BISON BEAT
A Monthly N e ws l e tte r f r o m the O f f i c e o f the P res i d en t MAY 2014
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 5
INSIDE LEADERSHIP
2
AROUND CAMPUS
3
EXCELLENCE AT HOWARD
4-5 COMMENCEMENT 2014
6-7
Dear Howard University Community:
This year’s historic doctoral class preserves Howard’s lead as the top producer of on-campus doctoral degrees in the United States for African Americans and students of color.
We began the academic year by welcoming the second largest freshman class in 15 years; we concluded it with a commencement for the record books.We conferred more than 2,600 degrees, including 950 professional, graduate and certificates as well as 105 Ph.D.s, the largest number of doctoral degrees conferred in University history. Members of the Class of 2014 represented more than 40 states, the District of Columbia and 33 countries. Both qualitatively and quantitatively, Howard University continues to make an impact on the nation and the world. The commencement address was delivered by a son of Howard Sean Combs, and we honored leaders in journalism, medicine, music and business, respectively: CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer;Transplant Surgeon Clive Callender, M.D.; Jazz legend Benny Golson; and Pepsi Chairman and CEO Indra K. Nooyi.We also welcomed home John Pinkard, a 1935 graduate of the College of Liberal Arts who earned a Master of Science degree from Howard in 1938. In addition, Hortense K. McClinton and Lydia Mussenden celebrated the 75th anniversary of their graduation from Howard in 1939.We also welcomed the 50-year class of 1964. On behalf of the campus community, I also thank the anniversary classes for their gift of more than $600,000. This fall, we are preparing for another exceptional class.The Class of 2018 continues the tradition of competitive academic performance with an average SAT score of 1097 (more than 250 points higher than the average for African-American test-takers) and an average GPA of 3.3. More than 700 incoming students have accepted our prestigious merit-based, freshman scholarships; they have an average SAT of 1263 and average GPA of 3.59. Six Presidential Scholars are among them, and they have SAT scores between 1500-1600. As part of my ongoing effort to engage alumni, I was honored to participate in a Los Angeles-based alumni fundraiser on May 18.The event raised more than $120,000 to benefit the Bridging the Gap Student Aid Campaign.This academic year, we will provide the inaugural GRACE grants, a program I designed to meet the demands of students with the greatest need, ensuring their retention and on-time graduation.The funds will also support athletics and a number of University-wide programs. Heartfelt thanks to hosts Trustee Larkin Arnold,Trustee Debbie Allen and nearly 35 co-chairs who made this event and its success possible. Sincere gratitude also goes to the alumni who hosted me over the last academic year, including groups not only here in Washington, but also in Raleigh, Baltimore, Atlanta, NewYork, Chicago,Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.Your unwavering support of alma mater is energizing, and we thank you. As you saw in a recent letter to the Howard community, Kurt L. Schmoke, our interim provost and chief academic officer, vice president and general counsel, will take the helm at the University of Baltimore. His wisdom, counsel and sterling reputation have been invaluable to Howard University in his roles as dean of the law school and, most recently, as a member of the senior leadership team. I thank him for his extraordinary service and his friendship. And while we are sad to see him go, his appointment fulfills Howard’s desire to disperse our talents around the nation and the world. During this transition, I have appointed respected administrator, Michael R.Winston, Ph.D., as acting provost and chief academic officer. In closing, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and dear friends of Dr. Maya Angelou. A true renaissance woman -- author, poet, activist, dancer, professor -- she was the epitome of “Truth and Service.” Howard honored her in 1985 with a Doctor of Letters for her extraordinary contributions to American literature and culture.The world is a better place because she lived in it. In Truth and Service,
Wayne A.I. Frederick Interim President
LEADERSHIP OUR THANKS TO KURT L. SCHMOKE
Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Vice President and General Counsel Kurt L. Schmoke has been appointed as President of the University of Baltimore. It is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell; however, his appointment does fulfill Howard’s desire to disperse our talents around the nation and the world. In 2003, Mr. Schmoke joined the Howard University family as Dean of the School of Law. He has also served the Capstone in several key leadership capacities during critical times of need, including Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs; General Counsel; and Interim Provost as well as had oversight of government relations and compliance.
Mr. Schmoke’s tenure at the law school was marked by an expansion of clinical law programs and an increase in faculty publications. He also led significant fundraising initiatives and advanced the legacy of advocacy and the preparation of social engineers. In his administrative roles, he has worked collaboratively with colleagues to strengthen the University’s endowment, build new residential halls and a new interdisciplinary research facility, as well as increase undergraduate enrollment to its highest level in a decade. The Howard family thanks him for his true commitment to our students, faculty, staff and alumni.
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP Dr. Michael R. Winston, a historian and respected administrator, will serve as Acting Provost through September 30, 2014. Since November 2013, Dr. Winston has served as Academic Counsel to the President. His unparalleled knowledge of Howard and the Academic Affairs portfolio makes him uniquely positioned to serve as Chief Academic Officer. He is nationally regarded for his scholarship and is credited for elevating Howard University’s academic standing, including the recruitment of leading scholars as Vice President forAcademic Affairs (1983-1990). For a decade, 1973-1983, he served as the Founding Director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive repositories for the documentation of the history and culture of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas and other parts of the world. Under Dr. Winston‘s leadership, separate Library and Manuscript Divisions were established, and the Howard University Museum and Howard University Archives were created. After retiring from Howard, he served as Vice President and Director at the Alfred Harcourt Foundation, and subsequently as the Foundation’s President, He earned a B.A. degree magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Howard University in 1962; M.A. degree in French History and Ph.D. degree in European History from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Winston was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from Rollins College in 2008. Please also join me in welcoming Dr. Winston as he has agreed to serve in this capacity during this transition period.
AROUND CAMPUS LA FUNDRAISER RAISES $120,000 FOR SCHOLARSHIPS, ATHLETICS AND CAMPUS PROGRAMS
Los Angeles-based alumni and friends of Howard University raised approximately $120,000 at a fundraiser held at the home of Larkin and Cynthia Arnold on May 18. Interim President Wayne A.I. Frederick provided highlights on recent accolades, campus progress and strategic priorities to the 125 guests who attended the event. The funds will benefit the Bridging the Gap Student Aid Campaign, a $25 million drive that provides scholarship and fellowship assis-
tance to deserving students who have gaps in financial aid, as well as athletics and a wide-range of campus programs. Special thanks are conveyed to Trustees Larkin Arnold and Debbie Allen as well as the extraordinary team of co-chairs who sponsored the event. The Howard community extends heartfelt thanks to attendees for their ongoing support and gifts.
HOWARD NAMED HOME DEPOT’S RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL WINNER
DR. FREDERICK PARTICIPATES IN THE KEMP FORUM Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick recently participated in a panel discussion at the Kemp Forum on the Future of the American Idea, hosted by the Jack Kemp Foundation in Washington, D.C. At the Kemp Forum, Dr. Frederick was joined by panelists: Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute; political strategist Ron Christie and journalist Juan Williams who led the discussion. The Forum served as a platform for the civil competition of ideas. Jack F. Kemp served as U.S. Congressman, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, vice presidential nominee of the Republican Party in 1996, and as Trustee of Howard University from 1993 until his passing in 2009.
Howard University has been named a winner in Home Depot’s 2014 RETOOLYOUR SCHOOL Campus Improvement Grant Program, which is designed to reinvigorate historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Howard was one of three schools to win in the $25,000 Campus Pride Award category. The grant will fund a shuttle bus exterior plaza in front of Cramton Auditorium.The new plaza will be constructed to allow for more space, accessibility and comfort for shuttle riders.
COUNTDOWN TO THE BATTLE IN THE CAPITAL! Countdown to the Battle in the Capital! Events DC announced today that tickets for the 4th annual AT&T Nation’s Football Classic® go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 2 atTicketmaster, the Howard University Box Office at Cramton Auditorium and the Morehouse College Bookstore.The Howard Bison meets the Morehouse Maroon Tigers at RFK Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m. For the first time, Student Section tickets will be sold at Campus locations only. For more information on the AT&T Nation’s Football Classic, please visit www. nationsfootballclassic.com.
COMMENCEMENT 2014
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Howard Commencement on NBC Nightly News
The Howard University 2014 Commencement received more than 600 media placements, including television, radio, print and online. Click here to view a sampling of the coverage.
105 Ph.D.s
HIGHEST IN HOWARD’S HISTORY
2,600 GRADUATES
21%
OF NATION’S DENTISTS OF COLOR
COMMENCEMENT 2014
SEAN COMBS ENCOURAGES HOWARD GRADUATES TO BE DECISIVE AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THE “POWER OF YOU” Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Combs presented the commencement address at Howard University to more than 2,600 students on Saturday, May 10. During the ceremony, Howard conferred 105 doctoral degrees, the largest Ph.D. class in the University’s history. Combs gave an impassioned speech and led an energetic crowd in the famous Howard spirit chant, “HU,You Know.” He encouraged the graduates to be fearless, decisive and fully embrace their inner power. “Do you know how powerful you are?” Combs asked. “When you leave here today, go forth with the knowledge that you have the power to change the world. Embrace your power and turn your dreams into reality.” Combs shared insights from both his time at Howard and his own personal experiences, stressing the support of his mother, the importance of believing in yourself and not being afraid to fail. He also credited his late father for inspiring his business acumen.
Combs received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in recognition of his achievements as an entrepreneur and champion of education. He is chairman, chief executive officer and founder of Combs Enterprises LLC, a preeminent group of companies and brands. Howard also granted honorary doctoral degrees to Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s lead political anchor; Clive Callender, M.D., Professor of Surgery at the Howard University College of Medicine and the first physician to perform an organ transplant at Howard University Hospital; Benny Golson, internationally renowned jazz legend; and Indra K. Nooyi, chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo. Graduates come from 40 states, as well as the District of Columbia. The Class of 2014 also represents 33 countries on five continents. Members of the class have received a number of prestigious scholarships and fellowships, including the Luard-Morse Fellowship, and the Fulbright, Rangel, Woodrow Wilson and National Science Foundation fellowships.
2014 COMMENCEMENT CONVOCATION HONOREES
Transplant Surgeon Clive Callender, M.D.; PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra K. Nooyi; Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Sean Combs; Jazz legend Benny Golson and CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.
EXCELLENCE AT HOWARD
32 ENGINEERING STUDENTS CONDUCT RESEARCH IN EIGHT COUNTRIES
Thirty-two Howard University undergraduate students from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields will travel to eight countries this summer to conduct research projects as participants in the National Science Foundation-funded Global Education, Awareness and Research Undergraduate Program (GEAR-UP). The program aims to increase global engagement of graduates in engineering and other sciences through study and research abroad. It is spearheaded by the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences (CEACS) and supported through a multi-year $5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. This year, students will conduct research in Chile, Ethiopia, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand and Turkey.
STUDENTS TAKE PART IN LIBERIA ARCHITECTURE CHALLENGE This spring, Students from the Howard University School of Architecture traveled to Liberia as part of a design contest to build a new digital library for the African nation’s William V.S. Tubman University. Howard students were selected for the project and were placed on teams with counterparts from Morgan State and Tuskegee Universities. Architecture fourth-year students Drew Meekins, Lawrence Wyman and Evan Smith, along with faculty advisor Logosou Kudayan, participated in the project.
RASHAD C. DINKINS AWARDED REGINALD F. LEWIS PRIZE
In May, Mobile, Ala. native Rashad C. Dinkins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and was awarded the coveted Reginald F. Lewis Prize. The $2,500 prize is awarded to the undergraduate student whose cumulative grade point average demonstrates the highest increase between his or her sophomore and senior years. In 1990, the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, Inc. established the Howard University Reginald F. Lewis Fund to support various student and faculty enrichment academic activities. A cornerstone of the innovative initiative is the Reginald F. Lewis Scholar Prize.
DR. TRICIA BENT-GOODLEY APPOINTED EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF SOCIAL WORK
Dr. Tricia Bent-Goodley has been appointed as the new Editorin-Chief of SocialWork by the National President of the National Association of Social Workers. She will serve in this capacity for the next four years and is the second African American to serve in this role in the journal’s 58-year history. Social Work, established in 1956, is a top-rated social science journal in the world, ranked first in its category by the Information Sciences Institute. Dr. BentGoodley’s appointment is from 2014-2018.
EXCELLENCE AT HOWARD
MARY HILL INDUCTED INTO TUSKEGEE NURSING HALL OF FAME Howard University Assistant Provost and Professor of Nursing Mary Hill, Ph.D., R.N., was recently inducted into the inaugural Tuskegee University Nursing Hall of Fame. The Nursing Hall of Fame celebrates the accomplishments of nursing leaders for outstanding contributions to nursing education, research and practice. The ceremony took place at Tuskegee on March 29. Hill was recognized alongside 16 other leaders in the field.
BUSINESS STUDENT RECIPIENT OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT HONOR Howard University School of Business student Zawadi Dismuke was recently selected as a 2014 R. Gene Richter Scholar, an honor that carries $5,000 in tuition assistance and access to industry mentors. She was recognized at the Institute for Supply Chain Management (ISM) 2014 convention in Las Vegas, May 5-7.
131 HOWARD STUDENT-ATHLETES EARN MEAC COMMISSIONER’S ALL-ACADEMIC HONOR Howard University continues to make its mark in the academicathletic arena as it placed 131 student-athletes on the recently released 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Commissioner’s All-Academic Team. The number of honorees was second only to Delaware State (136) among the 13 conference institutions. Commissioner’s team selections were sophomores through seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. For a list of Commissioner’s All-Academic team honorees, click here.
HOWARD RADIO VETERAN JACQUIE GALES WEBB TO BE INDUCTED INTO RADIO HALL OF FAME
WHUR “Sunday Afternoon Gospel” Host Jacquie Gales Webb is such a fixture on Washington’s airwaves that fans may not realize she’s not a native Washingtonian. Now, her college alma mater’s student-run radio station, Emerson College’s WERS 88.9 FM, is inducting the distinctive-voiced announcer into its Hall of Fame.