WASHINGTON – Howard University has selected the 2021 recipients for the Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement: Virginia State University President Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D., property law scholar Thomas W. Mitchell, J.D., LLM and Ward 8 public servant Mary Roach, PharmD. In addition, the LaRue V. Barkwell Capstone Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Howard University archivist and historian Clifford L. Muse, Jr., Ph.D. The awards will be presented during Charter Day 2021: A Virtual Celebration, which will be livestreamed on Saturday, March 6 at 7 p.m. ET.

“Howard University serves as a harbor for the realization of students’ missions,” said Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Therefore, it is an honor to salute this year’s honorees for their outstanding contributions to their industries and the world.”

Established in 1943, the Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement honors alumni who have made valuable contributions in their respective fields. Nominees for the awards are selected by a University committee that includes alumni representatives, and the final selections are approved by the Board of Trustees. All awardees hold either undergraduate or graduate degrees from Howard University and are nominated by alumni.

Each year, the founding of Howard University is celebrated through the annual Charter Day Convocation and Charter Day Dinner. Traditionally a black-tie gala, this year’s virtual celebration will be a fundraising event with the proceeds supporting financial aid for Howard students. For university giving and livestream information, go to  www.howard.edu/charterday

“The financial support of our alumni and friends is greatly appreciated and will aid us in ensuring that more deserving students can achieve their dreams of obtaining a Howard degree,” said David P. Bennett, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations. “Howard University has many deserving students who require financial resources in order to continue their coursework, graduate and make meaningful contributions to our greater society.”

2021 Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement:

Makola M. Abdullah (in the fields of engineering and leadership): Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D., serves as the 14th president of Virginia State University (VSU). Abdullah is described as an academic administrator committed to excellence as well as an internationally renowned educator recognized for outstanding research. Prior to his appointment as president of Virginia State University, Abdullah served as provost and senior vice president for Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida; provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Florida; and dean and director of 1890 land grant programs at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2017, Abdullah was named the HBCU Male President of the Year by HBCU Digest. Under his leadership, in 2018, Virginia State University, was named HBCU of the Year. In addition, Abdullah is vice chair for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Board of Directors. He serves as a member of the executive committee for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and the 5000 Role Models of Excellence. 

Thomas W. Mitchell (in the field of law): Thomas Wilson Mitchell, J.D., LLM, is a property law scholar focused on reforming longstanding legal doctrines that deprive Black and other disadvantaged American families of their property and real estate wealth. Mitchell received a B.A. from Amherst College, a J.D. (1993) from Howard University School of Law and an LLM from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he served as a William H. Hastie Fellow. From 2000 to 2016, Mitchell served as a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He joined the faculty of Texas A&M University in 2016, where he is currently a professor in the School of Law and co-director of the Program in Real Estate and Community Development Law. Mitchell’s research has appeared in journals such as Northwestern University Law Review, Alabama Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, Florida State University Law Review and in American Bar Association and USDA publications, among others. He has also served as an editor and contributor to the first volume of “The New Legal Realism: Translating Law-and-Society for Today’s Legal Practice” (2016). Most notably, in 2020, Thomas Mitchell was a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

Mary Roach (in the field of public service): Mary Roach, PharmD, has been a long-time public servant. She was a student at the U.S. Army’s Academy of Health Sciences, after which the Army sent her to Walter Reed and to Landstuhl, Germany, in order to provide care for ambushed soldiers needing care. She assisted doctors and nurses with medication therapy and compassion, helping with bandages and lifting spirits during a mass casualty event. Her grassroots research at Ohio State University helped parents and caregivers understand proper medication dosing for infants and children, leading to a decline in the rate of overdosing of medications. The program became recognized by the drug manufacturer of Tylenol. After helping her husband lose 89 pounds through nutrition and consulting with his doctors on medication therapy, Roach started the JJ Center, Inc., a nonprofit, faith-based organization in Ward 8, which is dedicated to eradicating health disparities and uniting the community. Roach went on to become a radio broadcasting host for Cathy Hughes’ Radio One. Today, she is helping to spearhead efforts to the reopen Ward 8 as the city battles the COVID-19 pandemic. Roach has plans to attend law school in 2021 to enhance her patient care and advocacy efforts.   

LaRue V. Barkwell Capstone Distinguished Service Award

Clifford L. Muse, Jr., Ph.D., is an African-American historian and archivist. He serves as Howard University's archivist and associate director at the Moorland–Spingarn Research Center. He is best known for his research and writings on the history of Howard University and Frederick Douglass and his involvement in diversity initiatives aimed at improving the archivist profession. Prior to joining Howard, Muse was an archivist in the Office of the Presidential Libraries in the National Archives and Records Service (NARS) and was the supervisory archivist on the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Materials Project. He is a member of various professional organizations and, as a career-long member of the Society of American Archivists, he was very active in the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable. His publications include writings on the history of Howard University.

Since joining the Howard family in 1981, Muse has made impressive changes to the management of the University’s priceless archives and invaluable historical artifacts. Under his oversight, the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center has maintained its position as one of the world’s preeminent repositories documenting the history and culture of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas, and other parts of the world. Muse has served as an adjunct professor, sharing his knowledge of history and insights with countless students over the years.,

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study 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.