FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Office of University Communications                                   

CONTACT:  
Stacie Royster
Media Relations Manager 
(202) 238-2332
sroyster@howard.edu

Kerry-Ann Hamilton
Communications Specialist
(202) 238-2631
k_hamilton@howard.edu

Sen. Barack Obama to Deliver Howard University’s Opening Convocation Address
The University Celebrates its 140th Anniversary of Excellence and Service

Washington, D.C., Sept. 24, 2007 – Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) will deliver the keynote address and receive a Doctor of Laws at the Howard University 140th opening convocation on Sept. 28, 11 a.m., in Cramton Auditorium, 2455 Sixth Street, NW, Washington.

For 140 years, Howard University has been at the forefront of political discourse and has served as a platform for many agents of change at home and abroad. Senator Obama joins a long list of trailblazers who have addressed the University community including Martin Luther King, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Ossie Davis, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and most recently during the 2007 Commencement exercise, Oprah Winfrey.

“As Howard University celebrates 140 years of leadership and service, it seems appropriate to have Barack Obama, the illustrious senator from Illinois, as our Opening Convocation Speaker,” said Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert. “Howard University and Senator Obama have much in common. Both have been advocates of change, both have, and continue to play critical roles in the on-going struggle for social justice, and both are poised to lead our country into a hopeful and exciting tomorrow.”

The Illinois senator is being recognized for his outstanding work as an advocate, community organizer, civil rights attorney and a leader. He is the only African-American now serving in the Senate, the fifth in U.S. history, and only the third since Reconstruction.

Convocation serves as a welcoming ceremony for first-year students and an opportunity to honor Howard’s recent accomplishments, including four Fulbright scholars, a Presidential Management fellow, and a Marshall scholar who commences his studies at Oxford this fall.

Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 12 schools and colleges. Founded in 1867, students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, a Truman Scholar, a Marshall Scholar, 19 Fulbright Scholars and 11 Pickering Fellows.  Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s Web site at www.Howard.edu.

MEDIA NOTE
Note to the Media: Please be advised that media coverage must be coordinated with Ms. Royster or Ms. Hamilton (contact information above) by COB Wednesday, September 26, 2007. Media should report to Cramton between 9:45 -10:15 a.m. All broadcast media must be stationary by 10 a.m.