The Historical 144th Opening Convocation of Howard University

I must admit I was very annoyed to find out that all freshman seminar students had to go to the Convocation. The event is not on the syllabus and we had to check blackboard to have any idea that attending it and writing a blog would be for a grade. That wasn't the least of my troubles, however. I believe the announcement said that the opening convocation would start at 11 PM. When I arrived at 11:05, it seemed as if I had missed over half of the program. I find it unlikely that the multiple songs by the university choir, procession, presentations of colors, and the like were all performed in those 5 minutes that I missed. Nonetheless, I made it in time to see the presentation of the speaker and hear Dr. Michael L. Lomax's speech on the continued importance of HBCU in society.

I learned that as one of the top HBCU in the country, Howard is going to need to set an example to the rest of the 100+ colleges and universities in the group to continue to provide black students with opportunities to receive college degrees as well as prepare them for the world. I personally liked the part where Dr. Lomax stated many statistics on how graduation rates of black students, specifically black males, were below par in schools all around the U.S. but those numbers were significantly higher in HBCUs.

I also found out that alumni have a much bigger part in an institution's mission than just having passed through. Alumni support, at 11% now, is necessary for an institution to make its way to other corporations and institutions and try to gain support for the goals and objectives in mind. When Dr. Ribeau did the acknowledgments, it was nice to see how many visitors and supporters of Howard were present in the assembly. Faculty and staff were all present and many prominent men and women, including alumni, also showed up to show support for Howard's 144th year of service and truth. In the end, I suppose I'm glad I went.