University of the District of Columbia

History

UDC traces its roots back to 1851. Myrtilla Miner founded the Normal School for Colored Girls in 1851. In 1879, by then known as Miner Normal School, it joined the D.C. public education system. A separate institution, The Washington Normal School was established in 1873 for girls and was renamed the Wilson Normal School in 1913.

In 1929, the United States Congress made both schools four-year teachers' colleges and designated Miner Teachers College for African Americans and Wilson Teachers College for whites. In 1955, following Brown v. Board of Education, the two schools merged into the District of Columbia Teachers College.

U.S. Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon and Representative Ancher Nelsen of Minnesota sponsored the District of Columbia Public Education Act, enacted on November 7, 1966, as (Public Law 89-791), which established two additional institutions. Federal City College was created as a four-year liberal arts college. It was originally planned to be a small, selective college of about 700 students. By the time the college opened in 1968, however, admission was open and applications had soared to 6000; students were placed by lottery. The Washington Technical Institute was established as a technical school. Both institutions were also given land-grant status and awarded a $7.24 million endowment (USD), in lieu of a land grant.

The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MACS) granted educational accreditation to Washington Technical Institute in 1971 and to Federal City College in 1974.

Efforts to unify the D.C. Teachers College, Federal City College, and Washington Technical Institute under a single administrative structure began in earnest after the passage of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. A merger of the institutions was approved in 1975, and on August 1, 1977, the three institutions were formally consolidated as the University of the District of Columbia, with Lisle Carleton Carter, Jr. named its first president. The Council of the District of Columbia later passed legislation merging the District of Columbia School of Law with the University of the District of Columbia in 1996.

Beginning with the 2009-10 academic year, UDC's programs were split into two separate institutions under an umbrella "university system"-style setup. A new Community College assumed UDC's associate's degree, certificate, continuing education, and workforce development programs, while the UDC Flagship campus continued with its bachelor's and graduate degree programs. While UDC-CC will maintain an open enrollment policy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees admission into UDC.

In late 2012, the university reported that its average expenses of "$35,152 [per full-time student] are 66 percent higher than expenses for comparable schools." To cut costs, UDC underwent a reorganization and plans to eliminate several degree programs.

In 2012 and 2013, the University eliminated 97 full-time equivalent positions including abolished positions, executive appointments, and vacant funded positions. In late December 2012, the Board of Trustees approved a change in the University’s executive administration and appointed Dr. Rachel Petty to serve as interim COO. During the spring of 2013 James E. Lyons Sr. was hired as an interim President to lead the institution forward.

UDC Police Department

The UDC Police Department (UDCPD) is an operating element within the Office of Public Safety & Emergency Management (OPSEM). The UDCPD is tasked with providing full service policing for all UDC assests and stakeholders in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year. The department consists of commisoned Police Officers and non-sworn support staff. UDCPD officers have full authority to investigate crimes, respond to calls for service and effect arrests on any UDC property. OPSEM and the UDCPD are under the command of Marieo Foster who serves as the Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety.

Academics

UDC offers 68 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The Division of Community Outreach and Extension Services (COES) offers a variety of practical, nonacademic educational programs and training. UDC spends $35,152 per full-time student. IPEDs reports UDC's full-time student graduation to be 15%; although UDC graduates more District resident students than any college or university in the District of Columbia. The majority of students attending the University of the District of Columbia are non-traditional adult part-time students.

Schools and colleges

International programs

A 1996 academic partnership with the Modern Academy In Maadi, in Maadi, a southern suburb of Cairo, Egypt, encourages the material, physical, and intellectual growth of students, faculty, and staff of both institutions through Cairo-based UDC Bachelor's degrees, Computer Science and Business Administration management programs. In July 2001, the partnership included Accounting and Finance options in Business, Computer Engineering and Information Technology and Electronic Engineering and Communication Technology and graduate studies in Business Administration (MBA).

The Maadi branch campus partnership ended in June 2014. All matriculating students will participate in a teach-out process. No degrees will be conferred after May 2016 to any currently enrolled students.

The UDC's adult education department had a collegial relationship with the University of Nairobi for several years, including faculty exchange and doctoral student sponsoring.

Campus

The main campus of UDC, known as the Van Ness campus, is in the North Cleveland Park neighborhood at Connecticut Avenue and Van Ness Street in Northwest Washington, DC. It lends its name to the nearby Van Ness–UDC Metrorail station.

Primarily a commuter school, UDC opened its first residential accommodations or dormitories in August 2010 by leasing an apartment building across the street from its campus. UDC plans to open a new residence hall on its main campus by 2012 that could house as many as 300 students. Construction of a new $40 million student center also began in 2012.

The Van Ness Campus opened in 1968 as the campus of the Washington Technical Institute, occupying buildings vacated by the National Bureau of Standards. Following the announcement of the UDC in 1975, work began on redeveloping the campus, with the construction of Buildings 32, 38, and 39 completed in 1976. Seven additional buildings opened in 1981 at the conclusion of a second phase of construction. The DCTC facilities at the old Wilson Teachers College building at 11th and Harvard Streets, NW and at the Franklin School were retired.

Mt. Vernon Square was selected as the site for Federal City College in 1968, and in 1973 FCC took control of the Carnegie Library, closed in 1970 in anticipation of the D.C. Public Library's move to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Funding for the campus did not materialize until 1978, however. Facing declining enrollment and lack of funding, operations at the downtown campus were wound down in the 1990s, and the facilities shuttered. "UDC" was removed from the name of the nearby Mount Vernon Square Metro Station in 2001.

Athletics

The University of the District of Columbia athletic teams are known as the UDC Firebirds. The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and competes at the Division II level as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC). The university currently fields ten varsity sports, five men's sports: basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, lacrosse; and six women's sports: basketball, cross country, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball. In 2012, the university announced plans for athletic expansion, with the addition of men's and women's lacrosse in 2014 and soon thereafter men's and women's swimming.

Success

The Firebirds have experienced recent success in men's and women's tennis winning the East Coast Conference team titles their first season as a part of the conference; with the women's tennis team making it all the way to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the NCAA Division II tournament. The Firebirds also excelled on the hardwood in 2011-12 where both men's and women's basketball teams made it to the East Regional Quarterfinals in the 2012 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament.

Pastorally, the Firebirds have excelled at intercollegiate athletics highlighted most notably by the men's basketball team winning the 1982 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament, under the tutelage of Coach Will Jones. The Firebirds attempted and fell just short of repeating as champions but had to settle for runner-up in 1983.

Administration

Since December 2008, the Athletic Department has been headed up by Patricia Thomas, who is the university's first female African American to serve in this position. Thomas came to University of the District of Columbia with over 30 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics, including many years serving as a senior associate athletic director at Georgetown University, where she also served on the NCAA Division I Management Council.

The department also has five associate athletic directors, Joseph Lang (Compliance), Mike Riley (Internal Operations), Patrick Knapp (External Operations), Matthew Rienzo (Marketing & Communications), and Kendra Greene (Academics/ Senior Woman Administrator).

Notable coaches

Jeff Ruland (Iona College, 1991) has been the coach of the Firebirds men's basketball team since 2009. Ruland most notably is remembered for his years as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played for the Washington Bullets and was an All-Star Selection in the 1982–83 season. Ruland came to The University of the District of Columbia from an assistant coaching position with the Philadelphia 76ers.

National Pan-Hellenic Council

All nine of the National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations currently have chapters at the University of the District of Columbia.

Student media

UDC publishes The Trilogy, a student-paper highlighting campus events and national and local news. The Flightpath yearbook focuses on graduating students and the years' activities.

Television

UDC Cable Television, Channel 19, is the District Government's non-commercial, adult education program service.

UDC Cable TV 98 supports teaching, research and public service with Educational-access television and instructional programming. Cable TV 98 operates an audio and video recording service center, electronic field and studio production and a video training center for Public-access television production.