Heidi Anderson, president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), has filed a $1 million defamation lawsuit against former professor Donna Satterlee over Satterlee’s allegations of plagiarism and racism. Anderson, who is Black, holds a Ph.D. in pharmacy administration from Purdue University, according to The Washington Post. She became UMES president in 2018. In July 2025, Satterlee, who is white, had filed a lawsuit against UMES, Anderson, and other individuals at the school, citing wrongful termination. And later, she filed a complaint with the school accusing Anderson of plagiarizing parts of her 1986 dissertation. On Oct. 15, Satterlee appeared on the Newsmax network, repeating the plagiarism claims, calling Anderson a “scam artist,” and alleging reverse discrimination. “We cannot litigate the case in the press,” Anderson’s attorney, James Walker, told The Post. “We spoke to the school, and they reassured us verbally, in writing, and in an affidavit that Dr. Anderson...

Aliko Dangote, the wealthiest Black man in the world, is making a financial commitment to Nigeria’s education system through a philanthropic initiative. The Aliko Dangote Foundation announced it will invest 1 trillion naira, approximately $688 million USD, over the next 10 years to support education initiatives across the country, according to Business Insider Africa. The pledge is one of the largest private investments in Nigeria’s education sector and aims to expand access to schooling while strengthening academic outcomes nationwide. The program is set to begin in 2026 with support for 45,000 students, eventually reaching around 1.33 million over a decade, notes the outlet. The foundation said the initiative will focus on students studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as girls’ education and teacher training. Dangote, who serves as chairman of the foundation, said the initiative is intended to address financial barriers that prevent many Nigerian...

Omar Shaheed III stepped into unfamiliar territory in technology, and now he is setting an example after accomplishing a historical first. The 23-year-old graduated from Berkeley High School in 2020 and was offered an opportunity to apply to South Carolina State University’s mechatronics engineering program by Dr. Hasanul Basher, a professor and chairman of SC State’s Department of Engineering Technology, according to a press release shared with AFROTECH™. The program was in its infancy, and Shaheed was its first student. The program is geared toward equipping students in electronics, control systems, robotics, communications, computer technology, and power systems to work at companies such as Boeing, BMW, Eli Lilly, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, according to information on the program’s website. When Dr. Basher approached Shaheed, the program was still in development at the Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Shaheed admitted he was...

Howard University is advancing artificial intelligence education. According to a news release, the university recently hosted ‘Shaping the Future: AI, Tech Innovation, and the Next-Generation Workforce,’ a campus conversation aimed at connecting national priorities, emerging research, and regional initiatives with opportunities for HBCU students. The discussion was led by Taliontha Washington, Ph.D., executive director of the Howard University Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics, and moderated by Nicholas Abram, a College of Engineering and Architecture computer science junior and Karsh STEM scholar. The panel included U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD); U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA); and College of Engineering and Architecture Dean Kimberly L. Jones, Ph.D. View this post on Instagram As the release notes, Washington opened the event by emphasizing the importance of preparing students for an AI-driven future. She highlighted new AI courses debuting this spring, an AI certificate...

The U.S. Department of Education will be deploying a new round of mental health grants. According t o Education Week, the Education Department will distribute more than $208 million to school-based mental health programs to train and hire additional providers and psychologists. The funding follows the Trump administration’s decision in April to cut over 200 health grants, totaling $1 billion, for recipients who incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments into hiring, recruitment, training, and certification practices, notes a separate Education Week article. In a news release, the Department of Education claim the grants that were discontinued prioritized “the racial characteristics of providers and divisive ideologies, instead of focusing on competent provision of proven mental health interventions for students.” Now, the Education Department has awarded a new round of grants to 65 recipients. Education Week reports that 33 of those recipients are “rural states...

Grambling State University (GSU) criminal justice major Janiah Tims graduated on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, with a decorated resume — and a graduation cap to match. With a 3.94 GPA, Tims graduated as valedictorian and the highest-ranking student of GSU’s Fall 2025 class, Grambling State News reports . She completed her degree in just two and a half years, having entered college with 21 dual-enrollment credits earned while attending Bastrop High School in Bastrop, LA. Although the curriculum was “pretty hard,” Tims said it helped prepare her for success as she arrived at the Historically Black College and University, per the outlet. “I was really doing the same kind of work in the dual enrollment courses that I ended up doing in college,” Tims told Grambling State News. “So there really wasn’t a big difference.” Tims said she completed most of her core college requirements through dual enrollment, including English 101 and 102, History 101 and 102, Music Appreciation, and Psychology 102....

The gift that keeps on giving, MacKenzie Scott, has made another contribution to an HBCU. As previously reported by AFROTECH™ , the philanthropist, who acquired the vast majority of her $35 billion net worth following a divorce from Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos, has donated millions to various Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She was inspired to give to others by the late author Toni Morrison, who was her teacher and mentor. After Scott became a billionaire, she pledged to give half her wealth away and signed The Giving Pledge. Some of her investments in higher education this year alone include: Voorhees University ($19 million) Howard University ($80 million) Spelman College ($38 million) Morgan State University ($63 million) Norfolk State University ($50 million) Winston-Salem State University ($50 million) North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University ($63 million) Prairie View A&M University ($63 million) Dillard University ($19 million) “This gift is more...

Former President Barack Obama has confirmed that the long-awaited Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park will open in June 2026. Speaking during a conversation at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR, on Monday, Dec. 1, Obama narrowed the opening to a specific month but did not give an exact date, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’re going to open in June so that y’all don’t have to bring your coats up,” he said, per the outlet, bringing some clarity to a project that has been over a decade in the making. The Obama Presidential Center, first announced in 2015, was originally expected to open in 2021. Construction was delayed multiple times due to federal reviews and legal challenges, with groundbreaking only beginning in 2021. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the $800 million center, which is now on track to be the most expensive presidential center in U.S. history, spans 20 acres, and features a 225-foot museum tower, an...

A major new investment from billionaire Michael Bloomberg is helping expand educational access for Black students through a partnership that brings K–12 learning directly to the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Bloomberg Philanthropies, together with the national education organization City Fund, has committed $20 million ($10 million each) to support public charter schools and connect students with early college opportunities at nearby HBCUs, according to a press release. The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) will be a key partner in the effort. Forbes notes that the new funding supports two schools in Alabama’s Black Belt region, an area historically underserved in public education. The first is the D.C. Wolfe Charter School in Shorter, a redevelopment of the former D.C. Wolfe Elementary School that is expected to open in fall 2026, just minutes from Tuskegee University. The second, I Dream Big Academy, opened in August 2025 on the campus of Stillman...

Students at Queens High School for the Sciences — the New York borough’s only specialized high school — are pushing to move to a brand-new building, relocating from the second floor of York College’s Jamaica building. Citing issues including overcrowding and the lack of a kitchen and auditorium, students hope to move into the new city-built school at 165-15 88th Ave., scheduled to open in fall 2026, ChalkBeat New York reports . Sophomore Vinny Dong has twice addressed the Panel for Educational Policy, the school board that handles school location proposals, about his school’s conditions. “We have a gym shared with a college that’s two blocks away, for 514 students. We have a library that’s also shared, even though it’s critical for our educational content and classes,” Dong told the panel in October 2025, per ChalkBeat. At least three of the seven parent boards in the borough, along with the citywide high school parent council, also support relocation or creating an entirely new...

Dallas Mavericks Point Guard Kyrie Irving has announced a multi-year partnership with Paul Quinn College, bringing new resources to the only HBCU in Dallas, according to HBCU Gameday. The college is one of 14 basketball programs selected to receive a full uniform sponsorship from Irving and sports equipment company, ANTA. The three-year agreement will supply the men’s and women’s teams with ANTA sneakers, warmups, and apparel designed through Irving’s work with the brand, the outlet reports. The sponsorship is part of a wider grassroots effort involving youth, schools, and community teams in regions tied to Irving’s career and personal history. According to HBCU Gameday, the participating programs have been outfitted with pieces from the KAI collection, including popular colorways such as Crown Jewel, Mentality, Retro ’90s, and Klay. Paul Quinn College publicly thanked Irving for the long-term commitment in a post on X on Nov. 24: “This isn’t your ordinary sneaker drop.  @NBA legend...

Dillard University has joined the growing list of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to earn philanthropic donations from MacKenzie Scott . The New Orleans, LA-based HBCU has received a historic $19 million contribution — the largest single gift in the university’s history, according to a news release. The contribution follows a $5 million donation in 2020 from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation and underscores Scott’s continued investment in HBCUs nationwide. “If anyone ever doubts the difference one person can make, look no further than MacKenzie Scott and how her generosity will resonate across generations,” Dillard president Dr. Monique Guillory said in the news release. “This gift will strengthen the university at a moment when our mission has never been more urgent.” The unrestricted gift will enable Dillard to accelerate key strategic priorities, including enhancing student success, expanding scholarship opportunities, and strengthening institutional...

Hampton University has strengthened its commitment to student success, and it is seeing record enrollment. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Black student enrollment at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and other predominantly white institutions has declined following the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision banning race-conscious college admissions. However, Hampton University, a Carnegie R2-designated research institution, is charting a different course. The university evaluates applicants on technical acumen, leadership potential, and community engagement. It also leverages predictive analytics and personalized engagement strategies, including partnerships with high schools and community colleges, as well as site visits for students and their families. “We’ve never needed policy to define our purpose,” said Dr. Barbara Inman, vice president for student success and enrollment management, according to a news release. “Our approach has always been to find promise and surround it with support....

The Department of Education has updated its qualifications for professional and graduate degrees. According to the Association of American Universities, the Department of Education under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R.1) has made changes that will impact student loan borrowers. It has imposed a $100,000 lifetime cap on borrowing for graduate students, who can take out loans of no more than $20,500 per year, while professional students have a $200,000 lifetime cap and cannot borrow more than $50,000. Additionally, the Department of Education has dismantled the Grad PLUS loan program. According to Federal Student Aid, borrowers used the loan for “education expenses not covered by other financial aid.” The Department has also shifted the goal post for what constitutes a professional degree program. It classifies medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, law, veterinary medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, theology, and clinical psychology as professional...

Dr. RoDina L. Williams has made history as the first Black person in Illinois to earn a Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS). A mother, advocate, and scholar, Williams recently received her DCLS from the University of Texas Medical Branch but says it was her time at Illinois State University (ISU) that set her on the path to success. She first stepped into higher education at ISU, earning two bachelor’s degrees — in kinesiology and recreation and medical laboratory science, according to Illinois State University News. She currently serves as director of health sciences–medical laboratory programs at City Colleges of Chicago . “To stand as the first Black person in Illinois to have a Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science is a testament to every door our ancestors pushed open and every barrier we continue to dismantle,” Williams shared in an email to AFROTECH™. “This honor reminds me that representation isn’t just symbolic; it is a beacon. If my journey lights the path...