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 SEPTEMBER 2014
INSIDE
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 9
Dear Howard University Community: The academic year is off to a great start with a number of well-received activities on campus and progress on a number of key initiatives.
2-3
Last week, I announced the signing of an agreement with Paladin Health to manage Howard University Hospital while the University continues to be the licensed operator. This change will enable us to enhance our hospital’s operational efficiency, achieve fiscal viability, advance our academic health sciences mission and continue to provide vital care for thousands of District of Columbia residents.
4
The Capstone continues to welcome leaders from a wide variety of sectors. Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting Facebook Global Director for Diversity Maxine Williams and President of the World Bank Group Dr. Jim Yong Kim. I continue to be honored to serve as your 17th President and was especially humbled to deliver the Opening Convocation address on September 26. It was inspiring to reflect on our founding charter and—nearly a century and a half later—our unyielding commitment to providing opportunity for those whom quality health care, access to postsecondary education and a hopeful future would not otherwise be possible.
AROUND CAMPUS
APPOINTMENTS EXCELLENCE AT HOWARD
We look forward to the upcoming Homecoming and Alumni Weekend, October 17-19. This year, we are pleased to unveil a number of new events and activities, including open houses across campus in the schools and colleges. Also featured will be a Children’s Pavilion with supervised care and activities in partnership with the YMCA on Friday and Saturday, from noon to 6:00 p.m. For a full listing of events, visit http://www.howard.edu/alumni/homecoming/ and www.bisonhomecoming.com. In furtherance of our commitment to excellence and opportunity, the Presidential Transition team has opened an Executive Search Support office to lead recruitment for a number of senior positions. Once the searches begin, the job opportunities will be posted on Howard’s website at http://www.howard.edu/careers/ I appreciate receiving your many ideas and suggestions and encourage you to continue sending them to presidentialtransition@howard.edu. Other important components of my outreach are focus groups, which provide me with a forum for wide-ranging discussion with various constituents about how to move the University forward. The first session was held in September and included faculty, staff, students and community leaders, including Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners. Future focus groups will also include visits with alumni around the country. Thank you for your ongoing support as we advance the Capstone. In Truth and Service,
Wayne A.I. Frederick President
AROUND CAMPUS
DR. FREDERICK AFFIRMS HOWARD’S HISTORIC ROLE IN DEFINING OPPORTUNITY President Wayne A.I. Frederick delivered the 147th Opening Convocation address on Sept. 26. He underscored the essence of Howard and its mission to provide opportunity for those with limited to no access.
start of the academic year. The ceremony is a welcoming event for new students and an opportunity to recognize recent achievements at the University.
“As we embark on this next chapter, I think it is important for us to identify what opportunity looks like today, what it means and what Howard’s role is in creating and defining opportunity in 2014 and beyond,” Dr. Frederick said.
Dr. Frederick highlighted the recently launched Howard Center for Academic Excellence, an initiative created to provide undergraduate retention support services as well as the Graduation & Retention Access for Continued Excellence (GRACE) grant program, which provides need-based funding to increase on-time graduation.
Opening Convocation is a time-honored tradition, officially signaling the
ALUMNUS HARRIS WOFFORD KEYNOTES BOUCHET FORUM
BISON WIN CLASSIC FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Harris Wofford, a champion of national service and civil rights and a Howard Law alumnus, accepted the Bouchet Legacy Award at the Graduate School’s ninth annual Edward Bouchet Forum on Sept. 18. Wofford expressed his gratitude and acknowledged Howard for “educating the heart” as well as the mind.
Led by senior quarterback Greg McGhee, the Bison scored a 35-17 victory over the Morehouse Maroon Tigers in the fourth annual AT&T Nation’s Football Classic at RFK Stadium on Sept. 12.
Wofford (J.D. ’54), is a highly accomplished politician, author, academic and statesman. He is also an alumnus of Yale University’s Law School. Wofford served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1991 to 1995 and as the president of two colleges. The Edward Bouchet Society was established by Howard University and Yale University in 2005 to recognize outstanding achievement and promote diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. The initiative includes nine additional institutional partners.
McGhee rushed for three touchdowns and threw for two more to lead the Bison to victory. The Bison are now 4-0 in the Classic and their seven consecutive victories over Morehouse matches the longest winning streak for either team in the series. More than 13,000 people attended the game. Howard and Morehouse also held annual “More than a Game” academic events that led up to the game. The events included the Mordecai Wyatt Johnson – Benjamin E. Mays Student Debate. Debate teams from each institution squared off over resolutions related to the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) and recent events surrounding the killing of Michael Brown in Missouri.
AROUND CAMPUS
RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY FOR NEW RESIDENCE HALLS
The campus community celebrated the official opening of two on-campus residence halls with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 25. The living and learning communities enhance the University’s on-campus housing options and help to establish a dedicated residential neighborhood for undergraduates. President Frederick said the new development provides a high-quality educational experience for students and lifts the Fourth Street corridor of campus. Since Move-In Day in August, the new halls have brought about a more vibrant campus community where students comfortably live, work and socialize.
FACEBOOK EXECUTIVES SPEAK ON DIVERSIFYING SILICON VALLEY
Howard University is partnering with Facebook to prepare students for careers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields to encourage diversity within the company and tech sector. On Sept. 10, more than 120 students engaged Facebook Global Head of Diversity, Maxine Williams, to address ways to increase diversity in the Silicon Valley tech sector. During the day, Howard students networked with Facebook employees and executives about available opportunities and sought advice on how to shape their academic careers to be competitive for tech sector jobs.
WOLFE’S WITTY SHOW ‘SPUNK’ KICKS OFF THEATRE SEASON
The Howard University Department of Theatre Arts began its 2014-2015 theatre and dance season, “Top of the Heap,” with George C. Wolfe’s adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s Three Tales – SPUNK.
WORLD BANK PRESIDENT DELIVERS LECTURE ON REDUCING INEQUITY
The three-part SPUNK production showcases an outstanding cast of student performers bringing to life its rich mixture of storytelling, dance and the Blues. SPUNK is directed by theatre arts alumna Denise J. Hart with musical direction from music alumna Kayla V. Waters. The show will be performed in the Environmental Theatre Space Oct. 8–12. Tickets may be purchased at the Ira Aldridge Theater Box Office or by calling (202) 806-7700.
World Bank Group President, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, delivered a lecture on Oct. 1 addressing the role of the World Bank and other institutions in boosting shared prosperity and reducing inequality around the world. The lecture was co-hosted by the School of Business CEO Lecture Series and the Graduate School Certificate Program in International Studies. Kim also spoke about his desire to help Howard students launch careers at the World Bank. He said the institution has made progress in expanding diversity among World Group employees but said it could do better. Currently, 29 Howard graduates work at the Bank. Howard University and the World Bank Group are in discussions to create internships for doctoral candidates in economics to work with the Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC) office. These internships will create the opportunity for Howard graduate students to immerse themselves in development policies and programs affecting countries around the world. He also invited Howard graduates to apply for the World Bank’s Expanded Analyst and Young Professional programs.
WWW.HOWARD.EDU/ALUMNI/HOMECOMING
APPOINTMENTS Senior Director of Alumni Affairs Charles J. Gibbs will serve as Senior Director of Alumni Affairs. Gibbs has held several leadership positions at the University including Dean of Residence Life, Director of Athletics and Vice Provost. He is a two-time Howard University graduate and has served on several university committees focused on enhancing services for students, faculty and staff.
Assistant Vice President for Marketing & Branding Laura H. Jack is the Assistant Vice President for Marketing & Branding. Jack previously served as an Assistant Dean for Admissions, Marketing and Communications at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to Johns Hopkins, she was the Director of Marketing and Communications for the City University of New York. Senior Advisor to the President for Institutional Advancement
Advisor for Strategic Initiatives Calvin Hadley is the Strategic Initiatives Advisor in the Office of the President. He has previously served as Executive Director of the Youth Scholar Academy at The Institute for Responsible Citizenship; Program Manager for The Fellowship Initiative at JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Teacher/American College Advisor at the Senegalese American Bilingual School in Dakar, Senegal. Vice President for External Affairs Gracia Hillman is the Vice President for External Affairs and will directly oversee Government Affairs and strategic engagement. She joined the University in July as the Director of Presidential Transition and Senior Advisor to the 17th President of Howard University. Hillman previously served as Chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission; President and CEO of WorldSpace Foundation; Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State; and Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of the U.S.; Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and National Coalition on Black Voter Participation.
Maisha C. Leek is Senior Advisor to the President for Institutional Advancement. She served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-02) and is the architect of GEAR UP, a program that has placed 14 million youth from low-income communities on the path to college. Additionally, Leek was the lead staffer for the Fattah Neuroscience Initiative. General Counsel Effective Sept. 22, Florence Prioleau was appointed General Counsel. She joined the University on July 1 in an interim capacity. Ms. Prioleau brings an extensive and varied legal practice including Crowell and Moring and experience as a public policy partner, former White House official and senior Congressional aide. For more than 25 years, she has provided counsel to clients on a wide range of issues before Congress and the federal agencies including healthcare, food and drug, higher education, tax, insurance, agricultural subsidies, federal grant funding, Internet gaming, environment and natural resources and aviation.
we’re on top! • Howard University was ranked fourth among all American colleges and universities on LinkedIn’s list of “Best Schools for Media Professionals.” • Howard was ranked as one of the “Top 50 BEST MSW Schools,” selected out of the 230 accredited Master’s of Social Work degree programs. • Howard has been recognized as a top producer of Teach for America participants. • Forbes ranked Howard as one of the “Top 20 Most Entrepreneurial Universities.” • The School of Business’ Supply Chain Management Program was recently ranked among the top 25 universities by the Gartner Supply Chain study.