WASHINGTON –   Alumnus and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Laurence C. Morse, Ph.D., spoke of the importance of the university’s alumni network and promised the Class of 2024 that Howard University would “enrich your lives beyond measure.”

“Every era at Howard University is a golden era  -- each entering class brings its own unique gifts and talents and makes Howard anew,” said Chairman Morse during the Howard University’s 153rd Opening Convocation.  “What you do with your mind during the time you have on this planet will form the sum and substance of your life.”

Opening Convocation is a time-honored tradition that officially signals the beginning of the academic year. The address welcomed the Class of 2024 and acknowledged recent achievements of the University during the adversity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morse is a co-founder and managing partner at Fairview Capital Partners, a private equity investment management firm with nearly $10 billion in assets. The firm today is the largest African American-owned private equity investment management firm in the country. Morse cofounded Fairview in 1994 with JoAnn Price, a Howard alumna whom he had not previously met on campus.

During the online convocation ceremony, Howard University President Wayne Frederick pointed to major recent accomplishments at the institution. These include the 16 percent increase in student enrollment and Howard University climbing to #80 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of the nation’s best colleges and universities. Dr. Frederick and Chairman Morse also noted the success of Sen. Kamala Harris as the first Black woman to be named on a major party ticket. 

Dr. Frederick, in addition, noted the $40 million unrestricted gift to Howard University from MacKenzie Scott, and Mike Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $32.8 million gift to the College of Medicine to support producing more Black doctors.

“We hope these donations will have a ripple effect and lead to additional investments in our students that will help reduce the stress of paying for college and re-direct their energy toward excelling in the classroom, graduating on time, and going out to change the world,” Dr. Frederick said.

Chairman Morse was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2014 and most recently served as a vice chair of the University’s Board from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020. Morse graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Howard University, having spent his junior year at The London School of Economics and Political Science as a Luard Scholar. He earned a Master of Arts degree and Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. He was also a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University.

Morse summarized his personal journey, speaking of the importance of his parents as role models, and his youth in Jacksonville, Fla., where he was among the last generation of American students to attend high school before desegregation laws were fully implemented.

Morse recalled the importance of support from his classmates. He told a story of oversleeping as a Howard undergraduate and almost missing the final round of interviews for the Luard scholarship, which would ultimately take him to the London School of Economics. Morse recalled that he had to be roused out of his Drew Hall bed by persistent classmates – both of whom were also finalists for the prestigious award.

“It was an act of selfless generosity on their part that I have never forgotten, and given the subsequent impact of that year on my life, my debt to them has only grown over the years,” Morse said.

View the full Convocation 2020 ceremony here : http://whur.com/features/watch-hu-opening-convocation-2020/

Click to follow link.">http://whur.com/features/watch-hu-opening-convocation-2020/

###

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.