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There's no question that Howard University has stamped its signature on local leadership. It is the thread connecting Washington's first mayor, Mayor Washington, Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), Mayor Adrian Fenty (D), both the outgoing and incoming D.C. Council chairpersons and the new county executives in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
Figures such as the late Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, a New York City mayor and a former senator hailed from Howard. The school also helped fashion the federal case outlawing segregated schools in 1954.
Founded by Congress in 1867 to educate Black freedmen, Howard is now ranked No. 90 among U.S. universities, according to U.S. News and World Report, and is the sole historically Black institution to rank in the top two tiers. It is listed as one of the 25 best educational deals nationally, telating quality to price.
So, one might justifiably wonder what propelled the "Mecca of Black education" to such lofty heights and if it will continue.
Howard President H. Patrick Swygett, whose administration uses the mantra "Leadership for America and the global community," has an unequivocal answer. "We've been fortunate to be able to recruit outstanding students who go on to become outstanding leaders. I think it begins with the students themselves. In one sense, it's like saying, 'I chose my parents.' We've...