WASHINGTON — At Howard University's 2024 Opening Convocation, Mark L. Mason, Sr., vice chair of the Board of Trustees, reflected on his journey from late-night shifts at Drew Hall to the highest echelons of Wall Street. He attributed the achievement to the life-changing impact of a Howard education. 

Opening Convocation is the time-honored tradition that officially signals the beginning of the academic year. This fall, Howard University welcomed its largest freshman class, with 2,700 students. The incoming student body comes from 50 states, five territories and more than 60 countries. 

Saying he wanted the class to feel connected, Mason, the chief financial officer of Citi, encouraged the large student body to rally behind the university's motto, "Veritas et Utilitas," which means "Truth and Service." 

“Truth and service — that is a motto for you to employ as Howard students of today and as the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.  “A Howard education is a call to excellence. Excellence in truth in service in all that we do.”

In his convocation remarks, Howard University President Ben Vinson III reminded students to embrace their place within the broader Howard legacy and to fully engage with their surroundings. Highlighting the significance of the moment, Vinson noted, “Bison who have preceded you have set the stage.”

“Today we charge you to roam the hilltop, roam the Mecca, the Yard, the classrooms, the city, and the world in your passionate quest for knowledge and your unyielding pursuit of destiny,” Vinson said. 

Mason drew from his experience as a parent of two college-aged children to discuss the challenges students may face in transitioning to college life. He said his son, currently a freshman at the University of Southern California, and his daughter, a senior at Howard University, have felt the pressures of academic life.

“Obviously, I don’t want you to feel stressed,” Mason said. “Howard has wonderful resources to help make the transition to college life work for you.” 

He said Howard University leaders had made considerable investments to make students’ transition from the support systems of home as smooth as possible. “In other words, Howard’s got you,” he said.  

In the address, Mason also spoke about his personal journey, beginning with growing up in Queens in his youth. He praised his mother, Doris, who raised him and younger brother Anthony, also a Howard alumnus. He said she instilled important values into them, including a faith in God. 

Mason said he arrived on campus in 1987 with little money.  He supported himself by working the overnight shift at Drew Hall from midnight to 8 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. He said that sacrificing weekend outings for work resulted in strong academic performance, which earned him a trustee scholarship which helped alleviate financial pressure.

“Those experiences taught me resilience and focus,” he said.

Mason encouraged students to explore and understand themselves during their Howard journeys. He shared how the father of one of his roommates, a Howard alumnus and small business owner, would often take them out to dinner. During these meals, the businessman would talk about business, money and investments, emphasizing their importance and practical use.  Inspired by these conversations, Mason shifted his focus from medicine to accounting, and eventually to finance and the School of Business.

“The time that these leaders and faculty members invested in me, my own desire to compete, combined with the reassured confidence from a newly learned appreciation of our heritage all prepared me well to succeed in my passion,” Mason said. 

Mason also commended President Vinson on his successful inaugural year steering the institution, saying it was a credit to the Howard’s reputation that the University continues to recruit superior leadership. 

“As an acclaimed historian, he has helped us understand our past, our world, and as a leader in the academic movement for racial equity even as he has helped us envision our shared future,” Mason said. “Through his strategic vision, he truly is pushing Howard forward toward maximum strength.”

Alumnus and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Laurence C. Morse, Ph.D., said Vinson had succeeded in earning the admiration and warmth of the entire Howard community.  

“The entire Howard university community has been warmed by his welcoming generous spirit and warm personality,” Morse said. “Please know that as you continue to chart the course and lead Howard toward maximum strength, you have the full and vigorous support of the board of trustees.”

Recently, the board of trustees welcomed two new members: Lena Hill, Ph.D. (BA ’97), provost and professor of English and Africana Studies at Washington and Lee University; and Carol Quillen, Ph.D., president & chief executive officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Morse said their addition to the board reflects the University’s commitment to strengthening its leadership and advancing its mission.

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