When Monique Bell receives her Ph.D., she will become one of only 171 African American marketing business school professors in the United States.
The PhD Project has announced that Bell is the first recipient of the $10,000 Melvin and Patricia Stith Marketing Dissertation Grant. She is defending her dissertation titled, “Self-Enhancement and Self-Transcendence Organizational Values’ Effects on Customer Satisfaction and Corporate Reputation” at Drexel University.
“We decided to create this grant because it represents our life work,” said Melvin T. Stith, Ph.D., dean of the Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University.
“Assisting students to reach their goals is very important. Also, during their Ph.D. program, a little extra financial support can make a big difference in a student’s life.”
Founded in 1994 by the KPMG Foundation, the PhD Project is an organization that recruits minority professionals from business into doctoral programs in all business disciplines. The Project’s vision is to diversify corporate America by increasing the number of minority business professors, who attract more minority students to study business in college.
For Bell, pursuing a Ph.D. in marketing was not on her radar until she heard about the PhD Project. Bell decided to pursue her PhD, after she applied to attend the Project’s annual conference and learned about the benefits of obtaining a PhD and becoming an instructor.
“I was just like I have to at least try because I this could be a really exciting and beneficial career move for me as well. The PhD Project is really connecting with people who weren’t considering academia as a career,” said Bell, who is a native of Rochester, N.Y.
Bell said she worked in marketing for about 10 years and it had never occurred to her to pursue a career in academics.
After graduating in June, Bell will become an assistant professor of marketing at California State University in Fresno.
Since its inception, The PhD Project has been responsible for the increase in the number of minority business professors from 294 to 1,172. According to Project officials, 362 minorities are currently enrolled in doctoral programs, and will take a place at the front of the classroom over the next few years.
“The whole idea of the PhD Project is get more African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans into the classroom. We’re just trying to expand the size and scope of young men and women who decide to get their PhD,” said Stith.
He noted that many business students who wish to further their academic studies are encouraged to obtain their MBAs and head to corporate America.
“A MBA was always a golden ring for business students so we’re trying to say that’s not the only option. Being a college professor is a very viable option and you can have a wonderful career,” Stith said.
“There is nothing wrong with the corporate side. We are just saying that both sides are a legitimate path to happiness.”
The PhD Project is seeking applicants for the next grant. In order to apply for this scholarship, applicants must be African-American, Hispanic-American, or Native American; U. S. citizen or a permanent resident of the United States (possess a green card); must have completed all course work, passed all required preliminary examinations, and received approval for their dissertation proposal. The deadline for the 2013 grant application is May 1.
For more information and to complete the application, visit http://phdproject.ning.com/page/funding-1 or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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Temple University’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry has marked 150 years of providing dental care.
As the nation’s second oldest dental school, the institution has served a key role in tracking the history of dentistry and dental disease in the United States.
“When the school was established in 1863 during the Civil War, it was a school established for a purpose and that purpose was to educate dentists using a structured curriculum with defined outcomes,” said Dean Amid I. Ismail.
“The milestone for us is that we are recognizing this historical moment in terms of the context of the different phases of the dental school, with the changes in disease patterns, as well as changes in technology.”
When the school was established, dental disease was primarily treated through the extraction of teeth. Ismail said that later part of the 19th century ushered in the next movement in the era of dental care, restorative dentistry.
Today the school is focused on bringing more services to the community.
“We want to be more focused on the community we serve. Rather than they come to us, we want to go out into the community,” said Ismail.
To that end, the school has undertaken initiatives such as working with the Woodstock Family Center to launch a dental care program for homeless children and negotiating with a federally qualified health center to operate a dental clinic in West Philadelphia.
In February, the dental school partnered with UnitedHealthcare to launch Project ENGAGE, a $1.75 million initiative design to improve children’s access to oral health care. The program is available to North Philadelphia children under the age of six and their families who are enrolled in the state’s Medicaid plan. The goal is to eventually expand the initiative to other parts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and throughout the country.
Over the past five years, the school has invested more than $27 million toward expansion and renovations, increasing its ability to service the community and provide the best learning experience for student dentists. According to Ismail, the school has been providing affordable care to about 35,000 patients per year.
“Our motto is to be both a patient care center and educational center – it’s like two sides of the same coin,” said Ismail.
Ismail said the dental school has adopted a preventative care model.
“We focus on health, not just treating disease. We are moving from extraction, when we first started, to restorative (care) to prevention to health promotion,” he stated.
The dental school marked its significant milestone with a weekend of activities April 12-13. Activities included a gala celebration at the Barnes Foundation, tours of the dental school and a free service clinic for patients.
The institution was founded by John H. McQuillen in 1863 as the Philadelphia Dental College. The college became affiliated with Temple in 1907.
Kornberg School of Dentistry’s Historical Dental Museum Collection features an online database of 4,000 photos and artifacts that have been used throughout the history of dentistry.
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Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin has launched “It’s Only Natural,” a new public education campaign designed to raise awareness among African American women on the importance of breastfeeding.
“One of the most highly effective preventive measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant and herself is to breastfeed,” said Benjamin.
“By raising awareness, the success rate among mothers who want to breastfeed can be greatly improved through active support from their families, their friends and the community.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that nearly 80 percent of all women in the United States—regardless of status, race, or income — start out breastfeeding. Among African American women, the breastfeeding rate is almost 55 percent — up from just 35 percent in the 1970s. While these rates are improving, breastfeeding rates among African American women remain lower than the rates of other ethnicities in the U.S., particularly among those living in the south.
This gap may indicate that African American mothers face barriers to meeting breastfeeding goals and need additional support to start and continue breastfeeding.
“It’s Only Natural” was developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to equip new African American mothers with practical information and emotional support from peers, as well as tips and education about the benefits of breastfeeding.
The campaign features various materials including video testimonials from new mothers talking about the challenges they have overcome, articles on topics ranging from laws supporting breastfeeding to how to fit breastfeeding into your daily life and fact sheets that contain proper holding and latching techniques.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be breast-fed for one year - exclusively for the first six months and in conjunction with foods introduced over the next six months.
HHS notes that breastfeeding helps keep babies healthy. Breast milk can help prevent ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory illnesses, childhood obesity and childhood leukemia.
In 2011, Benjamin issued a “Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding” outlining steps that can be taken to remove some of the obstacles faced by women who want to breastfeed their babies.
For information visit www.womenshealth.gov/ItsOnlyNatural.
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A real estate project designed to support public school teachers is slated for Philadelphia.
D³ Real Estate Development of Philadelphia and Seawall Development Company of Baltimore have announced plans to build the $35 million Oxford Mills – The Center for Educational Excellence at 100 West Oxford St. The 160,000-square-foot, mixed use development will feature 114 apartments and commercial office space created to support educational nonprofits and is anchored by Teach for America’s regional headquarters.
Oxford Mills is a redevelopment of a historically-certified factory complex located in the city’s South Kensington section.
The project was announced during a ceremonial groundbreaking held Wednesday evening that drew education officials, teachers and members of the community.
“This project has a deeper mission and it’s about education. The mission for this project is really to create an environment of support for the men and women, individuals and organizations who are working to improve the quality of education in Philadelphia,” said Greg Hill, principal of D³ Real Estate Development.
“As real estate developers we’re not necessarily experts in education, but it’s our honor and our privilege to be able to use our skills to support this critically important work.”
During the event, Hill gave a brief overview of the extensive process the developers underwent to acquire the property which faced neglect tax delinquencies and defaulted mortgages.
D³ offered educators as well as the South Kensington Community Partners the opportunity to weigh in on the development.
Oxford Mills’ one and two bedroom loft style apartments will feature modern finishes and appliances and washers and driers. The facility will offer amenities such as a fitness center, a courtyard, a resource center with copy machines and free onsite parking. Sixty-eight of the units have been designated for teachers who will receive a discounted rent of under $1,000. The regular rent for an apartment is about $1,300.
The development’s 40,000 square feet of commercial space includes complimentary conference rooms, training rooms, a common kitchen and breakout room. The community will also feature a coffee shop and a nest incubator for emerging educational nonprofits. The commercial space will be available for occupancy in April 2014.
The new development was lauded by Philadelphia School District Superintendent William Hite.
“I’m glad that some of the teachers in Philadelphia will have the opportunity in this space because this allows us to brand Philadelphia as a place to live, to work, to reflect and to be a part of a community,” said Hite.
Members of PhillyCORE Leaders, a coalition of education leaders working to improve Philadelphia schools, were also on hand to express their support for the development.
Claire Robertson-Kraft, a member of PhillyCORE Leaders said the idea of connection is what resonated with the organization about the Oxford Mills development.
“We don’t see the problem in Philadelphia education being about a lack of engagement or innovation. Rather we think the problem is that too often innovative individuals and innovation organizations are working in isolation across the city in fragmented pockets. We need more efforts to bring together those organizations in a real meaningful way because we all know that the most networked ideas are the ones that are going to be the most successful,” said Robertson-Kraft.
“I think that this space has tremendous potential to connect and leverage the talent that we have here in this region.”
The project is modeled after the Miller’s Court, a Baltimore, Md.-based housing and commercial center for educators and nonprofits that was developed by Seawall Development Company.
The project is largely funded by tax credits. Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. (PIDC) contributed $15 million in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) to the $35 million dollar project; Enterprise Community Investment Inc. provided $10 million in tax credits; and the National Trust Community Investment Corporation chipped in another $9 million.
Oxford Mills was one of the great textile manufacturing companies in Philadelphia. It was once one of the city’s largest dye works factories.
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Walter Henry Moss Jr. was a renowned organist who served as White Rock Baptist Church’s minister of music for more than 40 years.
Moss died Wednesday, April 10, 2013. He was 90.
He was born April 14, 1922 to the late Walter Henry Moss Sr. and Carrie Lawrence Moss. He attended Philadelphia public schools.
At the early age of four, Moss demonstrated a serious interest in the piano. When his father purchased a violin for him the very next year, he began to take lessons under the tutelage of such musical greats as Herbert Siegal, Alexander Harris and Margaret Garret. He continued his work in piano and added the bass violin and the organ.
After graduating from Simon Gratz High School, he pursued advanced musical education at Philadelphia Musical Academy, now the College of the Performing Arts, and studied the organ at the Guilmont Organ School in New York City. He continued studying the organ under the late Robert Elmore, a famous 20th century organist, composer and teacher. In later years, Moss studied music at Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.
Moss’ first church membership was at the Wayland Baptist Church. He began to play for worship services there when he was 18 and continued as church organist under his early 30’s. It was also at Wayland Temple that he married the late Martha Ann Mason Moss in 1949. She was a one-time member of the Katherine Dunham Dance Troup.
It was not unusual for Moss to serve two churches concurrently.
While at Wayland Temple, Moss played for the Bethel Presbyterian Church, where he organized a concert choir. In the 1950s, Moss began serving the Sanctuary Choir of St. Paul Baptist Church of Cinnaminson, N.J. as accompanist. He later assuming the position as choir master/organist in which position he served for 25 years.
“Wherever he served, Walter has profoundly touched and markedly improved the musical life of that congregation,” his family said.
Moss’ musical career has included work in the public service sector as well as the religious arena.
He has performed at the New York World’s Fair, at the Academy of Music, at Fort Dix, N.J., and other military installations. In 1950, when the National Baptist Convention met in Philadelphia, he trained and directed a 1,000-voice choir. He also frequently worked with biracial groups promoting black culture.
Since 1967, Moss served White Rock Baptist Church as its minister of music. His service to his church, church community, and the city of Philadelphia, found him even more engaged with progressive activities in church music ministry, including the use of piano, voice, organ, hand bells and other instruments. During his years at White Rock, he also served as organist at Redeemer Moravian Church and Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church.
For a number of years, he also served as national vice president and director of Branches for the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM).
Moss’s accomplishments over his lifetime were many and immeasurable, including many honors and national acclaim.
“These stand in tribute to the labor of one who was faithful in the ministry of music for close to 80 years,” his family said.
He is survived by his sisters, Carrie Moss Cannicle, Dr. Edith Moss Jackson (Dr. Wendell Jackson); nieces, Robin Cannicle (Charles Pinkett), Renee Jackson; godson, Kevin Felton and other relatives and friends.
Moss’s body will lie in state April 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Services will be held April 21 at White Rock Baptist Church, 5240 Chestnut St. Viewing is at 3 p.m. Services will follow at 6 p.m.