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Opening convocation, Thursday, September 18, 2025

Opening Convocation

Fall 2025 Opening Convocation

Thursday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m.
UDC Theater of the Arts, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC

Watch the Ceremony Live

Celebrating 175 Years of Turning Potential Into Power

Prelude

The Power of Our Community

Scott T. Krawczyk, Ph.D.

Senior Associate Chief Academic Officer for Academic Programs

Adanna J. Johnson, Ph.D.

Associate Chief Academic Officer for Faculty Affairs

Myesha Carter, D.Ed.

Associate Chief Academic Officer for the Student Experience

The Occasion

Alana Leonard

President, Community College Student Government Association

Kayleah Shelton

President, Undergraduate Student Government Association

Leniqua’dominique Jenkins

President, Graduate Student Government Association

Craig Bass

President, Student Bar Association

Kiran Terrelonge

Student Representative, Board of Trustees

Welcome and Introduction of Remarks

April Massey, Ph.D.

Chief Academic Officer

Presentation of Colors

Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C.
Ceremonial Honor Guard Unit
 

Musical Selection*

"The Star-Spangled Banner"

Arranged by Darmon Meader

Lyrics
O, say can you see?
By the dawn’s early light.
What so proudly, we hailed
By the twilight’s last gleaming.
Whose dark stripes and bright stars
Through the perilous flight
O’er the ramparts we watched
Were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets’ red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof, through the night
That our flag was still there.
O, say does that star–spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free,
And the home of the brave!

Invocation

Reverend Clarence J. Parks, J.D., M.Div.

Senior Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church of Washington, D.C.

Welcome Remarks

Welcome Letter from the Honorable Muriel Bowser

Mayor of Washington, D.C.

Warner H. Session, J.D.

Chair, Board of Trustees
Read his Welcome Letter

Maurice D. Edington, Ph.D.

President
Read his Welcome Letter

Teri Little-Berry, Ph.D.

Chief Student Development and Success Officer
Read her Welcome Letter

Musical Selection

"A Dream With Your Name on It" (Bonnie Karlyle, Tom Lerner)
"The Impossible Dream" (Joe Darion, Mitch Leigh)

Medley arranged and directed by Evelyn Simpson-Curenton

Ferra Diggs, Soloist
Hilary Daniel, Soloist

Academic Year Charge

Laverne Gooding-Jones

President, AFSME Local

Professor Albert Pearsall

President, UDC Faculty Association

Angela Gilmore, J.D.

Interim Dean, David A. Clarke School of Law

Professor Frazier O’Leary, Ph.D.

Adjunct Faculty

Tyshawna Sales

Accreditation Coordinator

Andrea Adams, Ph.D.

Vice Chair, UDC Faculty Senate

Introduction of Inaugural Convocation Lecturer

April Massey, Ph.D.

Convocation Lecture

Amanda Huron, Ph.D.

Professor of Political Science

Convocation Awards

April Massey, Ph.D.

Musical Selection

"Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing"

Arranged by Roland M. Carter

Lyrics

Verse 1
Lift ev’ry voice and sing ’Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty; Let our rejoicing rise,
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound, loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song
Full of the faith, that the dark past has taught us; Sing a song
Full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on, ‘till victory is won.

Verse 2
Stonh the road we trod, Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come
Over a way that with tears has been water’d;
We have come
Treading our path through the blood of the slaughter’d;
Out of the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the bright gleam of which our bright star is cast.

Verse 3
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou, who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou, who hast by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet
Stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee;
Lest our hearts
Drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee, Shadow’d beneath Thy hand
May we forever stand,
True to our God
True to our native land.
Amen.

Closing Remarks and Acknowledgements

April Massey, Ph.D.

Closing Song*

"Our Glorious UDC"

Alma Mater
Words by Larry Mills; Music by Robert Felder

Lyrics

Verse 1
A path that’s paved in Red and Gold,
Leading to the dreams life holds
Inspiring every growing mind
To conquer mountains hard to climb.

Verse 2
You’ll always reign with equality
Strength and love and unity
Bringing life’s prosperity
To those who pledge their loyalty.

Verse 3
UDC, you’re praised and loved
Blessed with strength, from God above.
Leading us on through every road
To UDC, our strength, to hold.

Chorus
We praise our UDC
Your precepts, we believe
Always our hearts will sing to Thee:
Our glorious UDC!

Benediction

Reverend Clarence J. Parks, JD, M.Div.

Senior Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church of Washington, D.C.

Adjourn

Reception immediately following the program.

* Please stand

Musical Selections led by the UDC Chorale
Professor Johnny H. Butler III, M.M., Director of Choral Activities
Professor Evelyn Simpson–Curenton, M.M., Assistant Director/Pianist

A Message From the Office of the President

Presidential seal
Welcome to the 2025–2026 academic year at the University of the District of Columbia. Convocation is a cherished tradition, a moment to honor our legacy and chart the course for our shared future. It is even more meaningful this year as it marks the beginning of our 175th anniversary celebration. 

This year’s theme, “Turning Potential into Power: A Year of Innovation and Transformation,” speaks to every part of our community. For students, it means unlocking pathways – whether you are starting college for the first time, returning to complete a degree or building new skills for your career, UDC is here to help you meet your goals. For our faculty, it means bringing your incredible knowledge, scholarship and creativity to shape the next generation. And for the District we serve, it means UDC is preparing the workforce our city needs, fueling progress and making a positive impact. 

We have made tremendous progress over the past year. Our reaccreditation affirms the value of your UDC degree. Our continued enrollment growth means more students are choosing to become Firebirds and strengthening the bonds of our community. And the millions of dollars invested in classrooms, labs and student support are designed to ensure that your learning experience is second to none. These milestones matter because they expand opportunities for every student and extend UDC’s impact across all eight wards. 

We are excited to build on this momentum – driving workforce development through career training and industry partnerships, advancing student success through excellence in teaching and deepening our community impact through research and service. 

To our new and returning students, faculty and staff: thank you for your dedication and commitment. You embody the spirit and the strength of this great city. As we celebrate 175 years of turning potential into power, let us rise to meet this moment – building a future worthy of our legacy and of the District we are proud to serve. Together. 

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

A Message From the Board Chair

Presidential seal
On behalf of the University of the District of Columbia Board of Trustees, I would like to welcome all of you — faculty, staff and students new and old — to UDC’s 175th academic year.

Those 175 years hold a lot of history. They hold the history of an HBCU, the history of the only urban land-grant university in the country, and, above all else, the history of educating DC’s residents so that they may learn, grow, and meet any challenge that may lie ahead. As members of UDC’s community, you are all also part of this history, part of the tremendous potential that this university embodies.

In our rapidly changing world, that potential cannot remain dormant. Therefore, UDC’s 175th anniversary comes with a theme taken from the university’s motto: “Turning Potential into Power: A Year of Innovation and Transformation.” This theme acknowledges the substantial work that the university has undertaken over the past few years to bring UDC’s legacy to life as real-world change.

Under the strong and sure leadership of President Maurice D. Edington, UDC has grown in every way we can measure. We have more students, more faculty, better facilities and so much more. These changes, guided by the university’s strategic plan, have begun to tap into that great potential at a moment when our city dearly needs what UDC offers.

What does UDC offer? workforce development, industry partnerships, and, most importantly, opportunity for every resident in the District’s eight wards to transform their own potential into power.

As we celebrate 175 years of academic attainment and community, I invite you to use UDC’s legacy, its potential, to innovate. After all, you can’t learn if you don’t try something new, whether that be a class in a new area or pushing your comfort zone by becoming more involved with the university community.

This innovation is necessary for us to continue to transform our potential into power and to rise to meet new challenges. This is how we will blaze a path that will cause those who come after us to see this 175th anniversary not as history, but as the beginning of an even greater legacy.

Warner H. Session, Esq.
Chair, Board of Trustees

A Message From the Chief Student Development and Success Officer

I am delighted to celebrate the Fall Convocation of the University of the District of Columbia with you as we kick off our 175th year. Convocation is ceremonial and reflective as it is a call to action, reminding us of the collective responsibility that we share to Deliver on the Promise of UDC.

That dream is fulfilled when Student Affairs’ resources connect with the expectations of Academic Affairs, creating opportunities for students to excel, to lead and to serve.

As we celebrate this momentous year, I urge all of you to take full advantage of the resources and opportunities before you. Career services, academic advising, leadership programs, wellness activities and student organizations are just a few of the many ways UDC is prepared to help you turn your potential into power.

Convocation is the start of a semester but so much more, it’s a moment for renewal and for commitment. As we move forward, let's all do our part — students, faculty and staff of the university — to pass on an institution that is stronger and more vibrant for generations to come.

May you all have an uplifting year!

Teri Little-Berry, Ph.D.
Chief Student Development and Success Officer
 

UDC Leadership

Special Honors

Live Stream

Watch the Ceremony

A live stream will begin once the ceremony commences at 10 a.m.

Upcoming University Events

Founders Day

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026

University-Wide Research Week

April 6–10, 2026

University-Wide Student Honors Ceremony

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Honorees Reception

Friday, May 8, 2026

Commencement

Saturday, May 9, 2026

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