UDC Ranked #14 Public HBCU, Top 25 HBCU by U.S. News and World Report

Courtesy of University of the District of Columbia

The University of the District of Columbia ranks #14 among public HBCUs in U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 list of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the company announced last week. Among all HBCUs, UDC ranks #24 – the second consecutive year UDC has landed in the top 25 HBCUs in the nation. The achievements are the latest in a series of recent triumphs for the University.

Newly installed UDC President Maurice D. Edington, Ph.D., who took office August 1, called the achievement “a testament to the unstoppable momentum” of the University.

“UDC is on a roll. In the past few years, the University has been on an upward trajectory—from academic accomplishments to research gains to our ever-expanding role in the greater community,” Edington said. “This recognition will only serve to accelerate us as we continue to build on that energy.”

Edington most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU). As part of the FAMU leadership team, he helped guide strategies that led to FAMU’s ranking as the #1 public HBCU in the country for the past five years.

UDC is a historically Black, urban land-grant institution in Washington, DC, and the only public University in the nation’s capital. It is home to 80-plus degree programs, a nationally recognized law school, a community college and workforce development programs, and has multiple campuses and training sites throughout the DMV area.

In the past year, UDC has enjoyed a steady stream of successes—from unit-wide academic achievements and student/faculty honors to research grants and multimillion-dollar corporate sponsorships, to major campus renovations and tangible contributions to the DC-area community.

Recent honors for UDC divisions, students and faculty include these highlights from the past academic year:

• This May, UDC celebrated the first Ph.D. graduates in the University’s history. Students completed doctorate degrees in Engineering and Computer Science and in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship—the latter of which is the only program of its kind in the nation.
• UDC Community College commended the first graduates of its innovative bilingual early-education associate’s degree program in May.
• In May, the American Bar Association ranked the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law #5 in the nation for sending its graduates into government and public interest jobs. U.S. News and World Report also ranked the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law #13 (tie) in the nation for Best Clinical Training Law Program, a distinction it shares with Harvard University. The law school also welcomed its largest class in five years in fall 2023.
• In February, the School of Business and Public Administration (SBPA) earned AACSB International accreditation, a distinction conferred on less than 6% of the world’s schools offering business degrees.
• The UDC Women’s Track & Field team was named an All-Academic Team in July 2023 by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association.
• In April 2023, The Lamond-Riggs Campus Green Infrastructure stormwater Treatment  Train was awarded first prize in The Best Ultra-Urban Best Management Practice (BMP) category of the Best Urban BMP in the Bay Award contest (BUBBAs).
• The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board selected UDC Law Professor Marcy L. Karin as the Fulbright-Scotland Distinguished Scholar at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh, serving from January-June 2023.
• In August 2022, Dr. Lara Thompson, an associate professor in mechanical engineering at the UDC School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), became the first principal investigator from an HBCU to receive the prestigious $1 million Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation. UDC also became the first HBCU in the nation, the first University in DC, and the first member institution within the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area to have a faculty member win this award.

Recent research achievements, grants and corporate sponsorships include:

• In May 2023, UDC received a $2 million commitment over three years from Pepco as part of its HBCU Power Partnership “Investing in Tomorrow’s Talent Today.” The award is the largest corporate grant in UDC’s history.
• This spring, UDC made history as the first HBCU to sponsor the prestigious Northeast Decision Sciences Institute annual conference.
• UDC Research Week 2023 enjoyed record participation, with more than 125 student and faculty presentations.
• In fiscal year 2023, the University witnessed a 30% increase over the prior year in proposals for research funding.
• In 2022 and 2023, the School of Business and Public Administration led a summer study abroad program at Nottingham Trent University in the UK for SBPA and SEAS students. NSF grants fully funded the program.
• In fall 2022, UDC was selected as an educational partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, providing more than 5,000 Amazon hourly employees access to UDC’s 50-plus associate and bachelor’s degree programs.
• In fall 2022, UDC and Howard University launched a joint training program in public health information technology, funded by an $8.7 million grant from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services division. The coursework is free to eligible students as part of a UDC associate degree, bachelor’s degree or Workforce Development program.

The University is also investing in its campuses and in the greater DC community, including:

• This summer, Anacostia High School students participated in a six-week Environmental Justice Initiative internship, a partnership between UDC’s DAWN (Developing America’s Workforce Nucleus) and the U.S. Department of Interior, sponsored by Pepco.
• In April, UDC hosted its first Saturday STEM Expo with more than 20 exhibitors and over 150 local high school students attending.
• During the fall 2022 semester, the College of Arts and Sciences launched the Grow Your Own program, offering specialized educator training to DC residents who aim to teach in DC public schools, a program now in its second year.
• In February 2023, the University renamed its athletic complex in honor of the “grandfather of Black basketball” Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson, a UDC alumnus. In June, it also dedicated a life-size statue of the basketball pioneer, funded with support from the Leonsis Foundation and Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
• UDC is in the midst of a $50 million-plus capital improvement initiative that includes a new Student Center food court, a library renovation and a new athletic field at its Van Ness campus; interior improvements on the campus of its community college at Lamond-Riggs; and boosted wraparound services for UDC students.

The 2024 U.S. News and World Report HBCU rankings represent a slight dip for the University. In 2023, UDC was ranked #17 among HBCUs. This year, UDC also ranked #53 among Top Public Schools (versus its #49-63 position last year) and #133 (tie) on the list of Top Performers on Social Mobility, a jump from its ranking as #158 (tie) in 2023. The University is also ranked #107 (tie) among Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs for 2024.

Though new to the University, Edington is relentlessly committed to raising its profile, including as a leader for innovation and student success, an economic driver for the DC area, and a competitive choice for students.

“While there is always more work to do, the future is bright at UDC,” Edington said. “Together, with students, faculty, staff and the greater UDC community, we will work tirelessly as One UDC to elevate this historic University to its greatest height yet—as a first-choice institution in our nation’s capital.”