At the heart of a city too often reduced to politics and monuments, a 175-year legacy continues to redefine the standards of equity and inclusion — and the University of the District of Colombia (UDC) has no plans to change that.
Anchored in a year-round agenda and more than a century of impact, the historically Black institution often hailed as “D.C.’s public university” is marking the milestone the same way it started on Feb. 19, 1851: advancing access to education and economic wealth in Washington and beyond.
“We’re trying to raise our banner as not only a regional campus focused on public education, but a national model for how that public education manifests itself to support the needs of a community,” said UDC Senior Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer Dr. Richard Lucas. “It began with six young ladies on 19th Street here in D.C., as the Miner Normal School, and it set forth precedent, I believe, for public education of people of color across the country.”
What started as a safe space to train young Black women to be educators has since blossomed into a multicurricular hub designed to meet innovation with prosperity.
In the second year of its 2024-2029 strategic plan, “Delivering on the Promise,” UDC has centered initiatives that boost student enrollment and institutional success while furthering a foundation to foster workforce development around the region.
The vision, adds President Dr. Maurice D. Edington, is more than sustaining the legacy of the institution, but in a sense, a love letter to the community it has faithfully served since 1851.
“From talking to graduates and other long-standing city residents…UDC has always been a beacon, a pathway for access and opportunity,” Edington recently told The Informer. “Our vision for the future…is really being more of a hub, a driver for economic mobility, workforce innovation, and pathways for [Washingtonians] to achieve the American dream.”
By 2029, and certainly well into the next 100-some years, the goal is to become the District’s key workforce engine, driven by affordable and accessible public education for all communities that seek it.
Most efforts to elevate the UDC Firebirds home to Wards 3, 5 and 8 will focus on career readiness and academic programming, Lucas said, particularly with a focus on building the skills to meet industry objectives and support business and technological innovation.
“We’re the only institution that’s purposed and designed to serve the residents of the District,” added Dr. Teri Little-Berry, the university’s chief student development and success officer. “We look for opportunities to embed ourselves in the community, and then, by the same token, we look for opportunities to pull the community onto our campus.”
With the Jan. 21 launch of the new School of Education and Learning Sciences, UDC is expanding an academic profile that already encompasses 81 programs across six schools and colleges – including the community college locations in Northwest (Van Ness Campus) and Northeast (Lamond-Riggs Campus), plus workforce development programs in Congress Heights.
Under the leadership of Interim Dean Anika Spratley Burtin, the new school, coinciding with the 175th anniversary celebration, will offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees in several areas, such as adult and early childhood education, elementary and special education, teaching, and human development.
Simultaneously, it reaffirms education as the bedrock to opportunity, empowerment, and deeper community engagement.
“We’re connected with this notion of: how do you provide teaching, education, and service around things that will ensure that [UDC] has a talent pipeline, and bring resources into urban settings?” Lucas told The Informer. “But then sustainability matters.”
That’s where The Legacy Gala comes in, a signature event of the Founders Day 2026 Celebration, set to transform the Fairmont Hotel in Georgetown on Friday, Feb. 20.
“We’re excited about that, and believe that through our partners and telling our story…this thing is going to be big and it’s going to be well attended,” said the senior executive. “It’s going to be a launch pad for telling the university’s history of 175 years of impact on education, public service and the community – from now into the future.”
Honoring 175 Years of the ‘Heart of the District’
More than a celebration of Firebird lineage, The Legacy Gala serves as a fundraiser to accelerate opportunities for a myriad of disciplines.
Initially founded as the Miner Normal School, the public land-grant – and second-oldest historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the nation – celebrates a history of inclusivity that includes ties to the Federal City College and Washington Technical Institute, which once merged to form the District of Columbia Teachers College in 1955.
Now, with more than 80 disciplines and the No. 18 spot in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report HBCU rankings, the occasion sets the backdrop to build on that foundation.
“The gala will celebrate our founding, our legacy institutions, but then also celebrate where we’re going with the notion and connection to our new strategic plan,” said Lucas, co-chair of The Legacy Gala Committee, alongside UDC First Lady Tonya Edington.
Across an anticipated hundreds of attendees, including keynote speaker D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Feb. 20 kicks off a yearlong campaign to raise $1 million in scholarship support, building on a broader goal to generate $5 million annually by the end of 2029.
While supporting academic programming and mission awareness, the gala offers a deeper connection to what Little-Berry considers the “heart of the District,” which happened to serve as last year’s homecoming theme.
“The unique makeup of the institution positions us to think outside of the box in terms of how we help our students, service our students, and educate them,” Little-Berry told The Informer during the weeklong celebration in November. “We’re right on the verge of celebrating our 175th anniversary, and so [this is] an opportunity.”
Despite UDC175 technically launching in December, the university president highlighted November’s homecoming as a testament to the value of communal and alumni connections, essentially setting the tone of Firebird pride for the commemorations to come this year.
“Once you get reconnected to your institution, that pride grows, and then you want to remain connected in other ways,” he told The Informer, nodding to the importance of uplifting HBCUs. “Every single day, we’re doing good work to change our lives, impact our lives and communities. To be national models, we have to continue to do a good job at our core mission, and then we have to tell our story – communicate the good work that we’re doing, articulate the impact.”
While dishing on gala details, Lucas also shared that there will be awards handed out to honor community partners who continuously pour into the UDC community.
Other year-round initiatives planned in honor of the 175th milestone include the Feb. 19 Founders Day Celebration; alumni reunions; campuswide educational seminars highlighting the school’s historic evolution and union; and plans around the university’s commencement ceremony in the spring – all aimed at honoring the continuum of “the District’s DNA.”
“We’re really just getting started with implementing many of our plans, and I think there’s a lot of wonderful opportunities in front of us,” Edington told The Informer. “[175 years from now], I want [people] to think that UDC is an anchor institution for the District––it provides access to student achievement, it meets the…workforce needs, and it provides an impactful service to the region that it serves. It’s [going to be] a beacon of pride for everyone in the city.”