Arne Duncan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, underscored the need for a solid education for all Americans—particularly those in urban public schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities—during his recent visit to Howard. Tom Joyner joined Duncan on the visit, which showcased the Tom Joyner Teacher Certification Scholarship Program made possible by a $100,000 award to the University from the Tom Joyner Foundation. The teacher certification scholarships are awarded to teachers in the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science (MS)² who are completing teacher licensure requirements through an alternative certification program delivered by the School of Education faculty.

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Paul D. Ashley was recently appointed associate vice president of Materials Management. Ashley has 20 years of procurement and supply chain management experience at large corporations. He comes to Howard from Pfizer Inc., where he was a director in their Global Procurement organization. Ashley earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern University and his master’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.

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Undergraduate Trustee Victoria Kirby was the special guest of First Lady Michelle Obama during President Barack Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress on February 24. The speech aired live on all major networks. Kirby, a senior speech and applied communications major, introduced Mrs. Obama during her visit to Howard in February.

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The Scandrett Disabilities Scholarship Fund is inviting students with disabilities to apply for a $1,200 scholarship award. Applications are available in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid; the Office of Special Student Services; Howard Center; Room 725 in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences; Office of Development; Room 132 Mackey Architecture Building; and in the Office of Student Services in each of the schools and colleges. Students may obtain an application electronically by contacting the Office of Special Student Services at 202-238-2420 or by e-mailing Mary Frances Stubbs, Ph.D., at mstubbs @howard.edu. The application deadline is March 20 and students will be notified no later than March 25.

The Criminal Justice Institute for Collaborative Solutions hosted a workshop, “Understanding Children of the Incarcerated and Other Youth at Risk: A Distinct Opportunity for Ministry,” at the School of Divinity. The workshop highlighted the needs of children of the incarcerated. Charles Lewis Jr., Ph.D., professor in the School of Social Work, presented the workshop.

Nannie Helen Burroughs Lecture, formerly the Feminine in Religious Traditions Lecture, will feature Dianne M. Stewart, Ph.D., of Emory University’s Department of Religion on March 25, at 5:30 p.m. in the Howard Thurman Chapel. The title of her lecture is “What has Kimpa Vita to do with James Cone? African Antecedents of the Black Church Movement and Black Liberation Theology.” The Burroughs Lecture initiates a two-day conference on Black theology under the theme “Are We Free Yet?”  

As part of the national commemoration of the 200th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth, Howard will host a conference on “Race and Emancipation in the Age of Lincoln,” April 16-18. The conference is co-sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, a body created by Congress to coordinate commemorative events. More information is available at http://www.provost.howard.edu/REALconference.asp.