Viewpoints

Statement on the Murder of Tyre Nichols

Dear Howard University Community, 

Commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023

Dear Howard University Community, 

In his acclaimed “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. cautioned us all: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Contemporary Education

The concept of contemporary education feels somewhat redundant, no? 

Contemporary is simply defined as current or modern, and so that leaves me to question what the opposite of a contemporary education might be. Something outmoded and obsolete? As a practicing surgeon, I am trying to imagine the logic behind suggesting we operate on patients in the same way we did when the original Freedman’s Hospital opened, despite the advancements in medical technology in the 161 years since. 

A Global Howard

The COVID-19 pandemic helped us recognize just how small the world has truly become and how interconnected we all are. What happens on one side of the world affects all of us. The greatest challenges we face – from climate change to economic insecurity to the threat of another deadly disease outbreak – must be addressed and solved collectively and with a global mindset.  

Come Home to Train Your Own

When Nikole Hannah-Jones announced that she would be joining the Howard faculty in the Summer of 2021, she explained that her decision was guided by a simple ethos: “Come home to train your own.”

Howard University Mourns the Passing of Lori L. Wilson, M.D., FACS

Dear Howard University Community,

I am devastated to report that my colleague and dear friend, Dr. Lori Wilson, associate dean for faculty development and diversity, professor of surgery, and chief of surgical oncology at Howard University School of Medicine, has passed away this morning. 
 
Dr. Wilson was a remarkable person. She was an innovator and trailblazer. She was an advocate and a servant-leader. And, for many years, she was a breast cancer survivor. 
 

Chairman Laurence Morse (B.A. ’73) Honored by International Student House of Washington, D.C.

Dear Howard University Community,
  

Mission Over Major

When I became interim president of Howard University in 2013, one of my first priorities was to talk to as many students as I could from across all our schools and colleges. During the course of those conversations, I was struck by how many of our students had multiple majors and minors, oftentimes in seemingly divergent areas of study. I encountered students who studied biology and African studies, chemistry and classical civilizations, political science and playwriting – there was seemingly no end to the possible permutations of subjects our students were selecting. 

East and West Towers Bomb Threat Update

I want to extend my appreciation and admiration, especially to our students, for your continued understanding during the great difficulty of bomb threats against our campus. For the second time in 48 hours, students have had to evacuate residence halls during the late hours of a school night. People who love and care about them, parents, university employees, alumni, and so many others, have had to wrestle with anxiety about the veracity of another terroristic act. 
 

Update on Recent Bomb Threats

Dear Howard University Community,
 
Last night, Howard University was once again the target of a bomb threat. This was the second such threat made against our institution in the past two weeks – and one of many bomb threats we have received since February of this year.
 

Independence Day 2022

Dear Howard University Community,

Observing Juneteenth 2022

Dear Howard University Community,

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, there has been a lot of talk about social justice; diversity, equity and inclusion; health care disparities; and more of the topics we at Howard University have been discussing for generations. These local and national conversations are, generally speaking, a positive force for good in our society. We cannot make progress unless we are willing to discuss, with complete honesty and sincerity, what needs to change.