Laurence Covington

Professor Laurence Covington is a native Washingtonian. He holds a BA in English and an MA in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of the District of Columbia. Professor Covington has taught for the UDC English Department for well over a decade and served for five years as its Program Coordinator. He was instrumental in creating the UDC-CC corequisite design for English—a model for which he also teaches. He added the title of “Dean’s Teaching Fellow” to his already impressive resume by completing training in The Association of College and University Educators’s (ACUE) course on Effective College Teaching, thus earning a highly coveted credential with certification recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE). Professor Covington is a certified Online Instructor, a designation he earned in 2012 while working for the College of Arts and Sciences at UDC.

Professor Covington began teaching as an adjunct professor in the Workforce Development program in the Community College. His lengthy background in broadcast journalism allows him to convey the importance of the lessons he teaches in the classroom by connecting them to the industry. Prior to coming to UDC, he was a broadcast journalist beginning his career at Howard University Radio (WHUR) as a student reporter. He also was employed as a manuscript editor and program evaluator for the Publishing firm Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich in New York City before it was acquired by the General Cinema Corporation. While serving as an assistant to the Director of Public Relations at the Joint Center for Political Studies, he wrote and edited the center’s “Focus Magazine.” Professor Covington was employed as a reporter by the Washington Bureau of Newhouse News Service and as a news anchor for WTOP radio and television. In addition, he served as a reporter and talk show host for WTTG (Channel 5) Metromedia’s “Ten O’Clock News.”

Professor Covington maintains his university service as a Senate Faculty member. In addition, he continues to champion black males across the District, both from within the Community College and for those outside of its doors. He serves as a faculty mentor and advocate for UDC-CC students participating in its Male Achievement Program (MAP). The MAP is an academic success program which focuses on leadership, scholarship, financial security, entrepreneurship and employability. In addition, the professor is active in the community as a tennis professional with his Tennis For All program which focuses on introducing young children, ten and under to the game of tennis with academic components in English and Math. This program has been servicing the community for more than ten years. These kinds of experiential learning events have also resulted in numerous UDC students from Professor Covington’s classes being permitted the opportunity to learn how to trap shoot. In conjunction with champion shooter and UDC Professor John Kirksey, who spearheaded the program, Professor Covington has brought his students to Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center to also learn how to shoot and compete with other students at various institutions. Professor Covington is retiring from his full-time position at UDC in 2023, but continues his service as an Adjunct Professor.