Discusses Mordecai Johnson, who became Howard University's first African American president and transformed Howard into the leading center for black higher education, where students could acquire knowledge, skills, and inspiration to prepare them to make a difference in the world. During his tenure, faculty and student numbers tripled. His major…

Alexander Pushkin, Russia's most celebrated literary figure, descended from an African slave. On both parents' sides, he was related to Avram Petrovich Gannibal, who was born to an African prince and abducted to become a slave to a Russian diplomat. Pushkin chose to pride himself on both his aristocratic life and his African ancestry. (SM)

Presents the story of Philippe Wamba, the son of an African American woman and an African revolutionary. Wamba describes the huge cultural and racial divide that separates African college students from both white students and African American students at the elite university which he attended, noting that he found himself most comfortable with…

Surveyed African Americans about whether educational vouchers are good for African American children. Most respondents were college faculty and administrators. Respondents voiced opinions for and against vouchers. Some worried that vouchers would lead to resegregation and suggested that funds were better spent upgrading public schools. Others felt…

Marian Wright Edelman relates the story of her experiences at Spelman College, Georgia, an all-black, all-women's school. Her story tells of the strong group of black and white faculty members who mentored her, pointing her toward a highly successful life in public service. (SM)

Presents a selection of books on African Americans or racial issues that have been issued by U.S.-based university presses within the part year, noting that the nation's university presses are a major source of books on issues concerning racial relations (though blacks have only a token presence on their editorial boards). (SM)

This collection of articles includes such topics as: black student matriculations at the highest-ranked colleges and universities; the effect of the racial gap in home ownership on African American higher education; black trustees at major colleges and universities; medical school admissions; race sensitive admissions; fixed-percentage college…

Presents a statistical record of the progress of African Americans in higher education, offering: the Black-White Higher Education Equality Index; statistics that measure racial inequality; states in which black college enrollments are expected to grow over the next 15 years; and differences among the states in their percentages of low-income…

Suggests that banning all racially sensitive programs and practices in higher education is unacceptable, presenting a history of black admission to higher education and examining: minority student recruiting; athletic departments; race sensitive programs sponsored by foundations; reducing black student dropout rates; race sensitive faculty…

These articles examine the racial scoring gap on the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) and other standardized tests for college admission, noting reasons why it exists and its impact on black educational opportunities. Topics addressed include: black-white scoring gaps by state; states where blacks have improved their SAT scores; online tutorial…

Investigated the effectiveness of race sensitive college admission using data on 60,000 students admitted under race conscious policies. Students admitted under preferential policies (who would have been rejected under race-neutral policies) were qualified to attend their universities and graduated at high rates. Students believed that living and…

Profiles a group of contemporary black feminist scholars to highlight the diverse nature of black feminist theory and scholarship. The women include Hazel Carby, Yale University; Cathy Cohen, Yale University; Angela Davis, University of California Santa Cruz; Paula Giddings, Duke University; bell hooks, City College of New York; Joy James, Brown…

Though traditionally the field of academic astronomy has belonged almost exclusively to whites, today several black scholars are beginning to make their mark in this scientific discipline. Profiles a group of contemporary African American scholars who are astronomers and astrophysicists, noting that there are at least four black graduate students…

This study examined the role of senior public relations administrators in institutional decision making through a survey of presidents and senior public relations officers at the 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (SSHE). Findings indicated that SSHE senior public relations administrators are often not included in…

An exploratory study surveyed 59 colleges and universities concerning their advertising practices, specifically media usage, importance of communication objectives for institutional messages, and the importance of audiences targeted for advertising. All major media were used by most of the institutions. Communication objectives mentioned most…