A Monthly Newsletter from the Office of the President
March 2017 Volume 6 Issue 3
TOGETHER, WE SUCCEED March 2017 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | PAGE 1
Dear Howard University Community, March is always special for Howard
In that same spirit of a commitment
impact across the globe—reminding
began with a spirited and successful
Day Dinner raised double the
changing, what we know for sure:
University. This year, the month celebration of Howard’s 150th
Charter Day and escalated to the
highly anticipated announcement
of the University’s partnership with
to excellence, this year’s Charter
amount of revenue from last year’s fundraising event and brought in a record-breaking $1.2 million in net
us that, in a world that is ever-
Howard University is the change we need and wish to see.
proceeds to aid the Bridging the
In a separate initiative during
especially inspired by Gary Howard,
World Languages and Cultures as
as well as Cecilia Suyat, the widow
Journalism & Film provided students
provided unique prospectives with
experience as they influenced the
and appreciation for Howard and
traveled to Panama City, Panama.
University continues to provide a
are life-changing and expose each
provocateurs and service-oriented
their own narrative, rather than have
Gap campaign. On March 3, I was
spring break, the department of
a descendant of Oliver Otis Howard,
well as the department of Media,
of Thurgood Marshall. Both of them
with a unique interdisciplinary
regard to their individual connection
University’s global footprint and
their desire to ensure that the
The effects of international travel
space for the future trailblazers,
student to an opportunity to create
leaders of our time.
it created for them.
University past, present and future.
Recently, during Alternative Spring
As we continue to celebrate 150
Charter Day—we welcomed Mark
rays of light to communities that
inspired and ask that you will offer
students, faculty and staff—all of
spirit. For more information about
unique cultures. This year, the ASB
howard.edu.
highlight Howard’s commitment to
Excellence in Truth and Service,
Google that will provide juniors and seniors an opportunity to receive instruction from senior Google
engineers and Howard faculty and to receive course credit for their studies.
A series of events, including
the Charter Day Convocation,
the Charter Day Dinner and the
Sesquicentennial Celebration hosted at the National Museum for African American History and Culture
helped to signal a focus on Howard On March 2—Howard’s official
A. L. Mason, a Howard University board of trustees member and
alumnus to serve as the Charter Day Convocation orator. He proclaimed: “Today, Howard takes on a new relevance. Howard has always
meant something different in each
generation, while at the same time
representing something timeless— the need to advance and the
commitment to excellence in truth and service.” I couldn’t agree with those words more.
Break 2017, Howard sent forth
years of Howard University, I remain
need and want help by way of our
your contributions, in true Bison
whom are mosaic representations of
how to get involved, go to 150.
team made an increased effort to
150 years of excellence in truth and service by sending more than 500
student leaders to 11 domestic sites and two international sites—Haiti
and Ghana—for the first time in HU
Alternative Spring Break history. The student-led initiative was inspired by the slogan “We are the Change”—a statement that made a resounding
PAGE 2 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | March 2017
Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA President
Inside AROUND CAMPUS 4
Howard Students Give Back During Alternative Spring Break
6
Howard Faculty and Students Take Educational Experience to Panama City
7
Howard University Celebrates Milestone 150th Anniversary Charter Day Convocation
10
Charter Day Dinner Raises Record-Breaking Amount
March 2017 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | PAGE 3
Howard Students Give Back During Alternative Spring Break
AROUND CAMPUS
Howard Students Give Back During
This year, the Alternative Spring Break program, which is committed to serving communities in need and involving students in meaningful service, sent more than 500 students to the following community service projects: FLINT, MICHIGAN (inter-faith collaboration on social and environmental justice) DETROIT, MICHIGAN (literacy intervention and mentorship WASHINGTON, DC (homelessness and HIV) NEWARK, NEW JERSEY (high school retention) BALTIMORE, MARYLAND (gang violence) CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (gun violence) ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (social justice) MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE (poverty) LUMBERTON, NORTH CAROLINA (crisis cleanup and cultural exploration) NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (education and prison industrial complex) DILLEY, TEXAS (immigration)
PORT-AU-PRINCE; CROIX DES BOUQUETS, OUEST; AND CAP HAĂ?TIEN, NORD, HAITI (construction and infrastructure development)
ACCRA, GHANA (civic engagement and leadership development)
PAGE 4 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | March 2017
$120,000 More than $120,000 in donations was raised through WHUR 96.3’s Helping Hands initiative to support students in completing their projects.
March 2017 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | PAGE 5
Howard Faculty and Students Take Educational Experience to Panama City During Spring Break Spring Break 2017 took some Howard University students to Panama City, Panama, for a week to visit the Festival de Diablos y Congos; Museo de Afro Antillano; Colon; the Panama Canal and more. Students also taught English to Panamanian students. Professors Edilberto Galvan and Fredric Kendrick led this interdisciplinary international trip, which included students from the department of World Languages and Cultures and the department of Media, Journalism and Film. Students fielded stories in English and Spanish for print and video.
PAGE 6 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | March 2017
Howard University Celebrates Milestone 150th Anniversary Charter Day Convocation
March 2017 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | PAGE 7
Howard University celebrated “150 Years of Excellence in Truth & Service” with the recent Charter Day Convocation, an annual event commemorating the special charter enacted by the U.S. Congress that was subsequently approved by U.S. President Andrew Johnson, establishing Howard University on March 2, 1867.
PAGE 8 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | March 2017
With the sesquicentennial theme, “The Time is Always Now,” the University commits to carrying forward the banner of social justice and academic excellence. Convocation speaker Mark A. L. Mason, alumnus and member of the board of trustees, lauded Howard University as “the incubator that nurses America’s conscience.”
During the event, President Wayne A. I. Frederick announced new initiatives meant to ease the burden of college costs on students and families, such as implementing a 10 percent tuition discount for families with two or more siblings who are enrolled at Howard; allowing students to pay one price for taking 42 credits over the
course of the fall, spring and summer semesters; and creating new degree completion options for students who have been unable to satisfy degree requirements. He also announced plans to potentially unveil a new three-year degree tract.
March 2017 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | PAGE 9
Charter Day Dinner Raises RecordBreaking Amount $1,200,000 Fundraising efforts in 2017 brought in a record-breaking $1.2 million in net proceeds to aid students in need. This year’s net proceeds were four times greater than those raised for the Charter Day Dinner in 2016— which, at the time, had been the event’s best fundraising year to date.
In celebrating Howard’s sesquicentennial, the University experienced unprecedented fundraising success. This year’s Charter Day Dinner raised double the amount of revenue from last year’s fundraising event and brought in a record-breaking $1.2 million in net proceeds to aid students in need. Howard’s sesquicentennial is a monumental milestone for the University’s community and a time to celebrate, reflect and look to the future. The occasion called for highlighting Howard’s distinctive legacy of academic excellence and the many contributions the University has made to society since its founding. The University honored the leadership role it has played as well as its continued commitment to advancing myriad issues impacting the African Diaspora. PAGE 10 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | March 2017
Bridging the Gap PLEDGE CARD A $25 MILLION STUDENT AID CAMPAIGN
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Campaign Pledge
I AM PLEASED TO MAKE/PLEDGE THE FOLLOWING GIFT TO THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY BRIDGING THE GAP STUDENT AID CAMPAIGN. (Please make checks payable to Howard University.)
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My and/or my spouse’s employer will match my/our gift. For online giving, visit http://www.howard.edu/bridgingthegap/
DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI RELATIONS HOWARD UNIVERSITY 2225 GEORGIA AVENUE NW, ROOM 901 WASHINGTON, DC 20059
Will you answer the call? March 2017 | Bison Beat Monthly Newsletter | PAGE 11