May 10, 2024

Dear Firebird Community,

Congratulations on a fantastic spring semester and academic year!

Before the party playlists get rolling and summer is in full swing, I’d like to take a moment to say how grateful I am to my UDC family for making the First Lady and me feel so welcome this year. When I first got to know UDC last summer, the university was very impressive. But nothing impressed me more than the people—genuine, compassionate and filled with pride for this university. Nearly a year later, I can attest that my first impression was spot-on.

It is celebration season here at UDC. At The Academic Excellence (TAE) Awards (pictured above), we recognized some of our highest-achieving Firebirds. We honored and thanked our esteemed faculty members at a Faculty Appreciation and Awards Luncheon. We hosted our first-ever Community College Honors and Awards Ceremony. And we’ve been celebrating some additional wins, including taking first place at the East Coast Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship and ranking as the #2 law school in the country for sending our graduates into government and public interest jobs. (Oh, and we celebrated our environment, too, including adding some lovely new trees to our campus.)

As we look to Commencement, now just hours away, I’d like to share a very enthusiastic congratulations to the Class of 2024. Attaining an academic degree is both an incredible achievement and a testament to your tenacity. Congrats!

Firebirds, I hope this semester—and this academic year—has been one in which you set goals and exceeded them. One in which you made new connections with others. One in which you felt called to serve. One in which you felt inspired to take risks and embrace challenges in the pursuit of your dreams.

Now go enjoy a much-deserved break, and we’ll see you soon!

In service,

Maurice D. Edington, Ph.D.
President
University of the District of Columbia