Higher Ed Writers Have Questions for The Presidential Candidates
By Bob Moser For an industry that employs four million Americans and attempts to educate 15 million more, higher education is, strangely, routinely ignored in presidential elections. Every four years, higher ed types wonder if this will turn out to be the long-awaited “higher ed election.” And every November, they realize that aside from some jibes at “woke” students and the occasional proposal for free community college or Title IX reform, the topics that matter to colleges and universities barely came up at all. But there’s hope for 2024, though not for the best of reasons. Skepticism of a college degree’s
Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investments in HBCUs
Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement on the Harris and Biden administration investment in HBCUs. Harris is a graduate of Howard University located in Washington DC as the graduating class of 1986. The statement goes as follows: As a proud graduate of Howard University, I know firsthand that our HBCUs are centers of academic excellence. For generations, these anchors of our communities have played a pivotal role in building and contributing to America’s leadership at home and abroad. Today, graduates from our Nation’s more than 100 HBCUs are in every room where important decisions are made – leading in
Black Caucus largely sticks by Biden, but worries grow about whether his candidacy can survive
By Yamiche Alcindor and Scott Wong As more and more Democrats call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, a key group of allies on Capitol Hill, remain largely supportive of the president but concerned that the ongoing pressure may prove fatal for his campaign and damage the party overall. In interviews Thursday with NBC News, five members of the caucus said that while small fissures are emerging, most lawmakers remain loyal to Biden. Still, they want to see a change in campaign strategy and staffing to better position Democrats to win in November
HBCU Legend, SIAC Hall Of Famer, And Super Bowl Champion Passes At 40
By Kyle T. Moseley HBCU legend Jacoby Jones died three days after celebrating his 40th birthday. The former Lane College standout was pivotal to the Dragons football team from 2003 to 2006. He was named offensive player of the year, special team player of the year, and all-conference. Former Texas Southern head coach Johnnie Cole featured Jones in his potent offensive attack at Lane. Jones headlined a group enshrined at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame ceremony in May. Lane College and Marion Abramson High School in New Orleans inducted him into their Hall of Fame. Jones was
A $1B Donation to Johns Hopkins Makes Med School Free for Most
By Jessica Blake Johns Hopkins University has received a new gift of $1 billion from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which will allow the majority of the university’s medical students to attend tuition-free, the university announced Monday. The historic donation will also help many medical students cover living expenses and provide some financial aid for students from middle- and low-income backgrounds enrolled in nursing and other health care–related graduate programs. “As the U.S. struggles to recover from a disturbing decline in life expectancy, our country faces a serious shortage of doctors, nurses, and public health professionals—and yet, the high cost of medical, nursing, and
Morehouse and Spelman Students Tased By Police During 2020 Protests Could Receive $2M Settlement
By Rachel Knox Two college students who were pulled from their car and tased by police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 could receive a $2 million settlement. Messiah Young, a student at Morehouse College, and Taniyah Pilgrim, a student at Spelman College, got stuck in traffic as the streets filled with protesters on May 30, 2020. They were in their car as the protest took place in downtown Atlanta, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. Young and Pilgrim were not participating in the protest. They took out their phones and started recording their surroundings. Police officers pulled them
Dillard University president steps down after two years
By Randall Barnes Dr. Rochelle L. Ford, the eighth president of Dillard University, has announced her resignation effective July 1st per reporting by Gabriella Killett and Gordon Russell of NOLA.com. According to a university statement released on Friday, Dr. Ford is stepping down “to focus on her health and family.” According to Killett and Russell, Erroll Williams, the Orleans Parish tax assessor who is a Dillard graduate and serves on the board of trustees, revealed that Dr. Ford had been on leave since before May’s commencement. However, her resignation was surprising. “It was unexpected to hear of her resignation,” Williams remarked. Dr. Ford’s tenure
From pandemic to protests, the Class of 2024 has been through a lot
By Tonia Smith Four years ago, Keilee Northcutt graduated near the top of her Tullahoma High School class in Tennessee. But instead of strutting across the stage in front of her proud parents, she was relegated to the front seat of her mom’s car as they drove a lap around the football field, quickly grabbed her diploma, then drove home. There were no smiling selfies with her besties, no class parties, and no fancy awards ceremony to fete the high achievers like her. Instead, she got a shoutout on Facebook. Back then, it was COVID-19 that stole her moment. This
UAPB Students Experience Entrepreneurial Mindset Summit in Atlanta
Courtesy of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff The HBCU/MI Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program Summit in Atlanta is a significant initiative aimed at fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in entrepreneurship and advanced technology. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) was one of over 23 HBCUs at the 2024 summit, which aims to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCUs/MIs) in developing comprehensive entrepreneurship curricula relevant to preparing African American and minority students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and become leaders and entrepreneurs. The 2024 summit took place at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta
Biden and Harris make a rare joint campaign appearance to shore up Black voters’ support
By Mike Memoli and Lauren Mayk Preparing for a new phase of the campaign as Donald Trump’s criminal trial nears the end, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will make a rare joint campaign appearance here Wednesday to shore up a critical constituency in a critical state: Black voters in Pennsylvania. The Democratic ticket will be joined by a rising Democratic star and likely major surrogate, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, as it works to counter Trump’s efforts to make inroads among the voters who helped power Biden to the nomination and then the White House four years ago. Biden’s campaign has