A new institute at Dillard University promises to enliven scholarly research on the cultural and social history of the foods of the African diaspora. To be started next spring with $1-million from the late singer Ray Charles, the Institute for the Study of Culinary Cultures will oversee research, academic courses, public programs, and an annual…

Just listen to Dimitrius Graham sing. As a music major at Morgan State University, he seems keenly aware of certain realities about his life: His talent is undeniable and probably innate, and his future is promising but uncertain. He could make a career singing on Broadway or climbing the charts as a Billboard phenomenon. Because he went to…

Goucher College's picturesque campus, on 290 leafy acres just north of Baltimore, plays well in college-admissions materials. Officials at this private liberal-arts institution, however, hope students will also be attracted by the opportunity to get away. Two years ago, Goucher began requiring all students to earn some academic credit abroad, one…

There is a sad truth about college libraries: No matter how attractively designed and cleverly constructed, they cannot disguise a central fact--that the undergraduates in them are seldom there to read books they want to read. The author explains that when he walks through the library at Georgetown University or American University, his heart goes…