Alumni Dinner Dance
At-Large DC City Councilmember Michael Brown will speak at the UDCNAS Alumni Homecoming & Scholarship Dinner Dance at the Hilton Washington, DC/Silver Spring Hotel on October 24. The black-tie evening of dining and dancing begins at 6 p.m. Cost: $100 per person. Proceeds will go toward establishing the UDCNAS Endowed Scholarship Fund. Click here for details.

UDC GloLocal Open Forum
The Office of International Programs & Exchange and several other UDC divisions will present the forum, Jobs Creation—Opportunities & Challenges, on Nov. 12 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the Windows Lounge, Building 38, 2nd floor. Click here for details.

Operation Warm Begins
Right NOW, you can make a difference. Meet the UDCCommunity challenge with a donation of $17 to Operation Warm! Contact one of the authorized off- or on-campus captains to make your contribution during our fund drive. Email Jackie Thompson, or Jayson Green, to find the team captain nearest you.

The "Flame on the Fly" is a monthly e-publication produced by the Office of Alumni Relations. Please feel free to submit comments, story ideas and inquiries to alumni@udc.edu

When Rodney Hawkins ’76 was laid off in 1999, he took the opportunity to develop his dream of entrepreneurship and founded the Washington Technology Group, Inc. Now located in downtown Silver Spring, MD, WTG is celebrating 10 years as a viable multimillion-dollar information technology business serving clients such as the FBI, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the US Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security, the US Army Biometrics Task Force and the Executive Office of the President. He and WTG were recently profiled in Minority Enterprise Advocate Magazine for providing essential IT support services to federal and commercial customers. WTG was recently awarded a $15 million Minority Small Business 8(a) competitive bid contract to support the Pacific Hickman Air Force Base in Honolulu. Hawkins’s strong work ethic and commitment to excellence.

A dedicated and steadfast leader, Hawkins is a mentor and volunteers for a number of community groups, including Calvin Coolidge High School, the Clara Muhammad School, Prosperity Media Summer Youth Media Arts Program, Your Community Center and the DC Juvenile Detention Center. He is also a member of the University of the District of Columbia National Alumni Society (UDCNAS). Click here to learn more about WTG.

Campus News

UDC's Water Quality Education Program
In 2005, the University’s Water Quality Education Program (WQEP) began under the auspices of UDC’s Community Outreach and Extension Service’s Environment and Natural Resources unit to promote water quality programs throughout the Washington, DC area with workshops, fact sheets, brochures and updates on water issues. In 2006, WQEP began a collaborative effort with the Mid-Atlantic Water Program—a coalition of universities using science to improve water quality throughout the region—and began to receive funding to conduct water-quality projects. One such project set up rain gardens in Washington, DC schools in Wards 4, 5 and 6. For information about WQEP, contact UDC Extension Agent Wellela Hirpassa ’92.

Alumni News

Kenneth Barnes, Sr. Named “Hometown Hero”
Thanks to your emails, Kenneth Barnes, Sr., ’76 and ’79, was named BET-KFC Hometown Hero for his long-standing work against gun violence within the District of Columbia. After the death of his son in 2001, Barnes created Reaching Out to Others Together, Inc. ROOT is a grassroots organization dedicated to organizing residents, police, faith-based groups, media, businesses and others in the community to find peaceful solutions to the perpetual problem of the violence that plagues DC and so many other urban areas. He can be heard on the Spirit In Action radio show on WPFW (89.3 FM) during its Fifth Fridays community forum from 10 a.m. until noon. Click here to reach Kenneth Barnes.

Harris Connect to Build UDC-Alumni Bond
Within the next few weeks, you will receive phone calls, emails, postcards and other alerts from Harris Connect, a nationally-known company that supports relationship-building using the Internet, directories and other well-tested research solutions. Through Harris, UDC wants to reach YOU—our most esteemed stakeholders—so that we can update your information, help you connect with your fellow alumni and involve you in shaping the University’s future. Your participation is critical, so please respond. Click here to learn more.