University of the District of Columbia.html



University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia Seal
Established:	August 1, 1977 (1977-08-01)
Type:	Public, land grant, HBCU
Endowment:	US$21.8 million
Chairman:	James W. Dyke, Jr.
President:	Dr. Allen L. Sessoms1
Provost:	Dr. Eurmon Hervey (Acting)
Undergraduates:	5,137
Postgraduates:	234
Location:	Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Campus:	Urban
Associations:	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Sports:	Basketball,Cross Country,Soccer,Tennis,Indoor Track,Outdoor Track & Field,Volleyball
Colors:	Red and Gold
Nickname:	Firebirds
Mascot:
Athletics:	NCAA Division II
Website:	www.udc.edu, Official Athletic Site

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public university located in Washington, D.C.

History

The University of the District of Columbia is, at once, very old and very new. The seeds of higher education for the District were planted in 1851 when Myrtilla Miner founded a school for colored girls. In 1879, Miner Normal School became a part of the public school system. Similarly, Washington Normal School, established in 1873, as a school for white girls, was renamed Wilson Normal School in 1913. In 1929, by an act of the United States, both schools became four-year teachers colleges, Miner Teachers College and Wilson Teachers College, and the only institutions of public higher education in the city. Years later, after the long awaited Supreme Court of the United States desegregation decision, the two colleges united in 1955 to form the District of Columbia Teachers College.²

However, for many residents who did not wish to become teachers or who were both black and poor, the opportunity for advanced technical training or study for liberal arts degree was an unattainable goal. Years of persistent lobbying for comprehensive public higher education by District residents and others caused President John F. Kennedy, in 1963, to appoint a commission to study the Districts needs. It was no surprise that the Chase Commission found a definite and compelling need for public higher education in the District of Columbia. There was a demand for instruction that was affordable, and there was an over whelming desire for learning that would enable residents to participate fully in the unique life of the city.²

The Commissions report stimulated congressional action. Under the leadership of Senator Wayne Morse and Congressman Ancher Nelson, the Public Education Act (Public Law 89-791) was enacted in 1966. Two schools were established: Federal City College, whose Board of Higher Education was appointed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia, and Washington Technical Institute, whose Board of Vocational Education was appointed by the President of the United States. The mission of both institutions was to serve the needs of the community by directing the resources and knowledge gained through education toward the solution to urban problems.²

As a sign of hope for the future, both schools proudly opened their doors in 1968. There were so many applications for admission to Federal City College that students were selected by lottery. Congress passed more than 100 years after the passing of first Morrill Land Grant. College Act Federal City College and the Washington Technical Institute achieved land grant status in 1968. Rapidly, the two schools grew in academic stature. The Washington Technical Institute received its accreditation in 1971 and Federal City College in 1974.²

Although the schools were in their infancy, thoughts turned to a comprehensive university structure. In 1969, the District of Columbia Teachers College, the city's oldest teacher training institution, was placed under the jurisdiction of the Board of Higher Education. In 1974, the Board established a joint administrative support system and placed the District of Columbia Teachers College and Federal City College under a single president.²

After Congress granted limited home rule to the District of Columbia, D.C. Law 1-36 authorized the mandate for consolidation of the three schools in 1975. A new Board of Trustees took office in May 1976, consisting of 11 members appointed by the Mayor, three appointed by the alumni associations. From that moment, the monumental task of shaping a new University of the District of Columbia began.²

The Board of Trustees, acting to effect the consolidation, assigned Presidents Wendell P. Russell of Federal City College and Cleveland L. Dennard of Washington Technical Institute to work jointly in identifying, developing, and implementing tasks required to complete the effort. Beginning in February 1977, 22 tasks forces were formed to develop recommendations for Board action. On August 1, 1977, the Board of Trustees publicly announced the consolidation of the District of Columbia Teachers College, the Federal City College, and the Washington Technical Institute into the University of the District of Columbia under a single management system. On the same day, the Board appointed Lisle Carleton Carter, Jr., the first president of The University.²

In 1977, under the direction of President Jimmy Carter, academic components began planning for consolidation of academic programs. These efforts culminated in the establishment of five programmatic colleges of Business and Public Management; Education and Human Ecology; Liberal and Fine Arts; Life Sciences, Physical Science, Engineering and Technology University College, Continuing Education, and several academic units, which comprised the University of the District of Columbia.²

From 1994 to the present, new academic consolidations have been implemented. The University currently offers 75 undergraduate and graduate academic degree programs through the following college and schools: College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Public Administration, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law. Additionally, The University's public service arm, the Division of Community Outreach and Extension Services (COES), offers a variety of practical, nonacademic educational programs and training to the citizens of the District of Columbia.²

Normal School for Colored Girls

The Normal School for Colored Girls was established in 1851 and by 1879, the name was changed to "Miner Normal School". Washington Normal School was established in 1873 for girls, and was renamed the "Wilson Normal School" in 1913. In 1929, the United States Congress made both schools four-year teachers' colleges and they were renamed "Miner Teachers College" for African Americans and "Wilson Teachers College" for whites. In 1955, the two segregated schools were merged and renamed the "District of Columbia Teachers College".²

Academics

UDC currently offers over 175 undergraduate and graduate academic degree programs through the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Public Administration, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the David A. Clarke School of Law. Additionally, the public service arm, the Division of Community Outreach and Extension Services (COES), offers a variety of practical, nonacademic educational programs and training to the citizens of the District of Columbia.

Schools and colleges

• College of Arts & Sciences
• School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• David A. Clarke School of Law

The David A. Clarke School of Law (formerly the Antioch School of Law) has been recently incorporated as a part of the university.

In the Fall of 1996, an academic agreement of partnership was signed between the Modern Academy In Maadi, Cairo, Maadi in Egypt and the University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. in the U.S. The UDC/MAM Program aims at encouraging and developing academic programs that will enhance the material, physical, and intellectual growth of students, faculty, and staff of both institutions.

The current activity of the UDC/MAM Program is to offer Cairo-based UDC Bachelor degrees, offering Computer Science and Business Administration in Management programs. With the renewal of the agreement in July 2001, the partnership witnessed an extension to the undergraduate program to cover the Accounting and Finance options in Business, Computer Engineering and Information Technology and Electronic Engineering and Communication Technology; in addition to launching the graduate studies in Business Administration (MBA).³

International programs

The UDC's adult education department had a collegial relationship with the University of Nairobi for several years, including faculty exchange and doctoral student sponsoring. It also has programs with universities like Modern Academy in Maadi, Egypt to provide a high quality of education service that prepares students to manage jobs and solve the problems.⁴

Campus

The main (Van Ness) campus of UDC is located at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Van Ness St. in Northwest DC.

UDC is also the only urban land-grant university in the country. By virtue of some of its ancestor institutions' histories, it is considered a historically black college. UDC is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. UDC is a commuter school and has no residential accommodations or dormitories.

Television

UDC Cable Television, Channel 19, is the District Government's non-commercial, adult education program service. The mission of UDC Cable TV 98 is the innovative use of cable television technology and programming, to support the University in carrying out its land-grant function of teaching, research and public service. The business of UDC Cable TV 98 is the acquisition, development, production, distribution, and marketing of educational and instructional video programming. Also, Cable TV 98 operates a 24-hour educational cable program service. And finally, Cable TV 98 has a business model which includes the operation of an audio and video recording service center, electronic field and studio production, and a video training center for television production.⁵

Student activities

Publications

U.D.C. is the publisher of The Trilogy. The Trilogy newspaper is a student published paper that highlights campus events as well as national and local news.

The Flightpath is the annual memoir yearbook that focuses on graduating students and activities of the current academic year.

Greek letter organizations

All nine National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations have chapters there:

• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
• Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Other Greek letter organizations registered on campus include Delta Mu Delta Honor Society, Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Psi Chi

Athletics

The athletic teams are called the Firebirds and the team colors are Red and Gold. The school competes in the NCAA Division II.

Alumni

Alumni of the University of the District of Columbia and its predecessor schools—Miner Normal School, Miner Teachers College, Wilson Normal School, Wilson Teachers College, the District of Columbia Teachers College, Washington Technical Institute, Federal City College, and the U.D.C. School of Law—can bask in the knowledge that their individual, diverse and multilayered histories created the foundation of what is today a global institution of higher learning whose students now represent the nation’s capital, almost every state, and close to 100 countries. ⁶

Notable Alumni

Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives

In 1988, Robert N. Felder initiated the efforts to establish a jazz archives at the University of the District of Columbia after Felix Grant, the internationally renowned jazz authority and radio personality, offered to donate his collection of sound recordings, books and periodicals to the University of the District of Columbia. This collection includes the interviews of jazz artists and personalities taped by Mr. Grant during his years as a radio broadcaster. Mrs. June D. Grant has continued to donate materials to the collection which to date include a personal collection of Felix Grant memorabilia, as well as correspondence, promotional materials, radio program logs, liner notes, lectures, reviews, concert programs, magazine and newspaper articles, awards, commendations, posters, and a unique collection of photographs.⁸

In 1997, WDCU-FM’s collection was added to the Archives, which includes commercially issued sound recordings, recordings from National Public Radio programs, as well as interviews and shows by WDCU hosts and programmers. Other materials in the collection include books, periodicals, posters, promotional material, business correspondence, concert programs, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, awards, commendations and photographs. The Archives also houses materials that support the curriculum and document the history of the Jazz Studies Program at the University. These collections along with the contributions of several other individuals, have enhanced the extensive assets of the Archives, which in addition to the vast holdings of sound recordings and other published materials, include unique resources that not only highlight jazz artists and document jazz activities, sites and events in the Washington, D.C. area, but seen through a broader perspective – document the history of the city and U.D.C.⁸

The Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives moved to larger quarters within the University’s Learning Resources Division (LRD) in 1998. The recent renovation of the Archives provides a state-of-the-art facility for one of the greatest treasures at the University. The ongoing cataloging of the materials will add to the research database accessible through ALADIN – a multi-platform digital library system maintained by the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC). The Felix E. Grant (Digital) Collection–which includes Felix Grant’s radio interviews of jazz artists and personalities (in streaming audio format) as well as a selection of photographs and associated resources from the collection–forms part of the WRLC Libraries Digital and Special Collections.⁸

The Archives are maintained by the Jazz Studies Program, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Learning Resources Division

See also

• Normal School for Colored Girls
• Felix Grant

References

External links

• University of the District of Columbia official website
• The Modern Academy In Maadi
• The David A. Clarke School of Law
• U.D.C. Alumni