President's Bison Beat June/July 2015 by Howard University

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 JUNE/JULY 2015

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 5

INSIDE

EXCELLENCE AT HOWARD

Dear Howard University Community:

A MOMENT AT THE CAPSTONE

In a few days, we will welcome the Class of 2019 to the Capstone! More than 1700 first-time college students (FTIC) will join the Bison family and continue the legacy of academic excellence, the pursuit of truth and the advocacy for justice.

On Aug. 15, we will mark their arrival with our traditional Freshman Orientation and Welcome Week, which will include the time-honored Freshman Pinning Ceremony, class picture, Howard University Student Association Inauguration and Welcome Spirit Rally.

AROUND CAMPUS

APPOINTMENTS

In addition to celebrating the continuation of the Howard legacy, we must celebrate those who paved the way for us -- great men and women, who either earned a Howard degree or simply embraced Howard as their own and helped to build this great institution. One who embraced Howard is Congressman Louis Stokes, Ohio’s first Black Congressman and a champion of social justice in our nation. Recently, the Howard family learned of his cancer diagnosis, and we are praying for his health and strength. Congressman Stokes is a pillar within the community of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). He fathered the Research Centers in Minority Institutions Act, which strengthened the research capability of HBCUs like Howard. Also, as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, he was responsible for procuring the funding for the construction of Howard’s Health Sciences Library. The library was named the Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library in tribute to his crusade for health care and fight against health disparities within minority communities. Today, we thank him for his leadership and service to others. Many like Congressman Stokes have contributed to the legacy as sons and daughters of Howard. As we welcome this new class, let us also continue the oral and written tradition of sharing our history and keeping the flame of Howard’s mission burning bright. In this edition of the Bison Beat, you will see that our fellow Bison maintained the momentum of the previous school year and made great achievements during the summer. As always, we are proud that our students continue to uphold our motto, Veritas et Utilitas, every day. In Truth and Service,

Wayne A.I. Frederick President

EXCELLENCE AT HOWARD FULBRIGHT SELECTS SIX FROM HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Six Howard University faculty members and students have been selected for the 2015-2016 cycle of Fulbright awards—among them, three winning faculty, one winning student and two student alternates. Dr. Kellee Jenkins, assistant director, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, School of Education; Dr. Michael Lipscomb, assistant professor, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Kehbuma Langmia, associate professor, Department of Strategic, Legal and Management Communication, School of Communications; are this year’s Fulbright Scholars—Jenkins and Lipscomb to Brazil will go to, and Langmia will go to Cameroon.

PHARMACY PROFESSOR AWARDED $1.1 MILLION TO STUDY NOVEL BREAST CANCER TREATMENT

Emmanuel O. Akala, Ph.D., director of the Center for Drug Research and Development, has been awarded a prestigious NIH/National Cancer Institute grant of $1,132,500 for three years to support innovative breast cancer research.

To learn more about the scholars, visit here.

A Moment at the Capstone

Dr. Akala also is professor of pharmaceutics in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy. The project title is “Novel Nanotechnology Platform for Breast Cancer Treatment.” The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) over expression has been reported in 20%–25% of all breast cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. The grant will assist Dr. Akala to develop multifunctional polymeric nanoparticles to test the hypothesis that tri-modal combination nanoparticles will prove more effective with less toxicity than current standard of care therapies for HER2-positive breast cancers. This nanotechnology platform for breast cancer treatment will, when completed, bring to bear the combined power of a chemotherapeutic agent, molecular targeted therapy and HSP90 inhibitor, to overcome HER2 breast cancer resistance with minimal toxicity. Read more here.

Howard Coeds enjoy campus festivities in 1944. Courtesy of Howard University Archives/Moorland-Spingarn

HOWARD UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DR. WAYNE FREDERICK RECEIVES HBCU MALE ‘PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR AWARD’ President Wayne A .I. Frederick was awarded the prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) “Male President of the Year” Award presented by the HBCU Digest on Friday, July 10, at the annual AARP HBCU Awards ceremony at Hampton University. The University was also selected as a finalists in Best Research Center and Best Alumni Publication categories sponsored by HBCU Digest. The HBCU Digest is a daily blog/news resource providing news synopsis, links and commentary on stories about America’s 105 HBCUs. Finalists were selected based on the impact of the nominees’ achievement on institutional development, and for media coverage earned for the University by way of the nominee. Winners were selected by an academy of former HBCU Awards winners, former and current HBCU presidents, alumni, faculty, students and journalists covering HBCU issues for local or national outlets.

AROUND CAMPUS

HOWARD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS UNVEILS NEW BISON LOGO At a press conference in July, Howard University Athletics unveiled the new Bison logo, the symbol of strength, power and tenacity that guides the University’s athletic teams. “Getting a new symbol is exciting. It is the visual evidence of our Bison spirit and pride,” says Shelley Davis, interim athletic director. “The new logo represents a fresh opportunity for our student-athletes to rally around the values that make Howard University great.” The development of a new logo began in 2014, using a process that engaged all stakeholders in the Howard community. In January 2015, the University solicited input from students, faculty, staff and alumni via social media, asking, “What makes you a Bison?” Chief Brand Strategy, the firm chosen to direct the process, incorporated those ideas in developing a set of draft designs. The final product presented in July comes from several months of focus groups held on campus and through social media that included Bison athletic administrators, coaches, student-athletes, faculty, staff, campus marketing team members and alumni. To learn more, visit here.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY FRESHMAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY TRAVELS TO CHINA Twenty-five members of the Howard University Freshman Leadership Academy (FLA) participated in an intensive 14-day cultural immersion to China, July 13 – July 26. For the fifth consecutive year, FLA traveled to China. This was the first trip to include President Wayne A. I. Frederick. While in China, students visited important economic and historic landmarks such as the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Great Wall of China. This year, students traveling to China raised more than $105,000 through their own fund-raising efforts. FLA is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs in conjunction with the Howard University Student Association. “The Freshman Leadership Academy’s studies and cultural immersion in Asia builds on the vision for expanding Howard’s international footprint and answers the call of President Obama’s 100,000 Strong Educational Exchange Initiative,” said President Frederick. “Now, more than ever, our world is interconnected. To be successful – personally, intellectually and professionally – you must become a global citizen.”

HOWARD UNIVERSITY SENDS TEAM TO SUPPORT MEDICAL NEEDS OF HAITI For the fifth consecutive year, Howard has responded to the needs in postearthquake Haiti. In conjunction with the New York chapter of the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians (NOAH NY) and the HaitianAmerican Alliance, a team from Howard University embarked on an ambitious, service-learning-based medical trip to Haiti, June 27 to July 6. A team from the College of Medicine, which included physicians, instructors, medical residents and students, began traveling to the country four years ago as a humanitarian response to the devastating earthquake in 2010. This year, the scope of the project expanded significantly with the inclusion of teams from the College of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences, the College of Pharmacy and the College of Dentistry. Howard sent 18 students and faculty members to the country. The Howard medical teams have served nearly 3,000 Haitians during the years of the medical project. Working 12- to 14-hour days, Howard students and faculty have provided dental work and sexually transmitted disease (STD) training, distributed medications and conducted educational workshops for local physicians. The much-needed care and clinical training covered surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology. Read more here.

The Freshman Leadership Academy was established in 2010 and seeks to expose first-year students to the opportunities and challenges associated with student leadership and service. The program is open to all freshman and transfer students. In the past academic year, FLA had more than 450 applicants for 21 positions. Throughout the year, FLA engages students in workshops, case studies and group projects on leadership topics.

WHY BIG DINOSAURS STEERED CLEAR OF THE TROPICS For more than 30 million years after dinosaurs first appeared they remained inexplicably rare near the equator, where only a few small-bodied meat-eating dinosaurs eked out a living. The age-long absence of big plant-eaters at low latitudes is one of the great, unanswered questions about the rise of the dinosaurs. And now the mystery has a solution. An international team of scientists who pieced together a remarkably detailed picture of the climate and ecology more than 200 million years ago at Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico, a site rich with fossils from the Late Triassic Period. The new findings show that the tropical climate swung wildly with extremes of drought and intense heat. Wildfires swept the landscape during arid regimes and continually reshaped the vegetation available for plant-eating animals. “During the Late Triassic Period, we see stark differences in patterns of dinosaur species richness and abundance between low- and high-latitudes,” said study co-author Nathan Smith, paleontologist and assistant professor of Biology at Howard University. Learn more about the research, visit here.

APPOINTMENTS Dr. Anthony K. Wutoh – Provost and Chief Academic Officer

the President.

Dr. Anthony K. Wutoh has been appointed as Provost and Chief Academic Officer of the University. Dr. Wutoh previously served as Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Assistant Provost, International Programs at Howard. As Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Wutoh succeeds Dr. Michael R. Winston. Dr. Winston has served as Academic Counsel to the President since November 2013 and Provost since September 2014. He will continue to serve as Academic Counsel to