photovoltaic panels on the campus, which is a move that...

Dealing with internet `nastygrams'. (Personal Computing).(trademark infringement)
March 27, 2003... The Web can be a treacherous place. There are the quack health sites, the hate sites and the porn sites, if you don't watch where you're going. There are those who want to hack into your computer and use it to launch attacks against others, if...

Goucher College in Baltimore. (On The Move).(Gail Neverdon Edmonds appointed)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... DR. GAIL NEVERDON EDMONDS is the new vice president and dean of students at Goucher College in Baltimore. Prior to arriving at Goucher, Edmonds was director of minority affairs and affirmative action at Essex Community College. Edmonds earned a...

Mississippi University for Women. (On The Move).(Theresa Green Ervin appointed)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... THERESA GREEN ERVIN has been named director of career services at Mississippi University for Women. Ervin most recently was career planning specialist and instructor at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. She earned a bachelor's from...

Tougaloo College in Mississippi. (On The Move).(John E. Holmes appointed)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... JOHN E. HOLMES is the new assistant vice president of academic affairs at Tougaloo College in Mississippi. Previously, he was chief adviser of freshman and transfer students at Jackson State University. Holmes earned a bachelor's and two...

Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina. (On The Move).(Kathryn Jehle appointed)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... KATHRYN JEHLE has been named vice president of finance at Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina. Since June 2001, she has served as interim vice president. Jehle earned a bachelor's and a master's of business administration from the...

Ramapo College of New Jersey. (On The Move).(Richard Morales-Wright appointed)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... RICHARD MORALES-WRIGHT has been appointed assistant provost for academic support programs and services at Ramapo College of New Jersey. Morales-Wright earned a bachelor's from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a master's from Upsala College.

John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State College (N.J.). (On The Move).(Joseph Youngblood appointed)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... DR. JOSEPH YOUNGBLOOD II has been appointed executive director of John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State College (N.J.). He earned a bachelor's from Florida A&M University, a master's and juris doctorate both from the...

Grants & awards.(education grants)(Brief Article)
March 27, 2003... Columbia University's School of the Arts (N.Y.) received an unprecedented two-year, $286,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to provide funding toward the production of two feature-length science films by film division students or...

Events.(conferences)(Calendar)
March 27, 2003... APRIL April 7-13 Second Humanities Biennial Center for the Humanities, University of Wisconsin-Madison "W.E.B. Du Bois and the Souls of Black Folk: 100 Years Later" Phone: (608) 263-3409 Fax: (608) 263-3412 E-mail:...

Bringing color to the international intellectual table. (Last Word).(Fulbright Scholars program)
March 27, 2003... There has never been a time like today where the need to understand other cultures has been so paramount. With a world population exceeding 6 billion people, a global economy that is deeply interconnected, and precarious political ideologies...