The 10th President of the University of the District of Columbia, Maurice D. Edington, Ph.D.

Maurice Edington, Ph.D. brings over 20 years of higher education leadership experience to the University. Dr. Edington is an accomplished scientist, educator and university administrator with a proven track record of improving student retention and graduation rates. Dr. Edington most recently served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Florida A&M University (FAMU), where he guided strategy for vice presidents and other senior administrators to improve institutional outcomes on key performance indicators and sustain operational excellence. Direct reports included the provost and vice president for academic affairs, vice president for student affairs, vice president for research, vice president for strategic planning, director of communications and executive director of Title III programs.

Dr. Edington previously served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (2018-2022). In that role, he was responsible for all matters pertaining to academic programs, activities and services in the 14 colleges/schools, including overseeing all institutional and specialized accreditation activities. He managed an annual operating budget of $99 million for 9,200 students and over 500 full-time faculty.

As Provost, Dr. Edington served as the university’s chief strategist and worked closely with FAMU’s President and BOT to establish and advance the university’s strategic priorities. Under his leadership, FAMU made tremendous strides in increasing student success outcomes, launched several new degree programs and experienced its highest performance (in 2021 and 2023) on Florida’s Performance-Based Funding Model. During Dr. Edington’s tenure as Provost, the university also climbed in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for national public universities from 123 to 103. FAMU has been the nation’s highest-ranked public HBCU for the past four years.

Dr. Edington established the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Office of Freshman Studies, and the Office of STEM Outreach to support his vision for increasing student success. He also previously served as the Chair of the State University System of Florida Council of Academic Vice Presidents, and he chaired the university’s Strategic Planning Committee that developed the recently approved 2022-2027 strategic plan.

Dr. Edington previously served as the Vice President for Strategic Planning, Analysis and Institutional Effectiveness at FAMU. In this role, he oversaw the university’s assessment, accreditation, academic program quality, institutional research, reporting and strategic planning functions. Several notable achievements marked his tenure in this role. These include leading the development and implementation of the university’s 2017-2022 strategic plan, coordinating the successful decennial accreditation review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), co-authoring the university’s annual Legislative Budget Requests and providing leadership on implementing strategies to improve the university’s outcomes on the Performance-based Funding Model.

Dr. Edington previously served as the founding Dean of the FAMU College of Science and Technology. Under his leadership, the college improved in several key areas, including increasing freshman retention rates, grant awards and graduate enrollment. He spearheaded the development of the college’s inaugural strategic plan, guided the revamping of the college’s tenure and promotion criteria and implemented several academic support initiatives that helped to increase student success rates in several science and mathematics gateway courses. In addition, Dr. Edington facilitated the college’s efforts in establishing strategic partnerships with several corporations and government agencies to garner support for the college’s strategic priorities.

Dr. Edington’s previous administrative experiences include serving as the Director of the FAMU Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), Chair of the FAMU Department of Chemistry and Director of the FAMU Office of Engineering and Science Support. Dr. Edington also has extensive experience with accreditation and strategic planning. Under his supervision as Dean, the FAMU computer science program completed a successful ABET accreditation review. Additionally, he has served as FAMU’s SACSCOC Accreditation Liaison since 2010.

Dr. Edington is a physical chemist by training with a research specialty in ultrafast laser spectroscopy. He also conducts research and provides training to faculty in the area of STEM education, with a focus on using active learning instructional strategies to enhance critical thinking skills.

Dr. Edington received his B.A. in chemistry from Fisk University, a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Vanderbilt University, and he completed postdoctoral studies at Duke University, where he was a National Institutes of Health, National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Fellow.

Dr. Edington is married to Tonya Edington and is the father of Gabriella Edington, M.D.

Publications

1. Edington, M. D.; Riter, R. E.; Doria, W. J.; Beck, W. F. In Femtochemistry: Ultrafast Chemical and Physical Processes in Molecular Systems. Chergui, M., Ed., World Scientific, 1996, 414-417. “Coherent Energy Transfer and Dephasing in Allophycocyanin Trimers: A Mechanism for Directed Energy Transfer in Photosynthesis.”
2. Riter, R. E.; Edington, M. D.; Beck, W. F. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 14198‑14205. “Protein‑Matrix Solvation Dynamics in the Alpha Subunit of C‑Phycocyanin.”
3. Edington, M. D.; Riter, R. E.; Beck, W. F. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 14206-14217. “Interexciton-State Relaxation and Exciton Localization in Allophycocyanin Trimers.”
4. Riter, R. E.; Edington, M. D; Beck, W. F. In Ultrafast Phenomena X; Barbara, P., Knox, W., Zinth, W., Fujimoto, J., Eds.; Springer-Verlag: Berlin, 1996; 324-325. “Inertial Protein‑Matrix Solvation of a Light-Harvesting Chromophore.”
5. Riter, R. E.; Edington, M. D.; Beck, W. F. J. Phys. Chem. B 1997, 101, 2366-2371. “Isolated-Chromophore and Exciton-State Photophysics in C‑Phycocyanin Trimers.”
6. Edington, M. D.; Riter, R. E.; Beck, W. F. J. Phys. Chem. B 1997, 101, 4473-4477. “Femtosecond Transient Hole-Burning Detection of Interexciton-State Radiationless Decay in Allophycocyanin Trimers.”
7. Edington, M. D.; Diffey, W. M.; Doria, W. J.; Riter, R. E.; Beck, W. F. Chem. Phys. Lett. 1997, 275, 119-126. “Radiationless Decay from the Ligand-to-Metal Charge-Transfer State in the Blue Copper Protein Plastocyanin.”
8. Diffey, W. M.; Homoelle, B. J.; Edington, M. D.; Beck, W. F. J. Phys. Chem. B 1998, 102, 2776-2786. “Excited-State Vibrational Coherence and Anisotropy Decay in the Bacteriochlorophyll a Dimer protein B820.”
9. Homoelle, B. J.; Edington, M. D.; Diffey, W. M.; Beck, W. F. J. Phys. Chem. B 1998, 102, 3044-3052. “Stimulated Photon-Echo and Transient-Grating Studies of Protein-Matrix Solvation Dynamics and Interexciton-State Radiationless Decay in a Phycocyanin and Allophycocyanin.”
10. Pullen, S. H.; Edington, M. D.; Studer-Martinez, S. L.; Simon, J. D.; Staab, H. A.  J. Phys. Chem. A 1999, 103, 2740-2743. “Experimental Verification of the Through-Bond Mechanisms of Electron Transfer in Bridged Donor-Acceptor Complexes.”
11. Pullen, S. H.; Studer-Martinez, S. L.; Edington, M.; Harris, A. L.; Baldwin, S. W.; Staab, H. A.; Simon, J. D.  J. Phys. Chem. A. 1999, 103, 10220-10225. “Comparison of the Photoinduced Electron Transfer Reaction in a Rigid Cyclophane and Its Corresponding Bimolecular Donor/Acceptor Complex.”
12. Edington, M.; Floyd, J.; Zhang, B.; Haralampus-Grynaviski, N.; Ye, T.; Zheng, Bo; Simon, J. In Ultrafast Phenomena XII; Elsaesser, T., Mukamel, S.; Murnane, M. M.; Scherer, N. F.; Eds., Springer-Verlag: Berlin, 2000; 692-694. “Femtosecond Pump-Probe Studies of Radiationless Decay Dynamics in Arthropod and Mollusc Hemocyanin.”
13. Floyd, J.; Haralampus-Grynaviski; N., Ye; T., Zheng, B.; Simon, J.; Edington, M. “Time-Resolved Spectroscopic Studies of Radiationless Decay Processes in Photoexcited Hemocyanins,” J. Phys. Chem. B. 2001, 105, 1478-83.
14. Tillman, D.; Xiao, Y.; Edington, M. “A Femtosecond Spectroscopic Study of LMCT-Decay and Ligand-Binding Dynamics in the Dioxygen-Transport Protein Hemocyanin.” Proceeding: NOBCChE, 2001, 28, 96.
15. Lewis, D.; Martinez, J.; Akpovo, C.; Johnson, L.; Ashvini, C.; Edington, M. “Discrimination of Bacteria from a Chronosequence of Jamaican Bauxite Soils using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.” Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2011, 401 (7), 2225-36.
16. Edington, M. and Boston, G. “Higher-Order Thinking.” Customized book chapter included in “Thriving on the Hill,” Kendall Hunt Publishing. 2012
17. Akpovo, C.; Martinez, J.; Lewis, D.; Branch, J.; Schroeder, A.; Edington, M.; Johnson, L. “Regional Discrimination of Oysters using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.” Analytical Methods. 2013, 5, 3956-3964.
18. Hacisalihoglu, G.; Stephens D.; Johnson, L.; Edington, M. “The use of an active learning approach in a SCALE-UP learning space improves academic performance in undergraduate General Biology.” PLoS ONE 2018, 13(5)
19. Ngnepieba, P.; Ridley, D.; Stephens, D.; Johnson, L.; Edington, M. “Entrepreneurial Mathematics: Revising the Math101 Course.” International Journal of Economics, Business and Management Research.  2018. 2, 277-286.
20. Hacisalihoglu, G.; Stephens, D.; Stephens, S.; Johnson, L.; Edington, M. “Enhancing Undergraduate Student Success in STEM Fields through Growth-Mindset and Grit.” Education Sciences. 2020. 10, 279.

Grant Funding

National Science Foundation (NSF) HBCU-UP
STEM Center for the Advancement of Learning, Achievement and Research  
2021-2025
$2,000,000
Role: Project PI
National Science Foundation (NSF) HBCU-UP
Science Community of Active Learners to Enhance Achievement and Retention 
2017-2021
$1,999,572
Role: Project PI
National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT)
Attracting and Retaining Minority Female Students into IT Programs
2016-2017
$10,000
Role: Project Co-PI
National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA)
Consortium for Research on the Science and Engineering of Signatures (ROSES)
2014-2017
$3,600,000
Role: Project Co-PI
Florida Board of Governors (BOG) Targeted Educational Attainment (TEAm) Grant Program
Expanding North Florida’s IT Career Pathways
2014-2016
$770,676
Role: Project Manager
National Science Foundation (NSF) LSAMP
Florida-Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation
2012-2017
$3,684,570
Role: Project PI (assumed role in 2016 following retirement of former PI)
National Science Foundation (NSF) HBCU-UP
Student Centered Active Learning and Assessment Reform 
2013-2017
$1,630,597
Role: Project PI
National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA)
Consortium for Advanced Chemometrics and in-situ analysis using Laser Ablation Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Mass Spectroscopy (LA-MC-ICMS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)
2012-2013
$340,000
Role: Project Co-PI
US Army Night Vision Electronic Sensors Directorate
Standoff Light Identification of Explosives (SLIDE)
2008-2011
$2,500,000
Role: Project Co-PI
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Agricultural Research Service
The Development of Spectroscopic Methods for the Detection and Characterization of Plant Signal Transduction Mechanisms and Pathogens on Plants and Animal Food Products
2008-2010
$200,000
Role: Project PI
University of Minnesota NSF/RSEC
Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of Hemerythrin Model Complexes
2005-2006
$18,800
Role: Project PI
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
FAMU Program IMAGE
2003-2006
$900,000 (Student scholarships and administrative costs)
Role: Project Director
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Agricultural Research Service
Spectroscopic and Biochemical Studies of Light-Induced Signal Transduction Mechanisms in Plants
2002-2006
$144,000
Role: Project PI
National Science Foundation (NSF)/Florida A&M University Undergraduate Program
Enhancement of General Chemistry Instruction
2001-2002
$10,000
Role: Project PI
National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ NIGMS/MBRS GM 08111
A Spectroscopy Study of Dioxygen Reactivity with Non-Heme Metal Centers
2001-2005
$439,254
Role: Project PI
National Institutes of Health (NIH)/NIGMS/MBRS GM 08111
A Spectroscopy Study of Dioxygen Reactivity with Non-Heme Metal Centers
2000-2001
$109,886
Role: Project PI