The 17th Presidency: A Transformational Decade

The Challenge: Save Howard and Return It to Glory

In October 2013, Dr. Frederick, who was Howard’s provost at the time, received a call from the Board of Trustees and was informed that the president was stepping down and that he was going to be named interim president.

“I had no interest in the presidency. When I became interim, I did it out of loyalty and service to Howard,” Dr. Frederick says. “I describe myself as a reluctant president.”

Dr. Frederick served as interim president for nine months before being installed as the 17th president of Howard in July 2014. He considers himself fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve on an interim basis before being installed as the permanent president because it gave him an opportunity to develop a clear sense of the University’s circumstances and challenges without the same pressures that came with the office.

According to Dr. Frederick, Howard’s mission was being threatened by low enrollment, declining tuition revenue, and poor finances. Howard University Hospital was losing money, and the University was bringing in very little through charitable contributions. Many of the physical facilities were in need of renovation; Dr. Frederick estimates that there was a deferred maintenance bill of around $750 million.

Regardless of the state of the University, Dr. Frederick attempted to sound positive when communicating to the Howard community. “We had lost a little bit of our luster, but we were going to get it back. The difficulty was in laying out an optimistic future while recognizing that there was a lot to be done,” he says. “In retrospect, I probably undersold the gravity of our circumstances. But when I look at where we were then and where we have gotten the University to now, I think it was the right thing to do.”

Paul Monteiro, who served as Dr. Frederick’s chief of staff from 2017-2022, also notes the University’s problems with its investments and its credit ratings as well as personnel problems stemming from a series of layoffs that were necessitated by the financial shortfalls.

“He inherited a situation that was very challenged on the financial front,” Monteiro says. “Some of his greatest accomplishments in my mind, are the ways that he helped stabilize the University, such that he could stop the [bleeding] and build a foundation [to grow and prosper].”

According to Calvin Hadley, senior adviser to the president for strategic initiatives, when Dr. Frederick became president, “the question wasn’t, ‘How big can you dream?’ The question was, ‘How can you keep the lights on?’”

‘He Saved the Hospital’

“At the time Dr. Frederick became president, the hospital was losing [around an average of] $50 million a year,” says Michael Winston, a long-time Howard University employee, who came out of retirement to serve as Dr. Frederick’s provost. “He saved the hospital. It would have gone out of business. That’s an enormous accomplishment.”

In 2014, Dr. Frederick brought on Paladin Healthcare Capital, a company that took over operations of the hospital. Through spending cuts and other measures to improve efficiency, the hospital was able to turn around in its financial posture in a relatively short amount of time.

By 2023, Howard University Hospital has become a profitable health care organization once again. It has entered into a new management partnership with Adventist Healthcare. The United States Congress awarded Howard $100 million for the construction and renovation of a new hospital and medical center, a testament to the institution’s significance and vitality.

“Howard University Hospital is not only critical for providing care to a significantly underserved part of the population,” Winston says, “it is one of the essential elements in having a medical school and in getting students not only properly trained, but placed, and having a clinical experience that is appropriate.”

A Dramatic Financial Turnaround

Enhancing the hospital’s solvency was only one of Dr. Frederick’s financial priorities. The end of his presidential tenure has been defined by record-setting financial figures that are dramatic improvements from where the University was at the beginning of his presidency.

In 2022, Howard received two credit rating upgrades over three periods. Growth in philanthropic gifts reached an all-time high of $177 million in fiscal year 2021, compared to $10 million in fiscal year 2013. The endowment has grown to an unprecedented level of $854 million in 2022, and is steadily tracking toward the University’s $1 billion goal; in 2013, the endowment was at $514 million. Net tuition revenue has grown from $160 million in fiscal year 2013 to $195 million in fiscal year 2022. Operating cash flow climbed from $31 million to $185 million.

“I had no idea that he would be as effective a president in terms of fundraising,” says Clive Callender, professor of surgery at the Howard University College of Medicine and founder of the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program. “There’s nothing that we teach you in medical school [about] how to raise millions of dollars. And that’s an area that he’s just been astounding and astoundingly successful.”

A Place Worthy of Investment

In many ways, Dr. Frederick’s presidency has been defined by the transformational funding he has helped to secure for the University.

Dr. Frederick was willing to do the grunt work, the unglamorous, yet vitally necessary tasks, needed to “right size the finances, raise the strength of internal controls. These are the pieces inside the house that have to be strong for the University to thrive,” Monteiro says. “[He convinced] folks that they should be investing in this place. [He built] confidence among the alumni [and donors] that this is a place you want to invest in. You watch the alumni giving rate skyrocket. The federal government [gave the] highest federal appropriation ever under his presidency.”

From the unrestricted $40 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to the $20 million endowment from the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation to establish the Sorensen Center for Hospitality Leadership and the $344 million 2022 federal appropriation, the largest in institutional history, this influx of investments and partnerships is creating tremendous opportunities for the University itself and those in our community.

“Dr. Frederick did the necessary work of strengthening the enterprise from within, so that when the eyes of the nation really turned to Howard, Howard was ready for the moment,” Monteiro says.

Throughout his presidency, the eyes of the nation did indeed turn toward Howard – in both good times and bad. During the more than 30-day long student protest in the Fall 2021 semester, where students occupied the Blackburn Center and camped out in front of it to protest conditions in the residence halls on campus, Howard attracted tremendous amounts of media and national attention. The student protest of 2018 prompted a federal investigation that resulted in the University being placed on heightened cash monitoring by the Department of Education.

I will always appreciate Dr. Frederick’s willingness to share the thinking behind some of his major decisions and to allow himself to not be seen, publicly or privately, as a leader that was larger than life.”
— John M. M. Anderson, PhD, Dean, College of Engineering and Architecture 

“[Dr. Frederick’s ability to] navigate some of the family fights that have happened here. The federal investigation that [resulted in] the most draconian sanction the Department of Education can apply, [which] usually puts schools out of business. In my view, [that was wrongly applied], [and] we were off it in a year because they came in and looked and saw that there were there were things that needed to be improved, but the house was sufficiently in order that they could take us off of that very burdensome sanction,” Monteiro says. “Dr. Frederick dealt with [these challenges] with grace. [Regarding the protests], he did not take adversarial, critical, or harsh lines with folks, because these are members of the Howard family, whether they’re current students, faculty, staff, alumni donors. [He would always] try to explain what he was doing, why he was doing it, [how] he had done the due diligence to [determine] the best strategy for what ails Howard in whatever context. [He was always] as transparent as you could be. There was very little he wouldn’t share.”

Open communication is what Dr. Frederick believes strongly in, as well as exercising protest with cordial tones. “For a university like Howard's, I still believe that it does require a certain tone and tenor in terms of our approach,” he says. “There is a decency that we should interact with one another with; there's a way we should speak to one another, there's a way we should even make assumptions about each other's intent. That raises the discourse to a civil nature [even if] we still disagree. But I don't think it should ever rise to personal animus or personal attacks.”

He walks with purpose. Undeterred by negativity and naysayers; a challenge becomes an invitation to finding solutions; obstacles become opportunities.” —Phylicia Rashad, Dean, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts 

An Innovative Approach to Transforming Howard’s Campus

In March 2022, Howard announced an ambitious $785 million capital plan, which included construction of a new STEM complex, a new Health Sciences Complex, and a Center for Arts and Communications, all slated for a 2026 completion date. These will represent the first new facilities erected on campus since 1984. Also, the Myrtilla Miner Building, home of the School of Education, will undergo extensive renovation.

Prior to that announcement, the University had already renovated 80% of residence halls with improved security and building system upgrades. The University Central Campus Master Plan also includes roughly 1,500 additional housing units. 

While Dr. Frederick recognized the need to make these enhancements when he first took office, he also understand that not all of these projects could take place right away considering the financial challenges the University was experiencing in 2013.

“Major construction initiatives on college and university campuses requires years of planning. We have to strategically prioritize which projects to undertake based on numerous factors, both internal and external. The fact that we are now positioned to move forward with three large-scale new construction efforts in addition to major renovations speaks volumes to the administration’s long-term vision and execution,” said Rashad Young, senior vice president and chief strategy officer. 

In addition to overhauling many of the on-campus facilities, Dr. Frederick’s administration has taken a novel approach when it comes to the University’s real estate holdings. The University has leased land and buildings to developers to use for non-Howard purposes, including high-end condos. However, the arrangements ensure that Howard retains the title to the land in perpetuity.

“We are forever owning the dirt. That’s where the wealth and value is. We’re monetizing the real estate,” Monteiro says, adding the arrangement allows the facilities to be upgraded by third-party users when Howard doesn’t have the cash on hand finance the renovations itself. And in addition, the proceeds from leasing the building has proven to be a reliable source of revenue that can be used for other ventures.

Creating Opportunity, Supporting Students

The coronavirus pandemic revealed and exacerbated the tremendous need that existed within the Howard University student body as well as some of the fractures that exist within our society.

During the most challenging days of the pandemic, Howard was committed to providing for students in need. The University kept open the food pantry, allowed housing insecure students to live in the residence halls, and more. Howard distributed $176 million in institutional and donor-funded aid during the 2021-2022 academic year, helping students by eliminating debt, waiving fees, providing direct cash payments, free emergency housing, providing emergency meal assistance, and more.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Frederick made supporting students a priority of his administration.

“As an undergraduate student [working in the Office of Financial Aid], he saw the lines and knew what would what it was like not to have enough money to cover your funds,” says LaRue Barkwell, a long-time Howard employee, who served as Dr. Frederick’s executive assistant and chief of staff, and also managed him as a student financial aid employee.

The GRACE Grant was established by Dr. Frederick to help remove any financial barriers for students and encourage on-time graduation for students who successfully completed their freshman year. This need-based program, created in 2014, provides a 100 percent match for students who receive the maximum Federal Pell Grant and provides additional funding for those with an expected family contribution (EFC) of $0.

The impact of the GRACE Grant is clear. Since its inception, GRACE recipients saw an average 17 percent increase in retention and an average four-year graduation rate of 78 percent, a 32 percent increase compared to students in the same financial category who did not receive GRACE funds.

In addition to helping students financially, Dr. Frederick has also been committed to creating opportunities for students to develop their professional skills and enhance their workforce readiness – and to change the world in the image and vision of Howard University.

‘He Sees the World, Not As It Is, But As It Should Be’

According to Hadley, Dr. Frederick’s capabilities as president stems from his vision.

“He sees the world, not as it is, but as it should be,” Hadley says. And then he works to bring his vision to fruition.

Dr. Frederick saw the talent and potential of Howard students not only to be successful in their careers, but to transform key industries. Throughout his presidency, he has worked to develop programs to develop Howard students and provide them with opportunities to excel in their careers, and increase diversity in key areas in the process.

One of Dr. Frederick’s first presidential trips was to Silicon Valley. He met with leaders at Google and ultimately partnered with them to create Howard West, now known as Tech Exchange. The idea was to get Google to invest in the education and training of Howard students. Through this exchange program, Howard students are taught by Google leaders and they intern at the company. The end result is better training and experiential opportunities for Howard students and an enhanced likelihood of finding employment at the company after the program had ended.

Dr. Frederick’s administration created several similar programs for different industries, including Howard Entertainment with Amazon Studios.

The Karsh STEM Scholars Program has also been an essential proof of concept program for Howard and Dr. Frederick. The program selects high potential science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students coming out of high school and provides them with all the resources they need to be successful. It continues to attract high-achieving minority students interested in science, technology, engineering and math. And it has already established a record of cultivating exceptional graduates who have moved on to some of the most preeminent institutions to pursue a STEM-based PhD or a combined MD-PhD.

In the case of these Howard programs, Dr. Frederick was never content to just serve Howard students. He wanted to create opportunities for all HBCU students.

“Once Howard kicks in the door, the goal is to leave it off the hinges,” Hadley says.

Leading the Flotilla of HBCUs

When Howard West changed its name to Tech Exchange, it did so when it invited other HBCU students to participate in the program.

Howard has also created several Summer enrichment programs, where HBCU students have been invited to Howard’s campus to participate in training and exam preparation free of charge. Through the Pre-Health Scholars Summer Enrichment Program, Pre-Law Scholars Summer Enrichment Program, and the Pre-PhD Scholars Summer Enrichment Program, students learn from current Howard graduate students as well as faculty members to prepare for the rigorous admissions processes as well as understand the challenges of graduate school.

“To whom much is given, much as expected,” Hadley says. “We’ve seen [Dr. Frederick take on that responsibility] throughout his presidency. Our goal was to take all of what we have [at Howard], get some more, and [then] ensure that the rest of the HBCU community has [the same] opportunity [to succed].”

An Unusual President for an Unprecedented Time

As a cancer surgeon, Dr. Frederick’s background made him an unusual choice to become Howard’s president. He is one of only a few dozen presidents of American institutions of higher education – and likely the only one who remained a practicing surgeon throughout his presidential tenure.

But according to many, it was precisely his capabilities as a surgeon that made him an ideal candidate to tackle the immense challenges Howard was facing 10 years ago.

“What sets him apart is his willingness to handle the situations [of his presidency] the same as he does in surgery. And what sets us apart as surgeons is the ability to, when the bleeding is there, when the crisis is there, to be cool, calm, and collected, and to do what is the right thing,” says Clive Callender, professor of surgery at the Howard University College of Medicine and founder of the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program. And I think that’s what makes him a great surgeon [and] also makes him a great president.”

According to Michael Winston, a long-time Howard University administrator who also served as provost during Dr. Frederick’s administration, it was Dr. Frederick’s “unusual combination of training” that enabled his presidency to thrive. In addition to the mentality he cultivated as a surgeon, Winston also points to the master’s in business administration that Dr. Frederick earned in 2011.

“His MBA is not decorative,” he says. Dr. Frederick leveraged his business acumen to improve the University’s financial posture.

In addition to his academic and professional resume, many say that what made Dr. Frederick the right person for the job was not just the degrees he earned, but where he earned them from – Howard University.

“He had a self-sacrificial attitude toward Howard,” Winston says. “When he says that he loves this place, he does, and he loves it for the best of reasons. He was one of many people who had a transformational experience at Howard University.”

However, as an alumnus, Dr. Frederick did not feel beholden to keep Howard the same or to return it to precisely what it had been before. On the contrary, “he respects the tradition by innovating,” Winston says.

Dr. Frederick was willing to buck Howard tradition if he felt it was in the best interest of the University’s long-term future.

A Steward of Howard University

Winston tells a story about Howard’s 13th president James Cheek, who served from 1969-1989. Two Howard students were walking The Yard, a few paces behind President Cheek and Winston. The students were discussing some possible upgrade or improvement at Howard – he doesn’t recall the specifics – when one of them said, “That’s too good for Howard.”

“And Dr. Cheeks stopped in his tracks, spun around, and said, ‘Nothing is too good for Howard,’” Winston says. “Dr. Frederick lives that. He wants the best for Howard. He is devoted to achieving real excellence.”

Dr. Frederick rebuffs any conversation about his legacy. The goal for any college president, he attests, is to be a good steward of the institution and its resources that have been entrusted to the president’s care throughout their tenure. For Dr. Frederick, he emphasizes that he wanted to address the problems the University had at the start of his administration and ensure that the institution was in a stronger position when he leaves the Office of the President than when he first occupied it.

When examining what the University achieved during his presidency, the list appears to be a direct counter example to the challenges he cited when he became interim president and what the trustee cited as the University’s existential challenges in the letter leaked to The Post.

If his one job was to ensure Howard was in a better place at the end of his presidency than at the beginning, then mission accomplished – and then some.