University of the District of Columbia Embraces Change and Success (541 hits)
University of the District of Columbia Embraces Change and Success
Washington DC - Winds of change is taking place in Washington DC. Just this summer, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Maurice Edington, PH.D. as UDC’s 10th president. Now, 90 days into his tenure as president, the winds of change are in the air and flowing system wide on all of the university campuses throughout the nation’s capital and in the community.
At the start of his tenure, President Edington ushered in the concept “One UDC: A Public University for the Public Good” that focused on one vision and mission for the university. President Edington believes that UDC is at a “pivotal crossroad” to become a world class research and development university with global outreach. He further see UDC as “hidden gem” and that university is on the verge of taking new “bold steps” to climb the ranks of the Historical Black College and University (HBCU) ladder, and claim it place at the nation’s capital “first choice” for students graduating from the District public and charters, as well as higher school students from around the country, and globally. President Edington outlined his vision in his “90 Days” address video to the community posted on the UDC website.
Against this backdrop, President Edington welcomes the establishment of the DC Archive and Records on the Van Ness Campus that will offer new job training and career opportunities in archival and library science to broaden academic offerings in the field of research and development in the history of the District of Columbia. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) approved the funding of the project, allocating $72 million dollars, for the demolition of the old UDC College of Arts and Sciences building, Building 41, and to build the new DC Archive on its site. The city archive will house the UDC university archive and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives. In a September UDC press release, Dr. Edington said “UDC welcomes moving forward with this innovative partnership with the District.” He also said that : The proposed DC Archives building would generate a wide array of benefits for students, faculty, staff and our greater community.”
What lies ahead when the new DC Archive building is completed is more pathways to make the city and university collection and artifacts dating back to the 1800 century more accessible on-line for academic research and community outreach. To do so, the DC Archive Future Preservation Imaging Lab will provide workspace for both the District government staff, and the UDC’s staff, to digitize records for preservation. With a modernized facility, and meticulous work to digitized collection, the DC Archive holdings will be at the fingertips of a new generation of worldly scholars of all ages.
In UDC’s College of Arts and Sciences, the record and digitization work of the collection can lead to a new course of scholarly studies with concentration in historical records preservation. It can also lead to work study employment opportunities for students to gain first hand experience in working with archival records in real time. The DC Archive can offer students work study and internship in areas such as the research center, digital laboratory, lecture program and more. Students interested in archive, digital preservation, record management, and conservation careers can use the DC Archive collection to specialize in the history of the District of Columbia.
As the year comes to closure, the completion date for the DC Archive is unclear, and it is still a process that is unfolding. What is clear is that when the new state of the art DC Archive opens its doors to the public it will elevate the reputation and brand of UDC as a premier destination for research and learning about the transformative role that District residents played the founding of the city, as well as shaping centuries of historical events that shaped the District and the world.
