It's been 21 years since the nation's first Ph.D. program in African American studies was established at Temple University. One of only 10 university departments in the U.S. that trains doctoral students in Black studies, the Temple program is the top producer of Ph.D. recipients in the field with 160 doctoral graduates. This fall semester, Dr.…

Each year it becomes increasingly difficult to select just 10 Emerging Scholars. There are so many outstanding scholars of color in the academy who are breaking new ground in research, applying scholarship to public policy and grooming the next generation of leaders and professionals. "Diverse's" 2007 Emerging Scholars are doing all of that while…

Dr. Michael P. Johnson, an associate professor of management science and urban affairs at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, is taking management science tools and innovative information technology applications to the housing field. Concerned that organizations that develop and…

Fearing a federal court in Oklahoma might end a state-financed merit-scholarship program targeted by a discrimination lawsuit, black legislators passed a bill making the program race and gender neutral. State regents are criticized for failing to develop effective policy to remedy past discrimination. (MSE)

While Texas officials scramble to adopt race-neutral admissions and financial aid policies in the public higher education systems, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights has opened an inquiry into system compliance with civil rights legislation. Texas is the only state that prohibits affirmative action in higher education…

Increasingly, African American academics are appointed to political positions in the federal government. This career path can be both beneficial and difficult, dependent on high-level political support and the party in power. Most are short-term jobs, may slow the tenure process, and can adversely affect the faculty-college relationship. Several…

Coalition-building among Black and Latino groups is an effective way of shaping public policy. Since the Civil Rights era, the groups have found common ground in issues and candidates at all levels. Nationally, coalitions have generally revolved around specific issues (affirmative action, education, anti-discrimination, census). As Latino…

Profiles Congressman Chaka Fattah, a Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) native developing federal legislation designed to motivate low-income students to complete secondary education so they qualify for aid for higher education and to improve these students' access to support programs. Outlines the legislator's background, political career, and work at…

To get some notion of how deeply scholars have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, one might look to someone like Dr. Erma Lawson, a medical sociologist from the University of North Texas. Lawson, who has coordinated the assistance efforts for the Association of Black Sociologists, has not hesitated to call on colleagues, graduate students, civil…

In 1990 when African American governor of Virginia L. Douglas Wilder appointed an African American secretary of education, it signaled to many a concern for ensuring educational access for all Virginians. However, during the difficult economic period that followed, college tuition rose. Some remember his administration more for austerity and…

The December 1997 conference of the National Association of Scholars reflected the association's opposition to both affirmative action policy in higher education and multiculturalism. Much of the discussion on racial preference focused on the academic performance of African Americans in relation to other racial and ethnic groups. Multiculturalism…