Campus News

85-year-old graduates with doctorate from HBCU

At 85 years old, Charles Whitman Dabbs just delivered one of the most inspiring moments of graduation season. The Tennessee State University scholar officially earned his doctorate degree, proving that determination, discipline, and purpose do not come with an age limit. While many graduates were celebrating the beginning of a new chapter, Dabbs was celebrating the completion of a lifelong journey decades in the making—and the HBCU community is celebrating right alongside him. Cheers erupted throughout the commencement ceremony as Dabbs crossed the stage to receive his doctoral degree, instantly becoming a symbol of perseverance, resilience, and Black excellence. His achievement quickly captured attention

Fort Valley State University legacy highlights resilience and empowerment in Georgia’s American Journey series

Fort Valley State University’s history stretches back to a time when formerly enslaved African Americans sought new opportunities through education just decades after the Civil War. “I’ve always been impressed by the founders of this institution,” said Dr. Issac Crumbly, associate vice president of career and collaborative programs. “If you really think about it, 1895 you’re talking about not very many years that they were in slavery, and so as a matter of fact, some of the founders were actually born in slavery at that particular time.” Crumbly said the university was founded during a period when African Americans viewed

Fisk University announces $900M campus transformation plan

Fisk University President Agenia Clark on Thursday announced a $900 million plan to remake the historically Black university’s North Nashville campus, complete with a 100,000-square-foot data and technology center. Details remain limited as the 160-year-old university, once home to civil rights luminaries like John Lewis and Ida B. Wells, embarks on the project, dubbed Quantum Leap. Fisk plans to renovate three residence halls and build at least five major projects: the data center, an annex for the John Lewis Center for Social Justice, a 120,000-square-foot sports arena, a 45,000-square foot student center and an 80,000-square-foot annex to the Carl Van Vechten Gallery.

Seven students named valedictorian at Spelman College

Courtesy of Spelman College Spelman College just made history in a major way. In a moment sending pride across the entire HBCU community, seven graduating seniors from the Class of 2026 have been named valedictorians after finishing with perfect 4.0 GPAs. The groundbreaking achievement highlights not only the academic excellence thriving at the prestigious Atlanta HBCU but also the unmatched culture of sisterhood, leadership, and Black excellence that continues to define Spelman on a national level. Known collectively as the “Spelman Seven,” the graduates have become symbols of what is possible when brilliance, discipline, and community collide. From STEM and public health to film,

SC State Foundation Sues President Alexander Conyers Amid Growing Campus Turmoil

By Jamaal Abdul-Alim  The charitable foundation for South Carolina State University is accusing interim university president Alexander Conyers of launching a “retaliatory campaign” against the foundation for refusing to “blindly” supplement his six-figure salary with an extra $75,000, according to a lawsuit filed in Orangeburg County Monday. The lawsuit says the university wrongly kicked the foundation out of its campus office under the guise of “space needs” and terminated its memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with the foundation under pretext of “transparency” and “accountability,” court records show. The foundation is asking a court to invalidate South Carolina State’s termination of its MOU.

$4.2 Million and Counting: Atlanta HBCU Scholarship Initiative Powers First Spring Graduates

Less than a year into the 10-year program, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation grant is helping students overcome financial barriers.  The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation today announced early milestones from its $50 million, 10-year scholarship initiative supporting students at Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as some of the program’s first scholarship recipients prepare to graduate this spring. First introduced in October 2025, the initiative was designed to address one of the most persistent barriers to college completion-unmet financial need. For many students, financial barriers, not academics, stand in the way of earning their diplomas. These scholarships provide targeted

What You Need to Know About Last Week’s Canvas Breach

By Jamaal Abdul-Alim An infamous cyber gang has given U.S. colleges and universities until May 12 to either pay a ransom or face the leak of troves of sensitive information – including billions of private messages between students and their instructors – that the group hacked from the widely-used Canvas learning management system. The breach impacted nearly 9,000 educational institutions worldwide, spanning both K-12 and higher education across the globe. Nir Kshetri, a business professor and cybercrime expert at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, told The EDU Ledger, “Since the attack involves sensitive data, some might pay.” Here are five key things to know

A Trio of New Deans at Historically Black Universities

Tracey Gregory has been appointed dean of the School of Education and Psychology at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. She comes to her new role from Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was an associate professor of graduate education and director of the educational doctorate program. In addition to her background in academia, Dr. Gregory has experience as a K-12 educator and administrator. “I was drawn to Alcorn State University because of its legacy of preparing educators and leaders who make a meaningful impact in their communities,” said Dr. Gregory. “This role allows me to bring together my K-12 and

New HBCU Coalition Aims to Fast-Track Institutions to R1 Status

A new coalition of 15 HBCUs has formed to raise the research profile of Black institutions collectively and to use their research to tackle some of “society’s most pressing challenges,” leaders of the group announced recently. Howard University Interim President Wayne A. I. Frederick will serve as interim president of the group, named the Association of HBCU Research Institutions, or AHRI. The coalition is being funded by a three-year, $1 million grant from the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative, which is a presidential initiative of Harvard University founded as a way for Harvard to take “full accountability for its involvement in and

Tuskegee confers nearly 145 graduate degrees, including most science-based PhDs in recent history

By Crystal Drake Tuskegee University turned the tassel on the largest number of science-based PhDs conferred in one ceremony in recent university history as it continues to move swiftly toward Carnegie R2 and eventually R1 status. Twenty-two PhDs were hooded, 90 master’s degrees awarded and 51 new doctors of veterinary medicine crossed the stage at the Daniel “Chappie” James arena on May 2. In his welcome remarks, Dr. Mark A. Brown, president and CEO, greeted the students as “the first graduating class of the Renaissance Era.” This is Tuskegee University’s renewed commitment to founding principles that are being reimagined through

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