Wayne A. I. Frederick

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Wayne A. I. Frederick
Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick.jpg
17th President of Howard University
Assumed office
July 21, 2014
Preceded bySidney Ribeau
Personal details
Born (1971-06-17) June 17, 1971 (age 52)
Port of Spain, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago
EducationHoward University (BS, MBA, MD)
ProfessionProfessor, surgeon
Websitewww2.howard.edu/about/president

Wayne Alix Ian Frederick (born June 17, 1971) is a Trinidadian-American scholar, surgeon, and university administrator. He is currently serving as president of Howard University in Washington D.C. since July 21, 2014.[1] He also serves as the distinguished Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery.[2]

Biography

Early life

Wayne A. I. Frederick was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. At birth, Frederick was diagnosed with sickle cell disease. As a result of being hospitalized three to six times a year, Frederick became interested in science. He also accompanied his mother, a nurse, on visits to her workplace.[3]

Academics

After graduating high school at the age of 14, Frederick took pre-college courses at St. Mary's College in Port of Spain. Frederick enrolled at Howard University in 1988, at the age of sixteen.[4] As an undergraduate student, Frederick was admitted to Howard University's B.S./M.D. dual degree program. He completed the requirements for both degrees in six years, allowing him to earn both his Bachelor of Science and his medical degree by the age of 22.[5]

During his surgical residency at Howard University Hospital, he was mentored by renowned doctor LaSalle D. Leffall Jr. and Dr. Clive O. Callendar.[6][7] He was greatly influenced by Leffall (First African-American president of the American Cancer Society in 1978 and of the American College of Surgeons in 1995) to follow a course in surgical oncology. He completed his post-doctoral research and surgical oncology fellowships at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.[8][5]

Frederick began his academic career as Associate Director of the Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut in 2004.[8] Upon his return to Howard University, he served as Associate Dean in the College of Medicine, Division Chief in the Department of Surgery, Director of the Cancer Center, and Deputy Provost for Health Sciences. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Howard University's School of Business in 2011. Frederick continues to operate and lectures to the second-year medical students of Howard University's College of Medicine. His medical research seeks to narrow the disparity in all cancer-care outcomes, with a focus on gastrointestinal cancers.[9]

On October 1, 2013, following the resignation of Sidney A. Ribeau, Frederick became Interim President of Howard University.[10]

President of Howard University

In 2017, the Howard University Board of Trustees approved the extension of Dr. Frederick's contract as president of the university until June 30, 2024 – a five-year extension of his original agreement.[11]

In January 2019, Frederick unveiled the university's new strategic plan, Howard Forward, which serves as the blueprint for the institution for the next five years.[12] In April 2019, Frederick began teaching a weekly course designed for first-year Ph.D. students, titled College and University Presidency, as part of the School of Education's Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies (HELPS) Ph.D. program. The course covers the structure and governance of colleges and universities, with a focus on Minority Serving Institutions (MSI).[13]

He established the Bison STEM Scholars program to increase the number of underrepresented students in STEM masters and masters/doctorate programs, keeping with Howard's legacy of providing a diverse pipeline of STEM talent.[14] He launched and expanded the Howard West partnership with Google designed to immerse students in educational and professional experiences taught by Google staff and Howard professors.[15] He was also in charge of managing the school's $1.5 billion real estate portfolio.[16]

Additionally, under his leadership, university’s bonds rating (BBB-) improved from "stable" to "positive",[17], all full-time faculty members salaries have been brought to median or higher to ensure alignment with compensation at peer institutions,[18] U.S. News & World Report's ranking of the university increased by more than 60 spots, placing Howard firmly in the top 100 among “national universities”,[19] and the university has received major grants to support their lowest-income students.[20]

Issues during presidency

In 2014, Frederick was paid $953,104, ranking 45th-best-paid among 510 presidents of private American colleges.[21] In the winter of that year, classes were postponed because the college was unable to heat its facilities.[22] In 2018, he was paid $1,070,322, the highest salary of university head in the DC area.[23] The start of the Spring semester was delayed [24] by a week as the University procured temporary boilers to heat impacted buildings across campus. The construction [25] of a state-of-the-art combined heat and power plant commenced and is scheduled to be completed by 2023. This is part of a $780M+ investment[26] in capital infrastructure – the largest in the University’s history including a $100M appropriation from Congress to begin the rebuilding of Howard University Hospital.[27]

In February 2017, Frederick and sixty-eight other presidents of black institutions went to the White House to meet with various officials, in the hope of securing additional funding from the federal government.[28] The meeting prompted outrage on campus and a spate of graffiti vandalism that included allegations that Frederick did not care about black people and was a "plantation overseer".[29][30] Mark Mason, an alum who is chief financial officer at Citigroup and a vice-co-chair of the university's board of trustees, later told The New Yorker that the graffiti was "inappropriately personalized and should not have happened."[28]

In 2018, students asked Frederick for assistance with housing issues after the University was unable to assign dorm rooms. On multiple occasions, Frederick responded that students' emails were inappropriate in tone. After students protested, the housing office was closed and campus police were called. He later issued a statement saying that he had fallen short of student expectations.[31][32] As a result, Frederick’s meetings with Howard University Student Association (HUSA) president were expanded to include bi-weekly conversations with a broader range of student leaders representing undergraduate and graduate/professional programs. Most student residence halls have been fully remodeled or rebuilt within the past six years with more than 1,500 new units planned to be constructed in the coming years.[33]

In April 2018, faculty returned a vote of no confidence in Frederick. Among the faculty who voted, 61 percent expressed a lack of faith in Frederick's leadership.[34] However, Frederick received a letter of support from the university's Council of Deans, which represents leaders of Howard's schools and colleges. The group wrote that it is "confident that the plans, strategies, programs and activities of the University Board of Trustees and Frederick are yielding positive results and are on a positive trajectory for a strong and positive future for our beloved institution."[35] The school's alumni association also rejected calls for Frederick to step down. In a letter sent by Nadia N. Pinto, its president, she wrote that it was important to hear the concerns of students and meet their needs, but Frederick had been a capable and effective leader who deserved to remain in his job.[36][35]

In April 2022, Howard University’s Board of Trustees announced that Frederick plans to retire by June 2024.[37]

Medical work

Frederick has conducted research bridging health disparities with a particular emphasis on cancer outcomes among African Americans and other underrepresented groups. He has served as the principal investigator for major collaborations with the National Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, and local and national minority-serving oncology programs.

At the UConn Comprehensive Cancer Center, he brought a new surgical technique to operate on patients with advanced rectal cancer, and radio frequency ablation for patients with liver cancer.[8]

Other roles

Previous roles

  • Chair of the Surgical Section of the National Medical Association
  • Director of the Drew-Walker Residents Forum of the Surgical Section of the National Medical Association
  • Vice Chairman of the District of Columbia Board of Medicine
  • Member of the Clinical Affairs Committee of the Society of Surgical Oncology (named in 2004)[8]
  • Member of the Committee of Young Surgeons of the American College of Surgeons (named in 2003)[8]
  • Member of the Ethics Committee of the American College of Surgeons [38]
  • Member of the Board of Advisors for the White House Initiative on HBCUs

Active roles

  • Since October 2020: Member of the Board of Directors for Insulet.[39]
  • Since July 2020: Member of the Board of Directors for Forma Therapeutics [40]
  • Since July 2020: Appointed by the Howard University Board of Trustees as the Charles R. Drew Endowed Chair of Surgery [41]
  • Since 2020: Chair, Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC) Council of Chief Executive Officers (CCEOS) [42]
  • Since February 2020: Member of the Board of Directors for Humana Inc.[43]
  • Since July 2019: Member of the Board of Directors for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce [44]
  • Since July 2019: Chair, Consortium of Universities of Washington Metropolitan Area [45]
  • Since January 2017: Member of the Board of Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
  • Since April 2016: Member of the American Surgical Association, known as “the nation's oldest and most prestigious surgical organization.”[5][46]
  • Since 2015: Member of the Board of Directors of Mutual of America [47]

References

  1. ^ Brown, Emma (July 22, 2014). "Wayne A.I. Frederick named 17th president of Howard University". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  2. ^ "Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick Appointed as Charles R. Drew Endowed Chair of Surgery". July 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "Q&A with Wayne Frederick". c-span.org. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  4. ^ "Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "President - Howard University". www2.howard.edu. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  6. ^ "C-SPAN Transcript Viewer". www.c-span.org. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "Q&A with Wayne Frederick". c-span.org. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d e McGuire, Maureen (April 19, 2004). "UConn Advance - April 19, 2004 - Skill, Compassion, Optimism Characterize New Cancer Surgeon". Advance on the Web. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  9. ^ "About President Frederick - Howard University". www2.howard.edu. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  10. ^ "Wayne Frederick, M.D., Tapped as New Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Howard University - Howard University Newsroom". Howard.edu. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "Newsroom". Howard Newsroom. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  12. ^ "Howard University Unveils Howard Forward". Howard Newsroom. January 24, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  13. ^ "Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick Returns to the Classroom". jbhe.com. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  14. ^ "HBCU Doctorates for the 21st Century". blackengineer.com. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  15. ^ "Exclusive: Google expands Howard West to train more black coders". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  16. ^ "What's going on at the nation's premier historically black university?". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  17. ^ "Fitch Rates Howard University (DC)'s 2022A Revs 'BBB-'; Outlook Revised to Positive". www.fitchratings.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "Howard University Announces Faculty and Staff Pay Raises in the New Year". The Dig at Howard University. February 18, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  19. ^ US News
  20. ^ "Howard University Announces $2 Million Grant from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation to Support GRACE Grant Program". The Dig at Howard University. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  21. ^ Reed, Tina (July 28, 2017). "Howard University extends President Wayne Frederick's contract". Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  22. ^ Larimer, Sara (July 28, 2017). "Howard University, pummeled by cold weather, faces 'very serious' damage". SF Post. San Francisco. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  23. ^ Larimer, Sara (October 10, 2018). "Howard University President Earns Top Annual Salary in Greater DC". College Post. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  24. ^ "Steam Plant Operations Update | Howard University". www2.howard.edu. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  25. ^ "Howard University Announces 20-Year Energy Partnership with ENGIE North America". The Dig at Howard University. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  26. ^ "Howard to spend $785M on new construction, renovations". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  27. ^ "Howard University to receive massive federal funding infusion for new hospital". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  28. ^ a b Cobb, Jelani (January 8, 2018). "Under Trump, a Hard Test for Howard University". Retrieved May 4, 2019 – via www.newyorker.com.
  29. ^ fox5dc.com staff (February 28, 2018). "Graffiti found on campus of Howard University". Fox News. San Francisco. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  30. ^ Douglas Ernst (February 28, 2018). "Trump meeting with HBCU leaders prompts 'plantation' graffiti against Howard president on campus". Washington Times. Washington, DC. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  31. ^ McGee, Kate (March 9, 2018). "Howard University Students Protest 'No Heat, Roaches and Mice' In Dorms". WAMU. Washington DC. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  32. ^ Larimer, Sara (March 8, 2018). "After a worried Howard student emailed her president about housing, he replied about her 'tone'". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  33. ^ "Campus Master Planning (CMP) | Real Estate Development & Capital Asset Management ("REDCAM")". realestate.howard.edu. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  34. ^ Larimer, Sara (April 12, 2018). "No confidence: Howard faculty members say in vote they have lost faith in school's leaders". WAMU. Washington DC. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  35. ^ a b Heim, Joe (April 3, 2018). "Howard University president faces 'no confidence' vote by faculty". Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  36. ^ "Howard University president faces 'no confidence' vote by faculty". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  37. ^ Weissman, Sara (April 14, 2022). "Howard University President Plans to Retire". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  38. ^ "President | Howard University". www2.howard.edu. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  39. ^ "Insulet Appoints Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., to Board of Directors | Insulet Corporation". investor.insulet.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  40. ^ "Board of Directors - Forma Therapeutics". www.formatherapeutics.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020.
  41. ^ "Newsroom". Howard Newsroom. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  42. ^ "MEAC News Release". meacsports.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  43. ^ "Humana Elects President Wayne A. I. Frederick to Board of Directors". February 20, 2020.
  44. ^ "Newsroom".
  45. ^ https://www.consortium.org/board-20190424[dead link]
  46. ^ "BIOGRAPHY OF WAYNE A. I. FREDERICK, M.D., MBA, F.A.C.S." Howard University. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  47. ^ "Mutual of America - About Us - Board of Directors". www.mutualofamerica.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020.

External links