Hampton University launches a School of Religion

By Sheyla Fairley

Hampton University, Hampton, VA, has established a School of Religion, which was announced on President’s night at the university’s Ministers’ Conference.

According to an article, the School of Religion will “not just transform the academic landscape, but also broaden the University’s wingspan to reach a global community of leaders compelled to dive deep on issues of race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religious tradition, and ideology.”

“Given that we’ve hosted the minister’s conference for over a century – in terms of timing, I think this is long overdue,” said Hampton University President Darrell K. Williams. “Although we are not a religious institution, it is certainly a part of our fabric and our foundation. We see the development of the School of Religion as a natural progression. It’s not revolutionary. It is, in fact, evolutionary.”

For more information, read the full article here.

Spelman College names alumna as new provost

By Sheyla Fairley

Spelman College, Atlanta, GA, has named Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Spelman alumna, as the new provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, who will take over her position on August 1, 2023. Scott-Johnson succeeds Dolores Bradley Brennan, who has served as the interim provost since September 2021.

“I am thrilled to be returning to my alma mater as a member of the leadership team to help shape and enhance the academic landscape through which women of Spelman develop as change agents,” said Dr. Scott-Johnson in a release. “Spelman has been and will continue to be a special place for women of African descent and how they impact the world. I look forward to guiding additional pathways for advancing faculty, at all levels, and delivering innovation in student success from retention to graduation. I am excited by the opportunity to work with President Gayle on her strategic vision for the College.”

Tennessee State University to find uses of AI in education 

By Sheyla Fairley

As the nation’s only HBCU Smart Technology Innovation Center, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, is working to help communities of color understand the opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) in education.

According to an article, Dr. Robbie Melton, “Vice President of Technology Innovation Strategies and interim provost and acting vice president of academic affairs,” will host two sessions on June 22 and 29, for TSU faculty, where she will conduct AI demonstrations.

“It’s important for TSU faculty to learn how AI works in enhancing teaching and learning before taking a stand to ban it or try to stop it in the classroom. AI pushes us to incorporate critical and higher order thinking skills that go beyond basic observation of facts and memorization,” said Dr. Melton.

For more details, read the full article here.

Byron Perkins, the first openly gay HBCU football player, to be featured in new sports documentary

By Sheyla Fairley

Hampton University, Hampton, VA, defensive back Byron Perkins, the first openly gay HBCU football player, has starred in the new CBS documentary, “Beyond the Limits.”

According to an article, “Beyond the Limits” is “a series that explores and celebrates athletes’ lives and impacts away from the playing field.” On Sunday, June 11, the redshirt senior spoke of his “journey post-coming out and the joy he’s experienced living as his authentic self.”

“There are so many more dimensions to who I am as a person than just this one variable,” said Perkins. “If this one variable doesn’t sit well with you, then quite honestly, I don’t care.”

Read the full article, here.

 Texas Southern University to receive funding from Project SERV following last year’s bomb threats

By Sheyla Fairley

Texas Southern University, Houston, TX, is one of the four historically Black Colleges & Universities to receive funds from Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence) after receiving bomb threats last year. As stated in a release, Project SERV supplies “short-term funding for local educational agencies and institutions of higher learning education” after they experience a “violent or traumatic incident” in order to “restore a safe environment for students, faculty and staff.”

“These funds are critically important to the safety, security, and well-being of our institutions,” said Dietra Trent, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “HBCU students consider their campuses as a sacred refuge and home away from home, and it is imperative that we provide them with these resources, ensuring that they not only feel safe but are safe. It is also incumbent upon us to ensure that the faculty and staff who are dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders are also able to do so with peace of mind. Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has been committed to strengthening the HBCU community and the investments that these institutions will make using the Project SERV funds is another example of the strength of that commitment.”