Howard University (founded 1867)

Howard University (founded 1867)
Name	Howard University
Founded	1867
Type	Private research university
City	Washington, D.C.
Country	United States
Campus	Urban
Colors	Blue and Red
Athletics	NCAA Division I
Nickname	Bison

Howard University (founded 1867) is a historically Black private research university located in Washington, D.C., established shortly after the American Civil War to educate newly freed African Americans and train teachers, clergy, and public servants. The institution developed into a comprehensive center for professional schools, civil rights leadership, and artistic production, attracting students and faculty who engaged with institutions such as the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court of the United States, and cultural venues like the Kennedy Center. Over its history Howard has been linked with landmark figures and movements including the Freedmen's Bureau, the NAACP, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Black Power movement.

History

Howard's founding in 1867 followed directives from the Freedmen's Bureau and support by members of the U.S. Congress and philanthropists, with early trustees connected to the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands and clergy from denominations including the Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA). Its namesake, General Oliver O. Howard, served with the Union Army and later led the Freedmen's Bureau. During Reconstruction Howard expanded amid debates in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate over federal support for education. The university weathered turn-of-the-century struggles, the Great Migration, and the Harlem Renaissance era when faculty and alumni connected with institutions such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Congress of Racial Equality. In the 20th century Howard faculty and students engaged with litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States on cases influencing civil rights, participated in demonstrations tied to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and produced scholarship influencing federal policy in the New Deal and Great Society periods. Howard's modern era saw accreditation controversies and administrative reforms, partnerships with agencies including the National Institutes of Health, and notable centennial celebrations attended by figures from the White House and the United Nations.

Campus and Facilities

The urban campus occupies land near landmarks such as Columbia Heights, the Howard University Hospital, and the National Mall corridors, with buildings named for donors and leaders associated with institutions like the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution. Key facilities include the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, theater spaces that have hosted productions linked to the Kennedy Center and the Apollo Theater, and science buildings equipped for collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. The university operates the Howard University Hospital and research labs used in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services. Residential life is centered in halls with names reflecting alumni who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, diplomatic corps such as the United States Foreign Service, and the United Nations delegation. Campus museums and galleries have exhibited works connected to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and artists linked with the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Academics

Howard comprises professional schools including the Howard University College of Medicine, the Howard University School of Law, the Howard University College of Engineering and Architecture, the Howard University School of Business, and the College of Arts and Sciences, with curricula informed by scholarship connected to the American Council on Education and accreditation from bodies such as the American Bar Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the ABET. Degree programs emphasize preparation for careers in fields involving the U.S. Congress, the World Bank, international organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and arts institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Faculty have included scholars who contributed to debates in journals read by members of the National Academy of Sciences and panels convened by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Interdisciplinary centers host conferences that attract participants from the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Student Life and Traditions

Student organizations reflect ties to national bodies such as the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Student Government Association (SGA), and cultural groups that perform at venues including the Kennedy Center and the Apollo Theater. Greek life includes chapters chartered by national organizations like Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta, with step shows and homecoming events that draw alumni from the National Urban League and participants in the Million Man March. Annual traditions include convocations featuring speakers from the Presidency of the United States, alumni gatherings tied to the American Bar Association and the National Medical Association, and student activism that has engaged with movements such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and demonstrations related to the Vietnam War and more recent policy debates before the U.S. Department of Education.

Research and Centers

Howard hosts research centers that collaborate with agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and international partners such as the Pan American Health Organization. Centers focus on areas linked to public health initiatives in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, legal scholarship that informs filings before the Supreme Court of the United States, urban policy advising institutions like the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, and arts research connected with the National Endowment for the Arts. Specialized institutes have received funding and partnerships involving the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation, producing scholarship cited by the United Nations and policymakers at the Department of State.

Athletics

Howard's athletic teams, the Bison, compete in NCAA Division I conferences and have produced professional athletes drafted into the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and international leagues affiliated with the International Basketball Federation. Facilities have hosted events tied to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and competitions that attract scouts from organizations like the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Olympic Committee. Howard athletes have participated in NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearances and have represented nations at the Olympic Games and in professional competitions overseen by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Howard's alumni and faculty network includes jurists who served on the Supreme Court of the United States and federal bench, attorneys who led cases at the Civil Rights Division (United States Department of Justice), diplomats posted to the United Nations, lawmakers from the United States Congress, and executives at corporations listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Prominent figures include civil rights leaders associated with the NAACP, artists who exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, musicians who performed at the Carnegie Hall, scholars elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and physicians who held leadership roles at the World Health Organization. The university's community also counts Nobel laureates, MacArthur Fellows, and recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom among its graduates and faculty.

Category:Historically black universities and colleges in the United States Category:Universities and colleges in Washington, D.C.