Introduction
Since it opened in 1867, Howard University’s name has been synonymous with quality. The university got its start shortly after the end of the Civil War as a theological seminary specifically for African American students. Two years later, the seminary became a full-fledged university, its name deriving from Civil War hero General Oliver O. Howard. Howard, one of the founders of the university, also held the post of Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau.
Throughout its history, Howard has been host to elite guests, from President Franklin Roosevelt to President Barack Obama. The university also claims a long list of famous names as alumni, including dancer and actress Debbie Allen, NFL player Antoine Bethea, Maryland Delegate Aisha N. Braveboy, NASA astrophysicist Beth A. Brown, civil rights advocate Walter Percival Carter, and David Dinkins, New York City’s first African-American mayor. In fact, many of Howard’s graduates have gone on to become the first African Americans in their respective fields.
In addition to its top-rate academics, Howard students are supported by the resources necessary to their academic success. Nearly the entire campus offers wireless Internet access; the mobile device center assists students and faculty with problems and configuration of mobile devices and laptops; and a university-wide system of world class library facilities is available to all students.
When not on campus, students have Washington DC and all it has to offer at their doorstep: The Smithsonian Museums, The National Mall, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, and The Lincoln Memorial are all nearby and are all free. Baltimore is a little under an hour away by car or train, and Virginia Beach and Ocean City, Maryland, are all a half a day’s drive away.
