Two Iconic Writers Join Howard's Illustrious Faculty

Dear Howard University Community,
 
With tremendous enthusiasm, I am pleased to announce that two of today’s most respected and influential journalists will be coming to Howard University: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Howard alumnus, journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Howard already boasts an extremely talented and highly accomplished faculty. The addition of Hannah-Jones and Coates further reinforces the notion that Howard is one of our nation’s elite universities, one whose faculty members are uniquely capable of cultivating the forward-thinking ideas essential for social progress and training the next generation of leaders.
 
Hannah-Jones will be a tenured member of the faculty of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications. Coates will be a faculty member in the flagship College of Arts and Sciences. Hannah-Jones will also found the Center for Journalism and Democracy, which will focus on training and supporting aspiring journalists in acquiring the investigative skills and historical and analytical expertise needed to cover the crisis our democracy is facing. The center hopes to work across multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) that offer journalism degrees and concentrations. Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project, will be the inaugural Knight Chair in Race and Journalism and will begin her faculty role this Summer. Award-winning author Coates will hold the Sterling Brown Endowed Chair in the Department of English and will begin this position following completion of several current obligations.
 
The appointments are supported by nearly $20 million donated by three foundations and an anonymous donor. Knight Foundation is providing $5 million total to establish an endowment at Howard University to support a Knight Chair in Race and Journalism and to develop symposia, directed by the Knight Chair, to support journalism students and faculty across the network of HBCUs. Howard selected Hannah-Jones as the inaugural Knight Chair.
 
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is providing a $5 million grant to support the Center for Journalism and Democracy. Up to $1.25 million of the funding will be dedicated to supporting the next phase of the 1619 Project. Hannah-Jones and Coates are both MacArthur Fellows from the class of 2017 and 2015 respectively.
 
The Ford Foundation will provide $5 million for general operating support for the creation of the center at Howard University, which will be spearheaded by Hannah-Jones. Ford’s funding is designed to support the infrastructure of the center and its programs to help increase the number of Black professionals entering journalism and enhance their career-readiness.
 
An anonymous donor contributed $5 million to fund the Sterling Brown Chair in English and Humanities and to establish the Ida B. Wells Endowed Fund to support the Knight Chair.
 
I am incredibly grateful to these three foundations and this anonymous donor for their generosity and support of our efforts to train the next generation of journalists and provide a diverse pipeline of talent to America’s newsrooms.
 
At such a critical time for race relations in our country, it is vital that we understand the role of journalism in steering our national conversation and social progress. Not only must our newsrooms reflect the communities where they are reporting, but we need to infuse the profession with diverse talent. We are thrilled that Hannah-Jones and Coates will bring their insights and research to what is already a world-class, highly accomplished team of professors. In the case of Coates, this is an opportunity for him to return to Alma Mater to work alongside faculty members who were instrumental in his development as a writer.
 
For 50 years, the Howard University School of Communications has trained the nation’s top communicators and media professionals, from award-winning news anchors and journalists to filmmakers, public relations executives and researchers. The school will celebrate its 50th anniversary during the 2021-22 academic year, highlighting its history of disseminating truth through communications and providing community service through storytelling. 
 
The College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) is at the heart of Howard University and is recognized worldwide as a premier, comprehensive research university. COAS is often referred to as the University’s flagship because it is the oldest and the largest of the University’s 13 schools and colleges. Its predecessor was founded in the second year of the University’s existence, and today it enrolls more than 3,000 students – making it the most popular choice among Howard’s undergraduates.
 
Please join me in welcoming these tremendously accomplished writers to the ranks of Howard’s faculty. I look forward to seeing all that they will achieve under the auspices of Howard University.
 
Excellence in Truth and Service,
 
Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA
Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery
President