Barack Obama's monumental presidential campaign took the nation by storm, a history-making and future-defining feat sure to keep academicians busy for many years to come. How America addresses race as a result of Obama's sweeping victory remains to be seen, but his election came in the same year New York state installed its first Black governor, the U.S. House of Representatives struck a conciliatory tone with its apology for slavery and Bob Jones University apologized for its racist policies including its ban on inter-racial dating. Obama's victory also ushered in a wave of hope and optimism necessary to confront present national and global dilemmas. Chief among these and which also dominated the headlines this year is the global banking and credit crisis that has touched every sector of the economy, including education. Also this year, several education and diversity advocates passed away, including Dr. Leonard Spearman, former president of Texas Southern University, and Dr. Robert Goheen, the former president of Princeton University who hired the institution's first Black full professor. This article highlights some of the year's top stories to touch diversity and higher education.