Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, colleges and universities focusing on educating former slaves and their children began popping up around the United States. These colleges and universities were often founded by private organizations or were endowed by a group of wealthy individuals. Today, these institutions are known as America's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and are regarded among the country's top institutions of higher learning.
Howard University At A Glance
Often regarded as the flagship HBCU, Howard University was founded in 1867 in the heart of Washington, D.C. In November of the previous year, members of the First Congregational Society of Washington wanted to start a seminary for former slaves that began to move north towards the end of the Civil War. As plans began to develop, the idea for a seminary expanded into a plan for a full-fledged university, and within two years of its opening, also boasted a college of liberal arts and a medical school.
Today, the U.S. News and World Report's profile of Howard University reports undergraduate enrollment at 7,147 students on a 258-acre campus in the heart of Washington. The university was also ranked 115th among national universities in the 2012 edition of U.S. News and World Report's Best Colleges.
Howard University is only one of forty-eight doctoral/research-extensive private colleges and universities throughout the United States, with a large number of notable faculty and alumni.
Academics at Howard University
Howard University is made of twelve schools and colleges offering over 100 concentrations at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. These divisions include colleges of law, medicine, communications, theology, social work, and traditional schools offering degrees in business, the arts and sciences, and education.
Howard University also offers some uncommon undergraduate majors, such as Afro-American Studies, music therapy, jazz studies, and Greek language and literature. Among the university's most popular majors, however, are biology, journalism, psychology, radio and television, and political science.
Given the size of the university and the notion that large universities mean lecture halls filled with hundreds of students, Howard University reports that 60.9% of its courses have fewer than twenty students enrolled, while 34.5% of courses average 20-49 students per section.
Campus Life at Howard University
Students at Howard University have the opportunity to participate in a wide array of student organizations, ranging from performing arts groups to professional organizations to religious groups to NCAA Division I varsity athletics.
Howard University is also a notable institution in the world of fraternities and sororities, being home to the first chapters of both Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Delta Sigma Theta sorority, two of five historically Black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs.) Howard University was also the site of the founding of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, or the consortium representing America's "Divine 9" historically Black fraternities and sororities.
Howard University, located in the heart of America's capital, is one of many of America's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs.) Today, the university is not only known for its committment to diversity, but also for its top tier academics and research.
Sources
- "Brief History of Howard University" Howard University, accessed 30 November 2011.
- "Howard University: Best Colleges" U.S. News and World Report, copyright 2011, accessed 30 November 2011.
- "Member Organizations" National Pan-Hellenic Council, accessed 30 November 2011.
Ashley Anderson - Ashley is an Ohio-based writer and editor with specializations in higher education, writing, and social activism.
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