Phylicia Rashad is set to step down from her role as dean of Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts after the 2023-2024 academic year. The news was reported by the Journal of Blacks In Higher Education on March 19th, although an email was sent in August informing the campus community of her departure at the end of the school year.
The full email sent on August 7th is below.
Dear Howard University Community,
I am writing to express my deep thanks and gratitude to Dean Phylicia Rashad of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, as she has informed me that she will be stepping down as dean at the end of her term following the 2023-2024 academic year.
An internationally acclaimed actor and stage director, Dean Rashad has held a longstanding commitment to arts education and literacy, having served as adjunct faculty, Master Instructor, and Guest Artist/Lecturer and administrator at several colleges, universities and arts organizations which include Howard University, New York University, Carnegie Mellon University, SUNY Purchase, Wayne State University, Vassar College, Fordham University, The New School, The Black Arts Institute at Stella Adler School for Acting, and Ten Chimneys Foundation.
Dean Rashad holds the distinction of being the first recipient of the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre at Fordham University and the inaugural holder of the Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities at Howard University.
In 2021, Dean Rashad returned to alma mater to lead the re-establishment of the College of Fine Arts as an independent college and to restore it to its rightful place as the center for arts and creativity at Howard University. The college was renamed in honor of world-renowned actor, playwright, director, cultural activist, and Howard alumnus, the late Chadwick A. Boseman.
During Dean Rashad’s tenure, contributions to Fine Arts programming at Howard have increased significantly, anchored by a $5.4 million gift from Netflix to establish The Chadwick A. Boseman Memorial Scholarship, which provides incoming theater students in the College of Fine Arts with a four-year scholarship to cover the full cost of University tuition. Other significant gifts have included contributions from the Capri Holdings Foundation for the Advancement of Diversity in Fashion to establish the Capri Holdings Fashion and Merchandising Scholars Fund; The Microsoft Corporation for programming and facility improvements; as well as a gift from The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, founded by actress Taraji P. Henson to enhance access to mental health services for students, faculty, and staff.
Through the Disney Storytellers Fund, the Walt Disney Company is providing $1.5 million over the next five years to support collaborations among students in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications and the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, focused on creative storytelling through a variety of media, including animation, digital design, gaming, journalism, live action, performing arts, product design, visual design, and virtual reality.
Dean Rashad has also bolstered our esteemed faculty with the appointment of nationally and internationally recognized scholars, artists, and creatives to serve as department chairs, mentors, teachers, and role models for our students.
We deeply appreciate Dean Rashad’s selfless contributions and commitment to our alma mater during her leadership of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts and the many contributions she has made to Howard University’s students, graduates, and global community.
We will begin a decanal search for a new dean shortly.
Join me in thanking and celebrating Dean Rashad for her many contributions to revitalize the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts and her commitment to our University, its students and our global Howard community.
Excellence in Truth and Service,
Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA
Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery
President
Rashad graduated from Howard in 1970 with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts. She then launched her career as an actress and is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the legendary sitcom The Cosby Show. She joined Howard University as the Dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts in May 2021.
“It’s a privilege to serve,” she said about her role as dean in an interview with The Hilltop’s Eliana Lewis. “Service is…building a collective constituency…honoring the needs of faculty, honoring the aspirations of students is service, honoring the discipline is service for me. That’s what I want to do here. But then, there are those other things that a Dean is responsible for. It has been likened to being a CEO of a company… It’s that complex and that involved and those are the responsibilities that one holds. There are more administrative tasks than you can imagine.”
During her tenure as Dean of Fine Arts, Rashad spearheaded significant advancements in the department. Notably, she played a pivotal role in securing a $5.4 million gift from Netflix to establish The Chadwick A. Boseman Memorial Scholarship, which offers incoming theater students a four-year scholarship covering the full cost of University tuition. She also led the hiring of several distinguished faculty members in the department.
The university will start looking for Rashad’s replacement soon.
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