Howard University Celebrates 158th Opening Convocation; Civil Rights Attorney and Educator Sherrilyn Ifill to Deliver Keynote

September 16, 2025 at 10:31 AM EDT

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WASHINGTON, DC – Howard University will convene its 158th Opening Convocation on Friday, September 19, 2025, at 11 a.m. in Cramton Auditorium. The annual event marks the official start of the academic year and welcomes new students to the University.

Sherrilyn Ifill, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights at Howard University and founder/director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy, will be this year’s convocation speaker. Ifill has served as a professor of law at Howard University since 2023. Before joining the University, she was the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Wayne A. I. Frederick (B.S. '92, M.D. "94, MBA "11), FACS, Howard University interim president, president emeritus, and the Charles Drew Professor of Surgery will preside over the program. Board of Trustees Chair Leslie D. Hale (BBA ’94) will also deliver remarks. Classes will be suspended between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., to allow students, faculty, and staff to attend the convocation.

WHAT

Howard University’s 158th Opening Convocation

WHO

Sherrilyn Ifill, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights
Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA, interim president, president emeritus, and Charles Drew Professor of Surgery
Leslie D. Hale, chair of the Board of Trustees
faculty, staff, and students

WHEN

Friday, September 19, 11 a.m.

WHERE

Cramton Auditorium, 2455 6th St NW, Washington, DC 20059

MEDIA ATTENDANCE: Advance RSVP to Carol Wilkerson (carol.wilkerson@howard.edu) is required. Access to cover the event is not guaranteed without prior written approval from the Office of University Communications. B-roll available upon request.

As a reminder, please adhere to the University's bag policy to ensure the safety of all attendees.

About Howard University

Howard University, established in 1867, is a leading private research university based in Washington, D.C. Howard’s 14 schools and colleges offer 140 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs and lead the nation in producing African Americans with professional doctoral degrees. Howard is the top-ranked historically Black college or university according to Forbes and LinkedIn, the only HBCU with an R1 research institution designation, and the only HBCU ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 National Universities. Renowned for its esteemed faculty, high achieving students, and commitment to excellence, leadership, truth and service, Howard produces distinguished alumni across all sectors, which have included the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice and the first woman U.S. vice president; a Nobel Prize laureate; Schwarzman, Marshall, Rhodes and Truman Scholars; prestigious fellows; and over 170 Fulbright recipients. Learn more at www.howard.edu.

Carol Wilkerson
Howard University
202-288-7071
carol.wilkerson@howard.edu

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Howard University Celebrates 158th Opening Convocation; Civil Rights Attorney and Educator Sherrilyn Ifill to Deliver Keynote

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