The Association for the Study of Higher Education has selected Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist, Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, as the recipient of the CEP Mildred Garcia Award for Exemplary Scholarship.

The CEP Mildred Garcia Award for Exemplary Scholarship recognizes seminal, exemplary scholarship that focuses on research and issues specifically related to underrepresented populations of color. The award is named in honor of Dr. Mildred Garcia, President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Jackson was presented with the award at the 43rd Annual ASHE Conference in Tampa, Florida on November 14, 2018 at the CEP Business Meeting. He was also acknowledged on November 16, 2018 at the ASHE Awards Ceremony.

The 7th Annual International Colloquium on Black Males in Education was held on October 24 – 26, 2018, in Dublin, Ireland at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel and Spa. Pre-Colloquium events were held on October 22 – 23, 2018.

Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson served as the Chair for the Colloquium, joined by Dr. James L. Moore III as Co-Chair. The theme for this year’s Colloquium was “From Bondage to Educational Equity: Fostering Global Discourse on Lost Narratives of Black Males,” featuring keynote lectures centered around Frederick Douglass in conjunction with his bicentennial birthday. This year’s Colloquium also featured over 80 speakers spread across over 100 unique sessions.  In addition, Director Jackson assisted in inducting the 2018 Warrior Spirit Award winners, including Dr. Lemuel W. Watson, Dr. Chance W. Lewis, Dr. William H. Smith, and Dr. Livingstone Thompson.

Every year, the Colloquium offers a diverse array of programs that serve to elicit intellectual thought, discussion, and ideas that can be implemented to serve and improve the experiences of Black males throughout the world. These activities allow participants to interact with peers from other institutions and develop a global network of contacts. The Colloquium provides a forum for top researchers, high-impact practitioners, policy makers, funders, and students from across the globe to share their knowledge and perspectives, as well as to learn from global research strategies that inform education policies and programs on Black males in education.

The Wei LAB welcomed a new Senior Research Associate, Dr. Shawn A. Robinson. As Senior Research Associate, Dr. Robinson will assist the Director with advancing the research agenda and strategic planning for the Wei LAB. He will also assist in developing innovative research projects and proposals related to the Wei LAB’s commitment to removing barriers to the U.S. workforce through educational opportunities.

Dr. Shawn A. Robinson is creating new research pathways related to removing literacy-related barriers to the U.S. workforce, a problem that effects more than 32 million adults in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy. His research interests aim to help cultivate more educational and employment opportunities for populations that experience challenges with reading. He has a particular emphasis on African American males and individuals with dyslexia.

Dr. Robinson’s research interest stems from his lived-experience as a Black male with dyslexia. He currently serves as a Director at Large of the International Dyslexia Association.

In the 2018 “Diverse Issues” feature, Advancing Equity and Diversity in Student Affairs: A Festschrift in Honor of Melvin C. Terrell, edited and contributed to by Wei LAB Team members, was recognized on the front cover.

Advancing Equity and Diversity in Student Affairs: A Festschrift in Honor of Melvin C. Terrell serves to highlight how student affairs has grown as a field of practice in response to the growth of student diversity on college campuses and honor the remarkable career of Melvin C. Terrell. Melvin C. Terrell was a pioneer in the field of student affairs, serving as the Vice President for Student Affairs at NEIU for 20 years — the longest tenure for an African-American in that position at a predominantly White institution at the time. Equally remarkable was the guidance Terrell provided to scholars and practitioners, many of whom contributed to the Festschrift in his honor.

“Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was one of the few who saw it as part of their role to uplift the future generation of scholars and practitioners,” Dr. Jackson said in the article.

The Diverse Issues article elaborates on the career and impact of Terrell, including quotes from several of the contributors to the book who were impacted by his example and mentorship. Contributors to the Festschrift include past and current Wei LAB staff members, including Dr. LaVar J. Charleston, Dr. Lesley-Anne Pittard and Devon Wilson.

The feature also highlights the impact of the Festschrift and its role as one of the only comprehensive texts devoted to student affairs. A Festschrift is a time honored academic tradition that recognizes the retirement of an accomplished scholar by other scholars contributing original work to a volume dedicated to the honoree.

Read the online issue here.

The Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences (iAAMCS) released new guidelines defining successful strategies for mentoring African American doctoral students in Computing Sciences (CS).

The iAAMCS used project-based results and empirical research to reveal six guidelines: recruit strategically, establish community, foster a research culture, provide holistic advising, provide funding and promote professional development. All six guidelines, which each include multiple strategies, serve the greater purpose to enable African American students to pursue and graduate in CS Ph.D. programs across the United States.

Various faculty members collaborate and lead the iAAMCS from higher education institutions across the country. Some members include Juan Gilbert of the University of Florida, Monica Anderson of the Univesity of Alabama and the Wei LAB’s own Professor Jackson, who serves as the Data Portal & Project Evaluator for the iAAMCS.

To learn more about the iAAMCS, visit their website here, and for students interested in utilizing programs and resources, fill out this form.

The Asa G.Hilliard and Barbara A. Sizemore Research Course has been positively influencing the trajectories of researchers interested in studies on African-Americans in education for the past eleven years. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education featured the enduring impact of the course in its recent article, “Research Course at AERA Proves Successful Eleven Years Later.”

In April 2018, early career scholars and advanced graduate students worked directly with established researchers on questions and methods that inform studies on African Americans in education. Each year, the research course is held during the American Education Research Association’s (AERA) annual meeting in New York City, New York. Participants were exposed to the fundamentals of developing a research agenda and career focused on conducting research on African American populations in education.

The institute format included a keynote address from the Wisconsin Equity and Inclusion Laboratory’s own Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson. In addition, academia from all over the country led other events throughout the day, such as Dr. Chance W. Lewis from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Other events included panels, presentations and one-on-one meetings.

The Wei LAB welcomed Woodson Fountain, the first Black pilot hired by Northwest Airlines, to the UW-Madison campus last week in conjunction with its new initiative, The Shattered Glass Series.

The Shattered Glass Series recognizes individuals who have charted new career opportunities for women & people of color and provides a platform for them to share their wisdom with others.

Fountain shared his story and insights with UW-Madison during a fireside chat at the University Club on April 26, 2018. The following morning he shared his story with members of the Madison community at the Red Tails Community Event sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Madison.

At the fireside chat, Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist Dr. Jerlando F.L. Jackson asked Fountain questions about his motivation for pursuing a career in aviation, what is was like to be trained by a Tuskegee Airman and his view of diversity efforts within the aviation industry.

Watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VefYxwC7OA

The Wei LAB and the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male at The Ohio State University announced that the 7th Annual International Colloquium on Black Males in Education (ICBME) will be held in Dublin, Ireland October 24-26, 2018. It will be preceded by the Pre-Colloquium on October 22-23, 2018.

The Colloquium serves as a space to exchange ideas and perspectives concerning the global dynamics of Black males in the educational pipeline. It is a community-building experience that brings together world-class scholars, high-impact practitioners, policy makers, funders, students, and concerned citizens. The Colloquium offers a diverse array of programs that serve to elicit intellectual thought, discussion, and ideas that can be implemented to serve and improve the experiences of Black males throughout the world. Colloquium participants are encouraged to discuss the wide range of educational issues that arise across the educational pipeline (i.e., university and PK-12) as well as share ideas and innovative practices in different disciplinary fields (e.g., history, sociology, and STEM) that take into consideration how forces such as globalization and the internationalization of education affect the educational trajectories of Black males.

Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson was named to Madison 365’s Black Power List recognizing influential Black leaders in the state of Wisconsin in December 2017. Jackson was recognized for his prominent leadership in the field of educational policy and his state-wide and global impact on organizational disparities.

Madison 365 is a nonprofit multimedia news outlet that aims to find solutions, build community and encourage leaders in Greater Madison’s communities of color. The organization is in its third year of sharing the Black Power List.

Read what Madison 365 had to say about Dr. Jackson and 34 other influential Black leaders in Wisconsin by clicking here.

Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson was presented the Alumni Achievement Award from the College of Human Sciences at Iowa State University in October 2017.

The Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni for meritorious service and/or distinguished achievements in areas such as business and industry, family and consumer sciences, education and health. Dr. Jackson received the award during Iowa State University’s Homecoming week.

“I am honored to receive this career award from the College of Human Sciences, but I have more work to do to fulfill my promise when I left Alabama to go to Iowa,” said Professor Jackson. “I was inspired to attend Iowa State to become part of its legacy with Black graduates like George Washington Carver and Frederick D. Patterson. I promised that I would leverage the opportunity to get my Ph.D. and use my gifts and talents to make a difference in the Black community.”

Professor Jackson received his Ph.D. in education leadership and policy analysis at Iowa State University in 2000. He was  awarded the Outstanding Young Professional Award from Iowa State University’s School of Education in 2004 and its Alumni Association in 2012. Professor Jackson has also become a life member on Iowa State University’s Alumni Association and a member of the Order of the Knoll (President’s Circle).