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University of the District of Columbia Announces Next Steps in its Presidential Search

WASHINGTON – The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Board of Trustees has taken its first important steps in the national search for the next president of the University. Ronald Mason Jr., UDC’s longest-serving president, announced in July that he would step down at the conclusion of his contract in June 2023. Today, Board of Trustees Chair Christopher D. Bell announced the formation of a search committee co-chaired by Dr. Elaine Crider and Trustee Mignon L. Clyburn. The search committee consists of representatives from numerous UDC constituencies and includes the following members:

• Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn, UDC Board of Trustees (Co-Chair)
• Dr. Elaine Crider, Community Member and Former Chair, UDC Board of Trustees (Co-Chair)
• Dr. Andrea Adams, Interim President, UDC Faculty Senate
• Maria Byrd, Associate Vice President, UDC Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
• Ken Grossinger, UDC Board of Trustees
• Dr. Tonya Harris, UDC Board of Trustees Student Representative
• Renee Hutchins, Dean, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, Former Dean of the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law
• Paul Kihn, District of Columbia Deputy Mayor for Education
• Eugene Kinlow, Director of Federal and Regional Affairs for the District of Columbia; UDC Alumnus; Former Alumni Trustee, UDC Board of Trustees; and Former Member, UDC Foundation Board of Trustees
• Dr. Devdas Shetty, Dean, UDC School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Dr. Mashonda Smith, Dean, UDC Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning

UDC will be assisted in the presidential search by the executive recruiting firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates, LLC (G/A&A). There will be several opportunities for the broader UDC community to participate in the search process, including listening sessions with G/A&A as they solicit input on the characteristics of the next UDC president. There will also be a survey, focus groups and campus interviews with the top candidates. The presidential search committee is charged with finalizing a position description, which will delineate the skills and characteristics the next president needs to be successful. The committee will collaborate with the search firm to engage University stakeholders, develop the search schedule, circulate the position announcement, review applications, conduct initial interviews, and present finalists to the Board of Trustees for consideration.

The presidential search committee will begin accepting candidate applications and nominations in November 2022, and the Board of Trustees expects to make its final decision on the next president in April 2023. A webpage dedicated to the search process will soon be available to the public for input and search updates.

The University of the District of Columbia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. Minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For a full version of the University’s EO Policy Statement, please visit www.udc.edu/equal_opportunity.

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About the University of the District of Columbia: The only public university in the nation’s capital and the only urban land-grant university in the United States, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) committed to a broad mission of education, research and community service.  Established by abolitionist Myrtilla Miner in 1851, UDC offers workforce training, professional certification and 81 undergraduate and graduate degrees designed to create opportunities for student success.  The University is comprised of a Community College and Division of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; School of Business and Public Administration; College of Arts and Sciences, College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences and the David A. Clarke School of Law.  Learn more at udc.edu