Campus News - Page 218

Virginia Military Institute’s first Black superintendent facing backlash from school’s alumni

By Nichol Chavez An alumni group of the Virginia Military Institute is publicly questioning why the college’s first Black superintendent was awarded a more “generous” bonus than last year. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins has served as superintendent of the public military college since 2020. He first assumed the role in an interim capacity after General J.H. Binford Peay III resigned, following allegations of a racist culture at the school. Wins officially took on the role last year. Spirit of VMI, a political action committee comprising alumni, parents and friends of the school, issued a statement earlier this month questioning why the VMI

Tuskegee University receives $100K Research Award from Microsoft

By Brittney Dabney Tuskegee University has been awarded $100,000 by the Microsoft Artificial Intelligence Initiative that allows researchers to leverage the technology to develop real-time resource management using reinforcement learning, one of the most discussed techniques in artificial intelligence (AI). Drs. Mohammad Rahman and Fan Wu, faculty members of the Department of Computer Science, College of Business and Information Sciences, alongside Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, provost, are principal investigators for the project entitled, “Dynamic Cloud Resource Management for Cloud-Based Cyber-Physical Systems (CBCPS) with Reinforcement Learning (RL).” “The project will build the faculty and institution research capacity in AI, providing students

Howard’s School of Divinity administration reflects on achievement and transformation

By Amber D. Dodd As part of Howard’s legacy of pushing Black scholars forward, its School of Divinity works to marry spiritual and religious teaching together with an immersive experience of scholarship. Dean Yolanda Pierce, PhD, reflected on the importance of the School of Divinity where African American history is intertwined in their curriculum and how it aligns with the University’s ongoing record of being Black history personified. “Like the rest of Howard University, [the School of Divinity] is committed to developing scholars and professionals who lead change, help to solve the world’s problems, and embody truth and service in

Pentagon announces Howard University as the first HBCU to lead university-affiliated research center

By Kaanita Iyer and Justin Gamble The Pentagon has chosen Howard University to lead a university-affiliated research center, its first partnership with a historically Black college or university, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced this week. “To sharpen America’s technological edge and to strengthen America’s outstanding military, the department is committed to investing even more in HBCUs and minority-serving institutions,” Austin, the first Black secretary of defense, said Monday. Howard will receive $12 million per year for five years in funding, according to a news release. This is the first university partnership primarily sponsored by the Air Force, and this is the first time the department

Food Delivery Robots Coming to Bowie State

By D. Thompson You may have noticed some white, futuristic-looking devices roaming around campus during the early portion of the spring semester. They are part of a new fleet of food delivery robots getting ready for deployment in March, courtesy of a partnership between Bowie State University and Starship Technologies. Starship will provide the campus with 15 autonomous food delivery robots that students, faculty and staff will be able to use via the company’s app to receive food delivery to almost any campus location. The robots will have access to the menus of the various campus dining options. Maurice Tyler, Bowie State’s

Original Lobi Sculptures From Ghana Go On Display at FAMU’s Black Archives

By Andrew Skerritt A new series of exhibitions begins at the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Meek-Eaton Black Archives (MEBA) Research Center and Museum Monday, February 27, with “Field Spirits of the Fante.” Ten original sculptures carved by Lobi craftsmen will go on display, giving insight into daily life, spirituality, and agricultural practices of Ghana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition launches a new series on Land, the Environment, and the African Diaspora presented by the center in partnership with the new Lola Hampton Frank Pinder Center for Agroecology and the FAMU African American Studies Department. “I

Health Research Symposium to Highlight the Value of Research, Clinical Trials

Courtesy of Tuskegee University Members of the extended Tuskegee community are invited to discuss the importance of engagement in research to better shape healthcare for residents of all ages. The All of Us Research Program, in partnership with Macon County community members, will host a Health Research Symposium at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.  Community-centered gathering and conversations will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9 and the community-researcher partnership symposium is from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10. During the symposium, there will be three panel discussion sessions focused on The Historical

Attorney urges Criminal Justice majors to make a difference during Black History Month event

Courtesy of Grambling State University Social injustice in the criminal justice system was the subject matter Thursday morning as Grambling State University’s Criminal Justice Department presented a program titled “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot” as part of GSU’s observance of Black History Month. The keynote speaker for the event held in the Floyd Sandle Theatre in the Conrad Hutchinson Performing Arts Center was attorney Carol D. Powell, who defended the Jena 6 all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court and was named by the Congressional Black Caucus at one of the leading civil rights attorneys for the 21st Century.

HBCU Graduates Are Excellent Teachers, But Of Course We Already Knew That

By Jessica Washington If you’ve been doom-scrolling since the start of the year, you probably missed this tidbit of good news. Earlier this month, the Department of Education granted $18 million to teaching programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other predominantly minority-serving institutions. The money could not have come at a better time. Even though 15 percent of K-12 students are Black, only 7 percent of teachers are Black. And that’s a shame because the benefits of Black students having a Black teacher are widely documented. One working paper from the National Bureau of economic research found that Black students who have

Howard University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering Receives $1 Million Gift from Autodesk Inc. to Advance Student and Faculty Initiatives

By Kelvin Childs Announced today, Autodesk Inc. has donated $1 million to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Howard University, the largest-ever unrestricted gift to the department. The gift for the Department of Mechanical Engineering expands its manufacturing and making facilities and laboratory facilities for students enrolled in the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA). This trust-based gift results from a five-year industry partnership of campus and student and faculty engagements with trust that the Department of Mechanical Engineering has knowledge of how best to invest the contribution to serve its mission. “Howard University is grateful to receive this donation from Autodesk in support

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