Phylicia Rashad will not return to her role As Fine Arts Dean at Howard University after the 2023-2024 academic year. She will be leaving at the end of her three-year contract with the institution. Although she was praised by the staff at the institution, she was not disclosed her reason for leaving.
Phylicia Rashad’s Departure From Howard
Rashad served as Dean at the University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. The institution’s president, Wayne A.I. Frederick, shared the news in an email.
“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,” Frederick said in the email. “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.”
He also noted that financial contributions “increased significantly” during Rashad’s tenure. For instance, Netflix donated $5.4 million to the program. During her tenure, she was also the inaugural Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities.
Her return to her alma mater in May 2021 marked the reinstatement of Howard’s College of Fine Arts as an independent school within the university. In 1998, the department was controversially merged with the College of Arts and Sciences for budgeting purposes.
“The Cosby Show” actress was a theater acting major at Howard and graduated magna cum laude. She received a bachelor’s degree from the university in 1970. Other notable Howard alumni include Chadwick Boseman, Taraji P. Henson, Jessye Norman Alma Thomas, and Roberta Flack. She has also served as adjunct faculty and guest lecturer at several other institutions, including New York University, Carnegie Mellon University, SUNY Purchase, Vassar College, and Fordham University.