XXXXX

Welcome to a new academic year in the Graduate School at Howard University! 

To our new graduate students, welcome to a community where your ideas, questions, discoveries, and contributions matter. You have chosen to pursue advanced study at an institution with a distinguished tradition of intellectual excellence and a powerful commitment to preparing scholars and leaders who will shape the future.

To our returning students, welcome back. We are excited to continue this journey with you as you deepen your scholarship, advance your research, and move closer to your academic and professional goals. Each year of graduate study brings new opportunities to stretch your thinking, strengthen your craft, and discover what you are capable of contributing to your field and to the world.

One of the greatest strengths of our Graduate School is the community that surrounds you. Our faculty bring distinction, expertise, mentorship, and a commitment to your intellectual development. Our staff are dedicated to helping you navigate the many dimensions of graduate education and connecting you with the resources you need to thrive. And our alumni—scholars, professionals, artists, researchers, and leaders—demonstrate what is possible when a Howard graduate education becomes the foundation for a life of purpose and impact.

Graduate school is a hearty challenge. There will be moments when the work feels exhilarating and moments when it feels demanding. In both, I encourage you to remember that you are not on this journey alone. Ask questions. Seek mentors. Build community. Take intellectual risks. Make use of the resources available to you. And give yourself permission to grow.

On behalf of the wonderful team here at the Graduate School, welcome you to the academic year. We are glad you are here; we believe in what you are becoming; and we look forward to all that you will discover and accomplish.

Here's to another year of tradition, scholarship, and innovation. 

Dana A. Williams, PhD

Graduate Dean