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Morgan State University’s nursing program is now the best in the state. According to a press release, Morgan State University’s Department of Nursing achieved a 100% first-time pass rate for the NCLEX-RN nursing licensure examination for its 2025 bachelor’s in nursing graduates. A 2025–26 NCLEX-RN program report found that the entire cohort of test-takers passed on the first attempt and outperformed state and national averages. The Historically Black College and University’s (HBCU’s) nursing program last achieved a 100% pass rate in 2018, per the release. “This achievement affirms the strength, discipline, and intentionality of a program that has steadily built toward this level of excellence,” said Kim Dobson Sydnor, Ph.D., dean of the School of Community Health and Policy, in the press release. “A 100 percent pass rate is not simply a measure of academic success — it reflects the readiness of our graduates to enter the profession at a critical moment for health care.” As a result...
The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing the Yale University School of Medicine of discriminatory practices in its medical school admissions process. In a May 14 letter, Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department assistant attorney general for civil rights, said the department conducted a compliance review to determine whether the Yale School of Medicine complied with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance , according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The Justice Department said its review found that Yale’s School of Medicine violated this law in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The department listed several examples of the violation, including the Yale Admissions Cycle Committee Retreat 2025 presentation, “Race-Neutral Admissions: Examples from Literature,” which discusses increasing “Minority Physicians.” The department also alleged that Yale...
A course on Beyoncé and her album “Cowboy Carter” (2024) has arrived at Harvard University. According to The Harvard Gazette, a course titled “American Requiem: Beyoncé, Benefits and the Gap Between Promise and Delivery,” is being taught by Ayushi Roy , an adjunct lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School. The course uses the Grammy-winning album to explore digital technology and how to leverage it to improve government services. In conversation with The Harvard Gazette, Roy discussed her inspiration for the course. She said she saw a pattern in the album of overlooked women and marginalized people, which was similar in government assistance programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which often fail to fully consider constituents in their design and delivery. “She frames the album as a conversation about the erasure of African American people from country music,” said Roy, per The Harvard Gazette . “You realize that she’s actually making a...
Instructure Inc., the parent company behind academic portal Canvas, is facing scrutiny following a cyberattack claimed by prominent hacker group ShinyHunters that disrupted schools and universities across the United States during final exams, including several Historically Black Colleges and Universities . According to Instructure’s incident response webpage, the first breach occurred on April 29, 2026, followed by a second incident on May 7, when unauthorized activity reportedly resulted in changes to Canvas pages. In response, Instructure temporarily shut down affected services, locking students and instructors out. “The unauthorized actor made changes to the pages that appeared when some students and teachers were logged in through Canvas. Out of caution, we temporarily took Canvas offline into maintenance mode to contain the activity, investigate, and apply additional safeguards,” Instructure said. “Due to monitoring that we implemented after the first attack, we detected and...
Several HBCU students have benefited from a multimillion-dollar commitment to raise graduation rates across Atlanta HBCUs. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is committing $50 million in scholarships to Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College, and Spelman College, all Atlanta-based Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, and chairman of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, signed the Giving Pledge, aiming to donate at least half his wealth, joining MacKenzie Scott, who has also been supporting HBCUs through philanthropic donations. The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation’s scholarship is intended to ensure students reach the finish line in their education by providing gap scholarships. The commitment, announced in October 2025, will be distributed over 10 years and is expected to support nearly 10,000 students, according to a press release. “We know Spelman, Morris...
A new report is shedding light on a “learning recession” in U.S. schools that started in 2013. The report, titled “From Learning Recession to Learning Recovery: Understanding the Sources of U.S. K-12 Improvement,” was led by researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University, and Dartmouth College. In 2022, the researchers created the Education Recovery Scorecard, which was designed to “track the pace of post-pandemic recovery in local communities around the country,” per the report. It is a collaboration between the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard and the Educational Opportunity Project (EOP) at Stanford. According to ABC News, the Education Scorecard examined reading and math scores for students in grades 3 through 8 from more than 100 school districts between 2009 and 2025. Findings from the report found that since 2013 there has been a decline in average test scores among students in the U.S. For reading, it was noted that the average annual loss...
Tiwa Savage wants to ensure the next generation of Nigerian artists are well-equipped for the music industry. Savage is a 2007 alumna of Berklee College of Music in Boston. Starting out as a backup singer at 17 for George Michael and many others, Savage attended the University of Kent in England to pursue a career in business administration. From there she landed a job at Royal Bank of Scotland, according to information shared by Berklee. But music was calling her back, and she returned to her first love. “When I came to Berklee and saw a lot of the younger students, their drive and their passion, it recharged my batteries,” Savage told the college at the time she was attending. “[They’re] not thinking, ‘I’m going to save about $10,000 before I move,’ no, ‘I’m just going to get my backpack and move.’ I needed that fresh air, that atmosphere. I kind of felt like a 19-year-old.” Berklee In Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Program Savage is now recognized as a superstar, forging...
The University of Chicago (UChicago) has announced a new initiative to remove financial barriers for its students. UChicago wants to expand its tradition of supporting students on their way to becoming leaders, thinkers, and innovators by providing paid internships, ongoing mentorship, and peer networking opportunities, according to a press release. The school draws first-generation students and those from middle-income families and rural communities, as well as those interested in public service. In the press release, UChicago says undergraduate students from families earning less than $250,000 annually will be eligible for a guaranteed free tuition program starting in the Autumn Quarter 2027. Students from families making less than $125,000 will also receive free housing and meals with other fees covered. The release further notes that the initiative will make it easier for families to predict how much financial support they will receive and simplify the process of exploring...
Salenah Cartier has made history at the University of Houston (UH) at 23 years old. Cartier’s journey at UH has been driven by her understanding that education and technology are key “foundations of society” that can empower underserved communities. She acknowledged this in an interview with ABC13 Houston. “What motivates me most is giving back, showcasing my research by using my research to fill in those gaps within the literature, within studies, by partnering with charities, by volunteering, by being involved within my community, and also giving my life to God,” Cartier explained, according to ABC13 Houston. At age 17, Cartier earned a bachelor’s in psychology and remained at UH to pursue a master’s in education focused on learning, design, and technology. She made history as its youngest master’s graduate at 18, according to Essence. She has now become the university’s youngest PhD graduate. Her doctoral degree is in curriculum and instruction, with an emphasis on learning,...
Southland College Prep Charter High School’s 2026 class has more than one reason to celebrate this graduation season. According to the Jacksonville Free Press, its 135 graduating seniors have collectively received more than 1,300 college acceptances nationwide. What’s more, the class has received $54 million in merit- and need-based scholarships. In particular, Valedictorian LeiLani Barnes will attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to pursue a degree in kinesiology and dance, while Salutatorian Loren Rounds will attend Northwestern University to study political science and public health, according to the Black Information Network. Furthermore, seven students received full-ride scholarships to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and three received full rides to Washington University in St. Louis. “In December of my senior year, I was blessed with the privilege of receiving a full-ride scholarship to Washington University,” Senior Terrill Chambers...
Twin sisters Tia and Jasmin Criss are set to graduate from the nation’s oldest Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The pair are graduates of Philadelphia High School for Girls and credit their parents, Wendye Criss and the late Lynn Criss III, for helping them dream big. However, they never imagined the feat they would achieve in higher education. CBS News reports the pair attended Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. They both pursued a bachelor’s in business administration, according to their LinkedIn profiles. The pair have now reached the finish line of their studies, with Tia named valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA, and her sister salutatorian with a 3.9 GPA, according to information shared by the university. The pair were “shocked” when they learned of the news, as it was never the goal to become valedictorian or salutatorian, according to CBS News. Associate Dean of Students Dr. Lakiyah Chambers noted the twins’ achievement was a “product of working hard” and...
“It’s never too late,” said Tennessee State University graduate Charles Whitman Dabbs. Dabbs, a Los Angeles native, graduated from high school in 1958. He told NewsChannel 5 that there were no jobs for Black boys at the time, which led him to join the Navy at 17. He served as a hospital corpsman and embarked on a 50-year career in federal service, including with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, according to information shared by Tennessee State University. He went on to have a family and work in a handful of roles, including as a drug counselor and mental health worker. While wearing various hats over the years, he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and two master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. In the wake of COVID-19, he decided to pursue a doctorate and began taking online courses at Tennessee State University. His younger classmates assisted him when needed, particularly with technology, he told NewsChannel 5. “I...
Dominique Malonga is a WNBA player who is interested in launching an app in the future. Malonga, a Cameroon native raised in France, was drafted by the Seattle Storm as the second pick in the first round. She previously played with ASVEL Féminin in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball and the French national team at age 16, Women’s Health reports. She already made her mark in the WNBA as the youngest to record a double-double and achieve 100 career points, not to mention her ability to dunk, according to a press release. Her career is already promising, but Malonga is also making sure she invests in her future in more ways than just on the court. Women’s Health reports that she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Southern New Hampshire University. She was good at math and science in school, and she sees a pursuit in tech as timely and relevant. She enrolled in an online program that will take five to six years to complete. “We don’t even understand how it’s going to...
Stephen Curry has established a scholarship at his former college. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Curry attended Davidson College in North Carolina from 2006-2009 and became the Wildcats program’s all-time leading scorer. However, he did not complete his degree at the time, opting instead to pursue an NBA career. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2009, per Spotrac. He later returned to earn his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2022. Davidson College Curry Scholars Program Curry is now partnering with the school to launch the Davidson College Curry Scholars Program, which will provide individualized college and career coaching to high-achieving high school students from under-resourced communities hailing from the Bay Area, according to a press release. California’s Oakland Unified School District and non-profit College Track are partners in the program. “Ayesha and I started our foundation in Oakland 7 years ago with the vision of making sure every kid has access to...
These Philly teenagers have earned college degrees before graduating from high school. Channel 6 Action News reports that Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School in Pennsylvania has a dual-enrollment partnership with the Community College of Philadelphia that has enabled the school to achieve this feat. The program’s purpose is to support “highly motivated students pursuing an accelerated path to higher education,” per its program manual. The opportunity also ensures that underserved youth face fewer financial barriers to pursuing that goal, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Part of the program’s first class, Dylan Adkins, Khalif Barakat-Cooper, Marquise Floyd-Reid, Aidan Marion, and Jeremiah Roach earned college credits from the Community College of Philadelphia while in high school. Courses they enrolled in included physics, art history, intro to robotics, and survey of criminal justice, among others. “I knew that it was going to be an academic challenge, definitely...