North America

‘Japa’ not the sole path to success, Nexford varsity CEO cautions graduates

Oct 2, 2023Oct 2, 2023 awouniversity

By Opeyemi Babalola Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nexford University, Fadl Al Tarzi, has cautioned the graduates of Nexford University against joining the trend of other Nigerians leaving the country in droves for greener pastures. The online university, which is based in Washington DC, recently graduated 622 students across its BBA and MBA programs. Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Al Tarzi, stated that leaving the country to pursue job opportunities abroad is not the best solution, adding that, with…

Howard University President Reacts to U.S. News & World Report Ranking

Sep 26, 2023Sep 26, 2023 awouniversity

September 19, 2023 Dear Howard University Community, On Monday, U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) released its annual “Best Colleges” rankings showing Howard University ranked at #115 among national universities – a drop from the previous year’s ranking. Despite this change in ranking, Howard University continues to make consistent improvements through our innovative and data-driven approach to our institutional goals. This year’s ranking comes largely from newly-introduced metrics that deemphasize – or eliminate – key areas that we have significantly enhanced through our Howard Forward strategic plan. As a leading…

Stanford University president announces resignation over alleged research misconduct

Jul 28, 2023Jul 28, 2023 awouniversity

The president of Stanford University, Marc Tessier-Lavigne said Wednesday he would resign, citing an independent review that cleared him of research misconduct but found “serious flaws” in five scientific papers on subjects such as brain development in which he was the principal author. Tessier-Lavigne said in a statement to students and staff that he would step down Aug. 31. The resignation comes after the board of trustees launched a review in December following allegations he engaged in fraud and other unethical conduct related to research…

A squad of four NASA satellites set for lift off have deployed!

Jul 18, 2023Jul 18, 2023 awouniversity

A squad of four small satellites was set to lift off on Monday! #Starling will attempt to maneuver and do tasks as a team without any commands from mission control. Watch the launch on the @RocketLab live feed, and follow our blog for mission updates: https://blogs.nasa.gov/smallsatellites NASA’s four Starling CubeSats are confirmed to have deployed from the Rocket Lab’s Electron kick stage. The spacecraft, which are designed to work together as a “swarm,” have reached low Earth orbit to begin their mission to test technologies for autonomous positioning, networking, maneuvering, and…

US Supreme Court overrules Biden’s $400bn student debt cancellation plan

Jul 18, 2023Jul 18, 2023 awouniversity

The US Supreme Court dealt President Joe Biden a significant political setback Tuesday when it overruled his landmark programme to cancel the student debt of millions of Americans. The court said Biden had overstepped his powers in cancelling more than $400 billion in debt, in an effort to alleviate the financial burden of education that hangs over many Americans decades after they finished their studies. The conservative-dominated court voted six to three in the ruling, saying the president should have obtained specific authorization from Congress…

Claudine Gay officially becomes Harvard’s first black president

Jul 10, 2023Jul 10, 2023 awouniversity

By Opeyemi Babalola Claudine Gay has officially resumed as 30th president of Harvard University, becoming the first black president to lead the 386-year-old institution. She was announced as the varsity’s 30th president in December 2022, succeeding Lawrence S. Bacow, who stepped down in June 2023. Gay joined Harvard’s faculty in 2006 as an expert on democracy and political representation in the Government Department. She became dean of the FAS’s Social Sciences Division in 2015. She then moved into the role of dean of…

KNUST, Yale School Of Nursing forge collaborative partnership on health coverage

Jun 17, 2023Jun 17, 2023 awouniversity

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, and Yale School of Nursing in the United States of America (USA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a collaborative partnership to enhance the pursuit of universal health coverage in Africa. The signing ceremony took place on Tuesday, 6th June 2023, at the Council Chamber of the University. Representing the team from Yale, Professor Holly Powell Kennedy, the Dean and Helen Vaney Professor of Midwifery at Yale School of Nursing, expressed her…

Postdocs, staff researchers begin strike at University of Washington over poor salary

Jun 17, 2023Jun 17, 2023 awouniversity

After months of negotiations, 2400 postdocs and staff researchers at the University of Washington (UW) went on strike today, arguing that the university’s proposed contract terms don’t amount to a fair wage. The roughly 6000 graduate students at UW won’t be on strike, but some of them—as members of the same union that represents postdocs and staff researchers—have pledged to not cross the picket lines. The strike comes on the heels of a change in state law on 1 January, which mandated that overtime-exempt salaried employees…

First black woman in the U.S. to earn PhD in Chemistry, Marie Maynard Daly, honored by American Chemical Society

May 28, 2023May 28, 2023 awouniversity

Marie Maynard Daly made history in 1947 when she became the first Black woman to earn a PhD in chemistry in the United States. Now, the American Chemical Society has recognized that major milestone by dedicating a National Historic Chemical Landmark to Daly. The landmark was recognized at a designation ceremony held at Columbia earlier this month. Daly, who was born in Queens, took a research position at Rockefeller University after graduating in 1947. In 1955, she returned…

Honoring 100 years of Black Greek life on campus

May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 awouniversity

This year marks the centennial of UCLA’s first African American sorority and fraternity; plaque dedication ceremonies begin April 24 From UCLA News In 1923, UCLA, then known as the Southern Branch of the University of California, was home to just a few thousand students and was still two years away from granting its first degrees. Greek life, however, was already in swing, led by African American students. Clockwise from top: Upsilon chapter charter member Wendell Gladden Jr.; chapter initiate Leon Whitaker; initiative Lorenz Graham; initiate William Rux Jr.; initiate Jefferson Brown. Middle…