Howard University: A Legacy of Firsts and Enduring Influence

(Header photo: Howard alumni including Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor L. Douglas Wilder, Roberta Flack, Chadwick Boseman, and Justice Thurgood Marshall, representing the historic achievements of Howard graduates.)

Howard University stands as a beacon of opportunity and a testament to the power of education. As a private, historically Black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., Howard has a unique position in the landscape of American higher education. Its history is interwoven with the struggle for civil rights and the advancement of Black Americans, and its alumni have consistently broken barriers and achieved historic firsts.

Founding and Early Years: A Vision of Opportunity

In the immediate aftermath of the American Civil War, members of the First Congregational Society of Washington envisioned a theological seminary to educate Black clergymen. This idea quickly evolved into a broader vision for a university that would offer a wide range of educational opportunities. Chartered by Congress on March 2, 1867, the new institution was named in honor of General Oliver Otis Howard, a Civil War hero and the commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau.

Early funding for Howard University came from a combination of sources, including endowment, private benefaction, and tuition. Within two years of its founding, the university comprised colleges of liberal arts and medicine, quickly followed by law and dental schools, establishing itself as a pioneering institution for Black professionals.

Historic Firsts: A Legacy of Trailblazers

Howard University has consistently been at the forefront of providing educational opportunities and fostering groundbreaking achievements for African Americans. The university boasts a remarkable record of "firsts," demonstrating its commitment to excellence and its impact on American society.

Pioneering Professional Schools

Howard University established the first medical school at an HBCU in 1868 and the first law school at an HBCU in 1869. The university also founded the first dental school at an HBCU in 1881, which is the fifth oldest dental school in the country and the only dental school in the District of Columbia. These schools have been instrumental in training generations of Black professionals in medicine, law, and dentistry.

Breaking Barriers in Arts and Literature

Howard alumna Toni Morrison (B.A.’53, H ’95) holds the distinction of being the first and only Black American to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. Her powerful storytelling and insightful exploration of the Black experience have left an indelible mark on the literary world. Roberta Flack (BME ’58, D.Mus. ’75), another esteemed Howard alumna, was the first artist to win back-to-back Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, showcasing her exceptional talent and musical innovation.

Shattering Political Ceilings

Howard University has produced numerous political trailblazers who have broken barriers and achieved unprecedented success. Kamala Harris (B.A. ’86), a Howard alumna, made history as the first woman, Black person, and person of Asian descent to be vice president of the United States. She was also the first woman of color to secure a major party presidential nomination. Thurgood Marshall (J.D. ’33), another distinguished Howard alumnus, served as the first Black Supreme Court Justice, leaving an enduring legacy in the fight for civil rights and equal justice under the law. L. Douglas Wilder (J.D. ’59) was the first Black person to be elected governor outside of Reconstruction, paving the way for future generations of Black leaders in Virginia and beyond. David Dinkins (B.A. ’50, LLD ’92) was the first Black person to be elected mayor of New York City, America’s most populous city. Sharon Pratt (B.A. ’65, J.D. ’68) was the first woman to be elected mayor of Washington, D.C., while Shirley Franklin (B.A. ’68) became the first woman to be elected mayor of Atlanta and the first Black woman to lead a major Southern city. Patricia Roberts Harris (B.A. ’45) was the first Black woman to serve on a presidential cabinet, holding the position of Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1970s and later Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Andrew Young is the only American to be a congressman, mayor, and Ambassador to the United Nations.

Excellence in Academia and Sciences

Elbert Cox, Ph.D., former chair of the Mathematics Department at Howard University, was the first Black person in the world to obtain a Ph.D. in mathematics. Dr. Renee Rosalind Jenkins, former chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Howard, was the first Black president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Andrea Hayes Dixon, current Dean of Howard University College of Medicine, was the first Black woman to become a pediatric surgeon. Howard faculty member Ruth Moore (1903-1994) was an American bacteriologist and microbiologist, who in 1933 became the first African American woman to be awarded a doctorate in a natural science (bacteriology). Alain Locke, Ph.D., a Howard faculty member credited with sparking the Harlem Renaissance, was the first African American to be selected as a Rhodes Scholar in 1907. Former Howard University Chair of the Department of Surgery LaSalle Leffall Jr., M.D., was the first African American to serve as national president of the American Cancer Society, the Society of Surgical Oncology, the Society of Surgical Chairmen, and the American College of Surgeons. The patented technique for preserving blood plasma developed by Howard University Department of Surgery head Dr. Charles Drew led to his creation of the first mobile blood banking system in the country, responsible for saving countless lives since 1941. The first significant study related to sickle cell treatment after birth was conducted by alumnus and former Pediatrics Department Chair Roland Scott (M.D. ’34), Melvin Jenkins, M.D., and Robert Crawford, M.D., all doctors at Freedman’s Hospital. The study led to federal funding for research and treatment and the establishment of the Center for Sickle Cell Disease at Howard, the first center in the nation solely devoted to addressing the disease.

Leadership in Organizations and Media

Founded at Howard in 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first national sorority for Black women. In total, five of the "Divine Nine" fraternities and sororities were founded by Howard students, including Omega Psi Phi (1911), Delta Sigma Theta (1913), Phi Beta Sigma (1914), and Zeta Phi Beta (1920). LaNiece Tyree, MPA, CASP, Howard's assistant vice president for auxiliary enterprises, was elected president of the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) in 2024, making her both the first woman of color and the first HBCU leader in the role. The first national organization for Black pharmacists, the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA), was founded at Howard in 1974. Then dean of Howard’s College of Pharmacy, Dr. Chauncey Ira Cooper, served as the first president. The #1 music radio station in Washington, D.C is Howard’s WHUR, according to Nielsen ratings. Immediate past editor of The Hilltop, Jacky "JD" Jean-Jacques, was the National Association of Black Journalist’s #1 student journalist in 2025, receiving its Student Journalist of the Year Award. The Hilltop is the oldest continuously-running student newspaper at an HBCU.

Achievements in Sports and Competitions

Howard University’s men’s soccer team became the first and only HBCU to win a national NCAA title, in 1971. The team won another national title in 1974. Howard’s men’s golf team is #1 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) after winning its second championship in 2025. Howard’s men’s swim team was #1 in the Northeast Conference for the 2024-2025 season, winning the swimming and diving championships. Howard’s women’s track and field team was #1 in the MEAC in 2025, winning their fourth consecutive championship. Howard’s women’s softball team was #1 in the MEAC in 2025, winning the conference title. The Howard Team won the Goldman Sachs Fifth Annual Market Madness Competition and $1 million for Howard University in 2025. Howard students Janeen Louis, Soluchi Fidel-Ibeabuchi, Fatumata Dia, Sydney Helstone, and Kyla Hockett took first place at the inaugural Microsoft AI Policython in 2025, solving real-world issues revolving around artificial intelligence policies. Backed by Howard University’s Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership, students Brooklynn Tucker and Kayden Edwards won the $50,000 first prize in the 2025 She Has a Deal pitch competition. Howard University alum Taylor Davis (B.A. ’22) donned the first-place crown with her win as Miss Texas USA in May. She also became Miss Howard in 2020.

Other Firsts

Howard University’s College of Dentistry established the first school of dental hygiene openly available to African Americans in the United States. Howard University was the first HBCU to have an accredited architecture program. In 1872, the law school graduated the first black woman lawyer in the United States, Charlotte E. Ray.

Presidents and Howard: A History of Endorsement

Nine sitting presidents - Rutherford B. Hayes, William Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson (LL.D. ’65), Ronald Reagan, William Jefferson Clinton (LL.D. ’13), and Barack Obama (LL.D. ’07, D.Sc. ’16) - spoke on campus. Two other sitting presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph R. Biden (DHL ’23), spoke at Howard Commencement Convocation ceremonies off campus. Future presidents who spoke on campus included Richard M. Nixon, John F. Kennedy, and George H. W. Bush (LL.D. ’81), and a former president, Dwight Eisenhower, visited campus to champion one of his signature programs. Johnson, Bush, Clinton, Obama, and Biden hold honorary degrees from Howard.

Hayes and Douglass: Laying the Foundation

President Rutherford B. Hayes visited Howard at the invitation of Frederick Douglass (LL.D. Hayes challenged students to labor hard and save in order to become self-sufficient.

Roosevelt: Ideals and Goals

President Theodore Roosevelt addressed Howard’s 1906 graduating class, emphasizing the need for both high ideals and realistic goals, as well as the importance of lifting up others after achieving success.

Taft: Fulfilling America's Obligations

The 27th United States president, William Taft, came to Howard’s campus in May 1909 to speak at Howard’s commencement ceremonies and to commemorate the laying of the cornerstone of the then-new Carnegie Library. Taft spoke candidly about Howard’s inextricable role in fulfilling America’s obligations to its citizens of color.

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Coolidge: Progress and Patriotism

President Calvin Coolidge used his State of the Union speech in 1923 to advocate for a major Congressional appropriation to help Howard train Black doctors. In particular, Coolidge used the occasion to pay tribute to Black people who had served in the military, pointing out that those servicemen and women proved that patriotism knows no skin color.

Hoover: The Talents of All

In the midst of the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover spoke during Howard’s Commencement in 1932. He said that the government’s commitment to Howard is the greatest example of it meeting its obligation to its citizens, and that the talents of all of Americans were needed to protect the democracy.

Roosevelt: Opportunity and Science

On October 26, 1936 , President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed some 4,000 members of the Howard community, talking about the federal government’s relationship with Howard and the importance of its annual congressional appropriation.

Truman: Civil Rights Advocacy

The next president, Harry S. Truman, also spoke during Commencement, addressing graduates during the June 13, 1952 ceremony. He made a case for civil rights advocacy, calling on the nation to do the hard work of addressing injustice and human suffering even if it meant “rocking the boat.”

Nixon: A Panel Discussion

On Aug. 4,1956, as vice president of the United States, Richard Nixon led a panel discussion at Howard University School of Law, engaging in a discussion with then-dean George Johnson, attorney Rufus King, and Judge Leonard Walsh, among others.

Kennedy: Equal Opportunity

Senator John F. Kennedy spoke on Howard’s campus in the historic Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel during the Fourth Annual Leadership Workshop of the American Council on Human Rights. He made the case that the Democratic party was committed to human rights around the world and to meeting problems in new ways.

Johnson: Civil Rights and Voting Rights

On June 4, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Kennedy's successor, delivered important remarks on civil rights as part of his Commencement address on campus a few months before the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act. Johnson used the occasion to urge the passage of the law, which provides for federal government action to ensure that every American has the right to vote. He also called for action to reduce the unemployment rate and raise incomes for Black workers, lower Black infant mortality rates, expand access to education, improve medical care, provide job and skill training and reduce poverty.

Howard University Today: A Hub of Research and Innovation

Howard University continues to thrive as a leading research university, making significant contributions in various fields.

Academic Rankings and Recognition

Forbes Magazine has ranked Howard as the #1 HBCU for two years in a row. News and World Report ranked Howard as the #1 school in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for social mobility in 2025. News ranked Howard’s undergraduate programs #1 among HBCUs in business, computer science, economics, and psychology in 2025. News and World Report ranked Howard University graduate programs as #1 among HBCUs in criminal law, constitutional law, dispute resolution, intellectual property law, healthcare law, trial advocacy law, economics, English, fine arts, history, political science, and speech pathology. News ranked Howard as the #1 college or university in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for “Most Graduates Practicing in Primary Care” in 2025. News ranked Howard University School of Law as the top HBCU law school on the Best Law Schools listing in 2025.

Research Centers and Initiatives

Howard is the only HBCU and one of only six institutions worldwide selected as academic partners of the Center for Power Optimization of Electro-Thermal Systems, conducting groundbreaking research in power density to make electric mobility more practical and efficient. Howard’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive repository of books, documents, and ephemera on the global Black experience. Howard University is the only cancer center at an HBCU that provides a full range of cancer treatment services and trains the next generation of oncology professionals and cancer researchers. Howard is the home of the first Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) at an historically Black college or university (HBCU) and the first in the nation’s history to be funded by the United States Air Force. The focus of the UARC is on tactical autonomy, human-machine teaming, and artificial intelligence.

Commitment to STEM

In 2017, Howard established the Bison STEM Scholars Program to increase the number of underrepresented minorities with high-level research careers in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. Bison STEM Scholars are given full scholarships and committed to earning a PhD or a combined MD-PhD in a STEM discipline.

A Vibrant Campus Community

Howard University offers a rich and diverse campus experience, with a variety of traditions and activities that foster a strong sense of community.

The Mecca

The 256-acre campus, often referred to as "The Mecca", is in northwest Washington, D.C.

Traditions and Events

Howard Homecoming week is the most prominent and richest cultural tradition of the institution. Over 100,000 of alumni, students, celebrity guests, and visitors are in attendance to patronize the many events and attractions affiliated with the festive week on and near campus. Springfest is an annual tradition created by the Undergraduate Student Association (UGSA) to celebrate the arrival of spring. The Bison Ball and Excellence Awards is an annual black tie gala hosted by the Howard University Student Association (HUSA). Resfest week is a Howard tradition that involves freshmen living in residence halls on campus competing in several organized competitions for campus bragging rights.

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