Howard President Resigns Amid Housing Crisis and Student Outrage

By Alecia Taylor, Capital B

Ben Vinson III is stepping down after just two years in the post. Former President Wayne A.I. Frederick will fill in on an interim basis.

Howard University will soon be on the hunt for a new university president for the second time in just two years. 

The school’s 18th president, Ben Vinson III, will step down on Aug. 31, the board of trustees announced Friday. His tenure was short-lived, as he stepped into the role just two years ago in September 2023. 

“It has been an honor to serve Howard,” Vinson said in The Dig, the university’s news hub. “At this point, I will be taking some time to be with my family and continue my research activities. I look forward to using my experiences as president to continue to serve higher education in the future.”

The board of trustees announced that Wayne A.I. Frederick, a Howard University alumnus and 17th president of the university, will step in as the interim president starting Sept. 1.  

Taliana Singleton, a co-founder of Whose Howard Is It?, an online campaign founded in July to hold the administration accountable for student account deficits and lack of housing, was skeptical about the announcement.

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Vinson’s announcement comes at a time when students have taken to social media to bring attention to a long-standing issue at the university: lack of housing, especially for upperclassmen. 

Keep reading to learn how Vinson’s lack of experience with HBCUs has earned him criticism.

Discover the lived reality for many Black Americans.

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