Commemorating Women's History Month 2023
Dear Howard University Community,
As we commemorate this year’s Women’s History Month, I am especially proud of the recent accomplishments by some of our very own.
Danielle R. Holley, dean of our world-renowned school of law, has been chosen as the next president of the historic Mount Holyoke College, the first Black woman in Mount Holyoke’s 186-year history to serve as permanent president and just the fourth Black woman ever to lead one of the original Seven Sisters Colleges. She becomes the second Howard dean to ascend to a college presidency, following Dr. Toyin Tofade’s appointment as president of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences last July. President-elect Holley was my first-ever decanal hire, and we have forged a tremendous friendship and partnership over these last nine years. Her service and commitment to this institution has been a constant during my tenure, and I was honored to present her with the Howard University Presidential Medal for Achievement during our Charter Day Convocation as just a small token of our collective gratitude. While the University will miss her tremendously, I know we are just as excited to watch her continued growth.
I also want to acknowledge Celeste Malone, PhD, MS, coordinator of our school psychology program and the current president of the National Association of School Psychologists. Dr. Malone is just the second Black female president of the organization, representing twenty-five thousand school psychologists, graduate students, and professionals around the world, an accomplishment we should all be happy to celebrate. However, a few weeks ago during the organization’s convention, Dr. Malone and her colleagues were victims of clear racial profiling by hotel staff who abruptly ended her presidential reception on grounds that are verifiably false. Even moments of jubilee like these can still serve as stark reminders of how far we have come on the topics of race, gender, and misogynoir, and yet how much farther we must go.
Our nation – our world – must do a much more intentional job of protecting and affirming our women, especially our Black women. Here at Howard, we have pledged to practice what we preach. When I became the University’s president in 2014, we had just one female dean. As I write this, we now have 11 women leading Howard’s 14 schools and colleges, proof positive that these cultures are only as permanent as we allow them to be. Even more, since recalibrating our leadership structure, Howard University has entered an unparalleled period of prosperity. I admit to my biases here, but I do not believe that to be a coincidence.
To the women reading this, navigating your way through this world: It is the power in your voices, the strength in your commitment, and your leadership in our lives that take us a step further every day. Thank you for all you do to drive our Community and our society forward.
Excellence in Truth and Service,
Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA
Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery
President