Jasper Smith is a 2024-25 reporting fellow with an interest in HBCUs, university partnerships, and environmental issues. She is a graduate of Howard University, where she studied media, journalism, and film communications and led The Hilltop, Howard’s student newspaper. You can email her at Jasper.Smith@chronicle.com or follow her at @JasperJSmith_ .
Stories by This Author
News
After Report Says Seton Hall President Knew of Sexual-Abuse Claims, Lawmakers Demand His Resignation
The Politico investigation comes after leadership turmoil at the private university.
Newly Updated
We’ve documented actions taken on dozens of campuses to alter or eliminate jobs, offices, hiring practices, and programs amid mounting political pressure to end identity-conscious recruitment and retention of minority staff and students.
Dismantling DEI
Board leaders said the action would force administrators to support all students “regardless of their identifying characteristics.”
Assessment & Accreditation
The financially struggling institution will remain accredited pending an appeal hearing in February. HBCU advocates have long contended that the accreditation process is discriminatory.
Still Holding On
Alumni and local residents disagree on the role the college plays today.
Decision 2024
The former president has promised to wield the executive branch more aggressively, including scrutinizing colleges.
Reclaiming R1
Jim Crow laws severely restricted HBCUs’ ability to build graduate programs, limiting the number of Black people with graduate degrees and the amount of research on Black communities.
Shifting rhetoric
Faculty members at Columbia University say they disagree with a pro-Palestinian student group’s recent endorsement of violence, but some support the group’s right to express that sentiment.
Academic Furdom
A professor hoping to help strays on campus turned to an unusual source of support.
Dispute with a Capital ‘D’
Drake University is suing Des Moines Area Community College for trademark infringement over a “D” logo. Last week, it made an unusual request.