Dear Howard University,  

Commencement and the end of an academic year are always ideal opportunities to reflect on the progress of our personal journeys and the purpose that fuels our forward momentum. It is also an occasion to consider where we are headed as an institution and the people who have helped us arrive at our current moment while also laying the groundwork for our future prosperity.  

In this issue of Bison Beat, we review our splendid Commencement season and the individuals we honored for their service to the University. Howard is always brimming with energy as we bring exciting new talent to join the ranks of our faculty and staff and offer our well-wishes to our colleagues who are leaving the Mecca for exciting new adventures beyond our walls. I hope we can all use these Summer months to find some peace and quiet, respite and rejuvenation, so that we may be reenergized to pursue our critical personal and collective missions.  

  
Excellence in Truth and Service, 

Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA 
Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery 
President 

For the past two years, even as the coronavirus pandemic has continued to create uncertainty in our society, Howard has made concerted efforts to host an in-person Commencement Convocation. To be sure, our priority has always been and will forever remain the safety and security of our community; we would not have held in-person Commencement ceremonies if we did not think we could gather safely to do so. But the emphasis we placed on having a traditional Commencement says something about the significance of this ceremony.  

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