Dear Firebird Community,
What an honor it was to celebrate our university’s legacy—and eye our future with excitement—at our 2025 Founders’ Day Celebration.
This annual event is really built around a key component of our vision for UDC: service. Last week, we celebrated members of our community who have faithfully served others—including Ben’s Chili Bowl co-founder and Myrtilla Miner Award for Exceptional Service to Society awardee Virginia Ali.
Ali has touched the lives of countless people over the 66 years that she has operated D.C.'s legendary restaurant, most of them alongside her late husband, the eatery's namesake. Ben’s Chili Bowl is a monument to service in its own right—from feeding first responders and civil rights activists in 1968 following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to launching a charitable foundation in the 21st century. Through the decades, the brand’s matriarch has continued to model the value of service, sharing warmth and kindness wherever she goes.
And that value of service is not limited to our awardees. It’s evident in communities throughout the District, including Firebird Nation.
Every day, members of our UDC family dedicate their time and energy to supporting the needs of others. Whether that’s a student exploring teaching methods for a role at a local elementary school. Or a professor taking extra time after an accounting class to ensure their student fully understands a concept. Or a staff member connecting a soon-to-be graduate with promising internship opportunities in STEM. Or a music alum returning to UDC to share stories from the stage.
Service is a principle baked into our strategic plan. Each of our nine objectives—from establishing UDC as a national model for urban student success to broadening our impact through boosted community outreach—is geared toward giving our students meaningful opportunities to learn, grow and engage far beyond our campuses.
Thus, when Firebirds earn a UDC credential, it’s not just something nice to frame and hang on the wall—it's a charge to serve. It's a tangible reminder that our students invested in their education not just for their own benefit, but for the benefit of our community.
To all our Firebird students, I hope you’re feeling inspired to build on your many talents and skills this semester. To engage with your UDC family and the greater community. And to pay forward the gift of service.
In service,
Maurice D. Edington, Ph.D.
President
University of the District of Columbia