Dr. Antoine M. Garibaldi (B.A. ’73), an esteemed president emeritus, educator, and scholar, is returning to Howard University for its 158th Commencement ceremony where he’ll be presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Before his time as President Emeritus and Distinguished University Professor of the University of Detroit Mercy and his tenure as president of Gannon University, Garibaldi was a sociology student at Howard. Being honored by the university, a place where he grew academically and professionally, is an honor he takes pride in. 

“Whenever you are honored at a place where you went to school and graduated from, you always feel proud to represent it,” said Garibaldi. “I've taken great pride in not only my graduation from Howard and being educated there, but also the time I spent as an individual when I came back after graduate school and I taught part time [here] when I was at the U.S. Department of Education. I would’ve never expected that 25 years after I graduated, I’d come back as the first provost of the university, so I feel very special about being honored at Howard.”

Finding Inspiration at Howard

Garibaldi’s impact in advancing Howard’s legacy extended beyond his status as an alum when he joined the university’s leadership team as its first provost and chief academic officer in 1996. The position came after his 15-year stint as the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Xavier University. Howard’s provost position was officially established by President Emeritus H. Patrick Swygert, who Garibaldi said wanted to “centralize all of the academic functions of the university.”

“I was responsible for all of the colleges as well as the library, enrollment management, the Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center, and a few other centers,” Garibaldi recalled. “The idea of centralizing academics was great, and it was a very collaborative relationship. It was a very big job and a massive undertaking.”

Garibaldi served as Howard’s provost and chief academic officer until 2000 before moving onto his first president role at Gannon the following year. He shared his gratitude for fellow alum and former university faculty member and administrator Dr. Michael R. Winston (B.A. ’62) for initially recommending him for the provost position. 

Garibaldi also made note of how his undergraduate professors helped to influence his long career in higher education. 

“I had some very special professors,” he said. “At that time of me being a student, I was not thinking about being a president, but I admired the scholarship and the leadership of individuals whom I know could've been at any institution in this country.”

Garibaldi fondly shared how special his relationship was with the late Dr. William A. Banner, professor emeritus of Howard’s philosophy department, who was also the university’s honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree recipient in 1988. 

“Dr. Banner was so modest, he would never tell you that he was the second Black Ph.D. from Harvard,” said Garibaldi. “To walk into his class and to be a part of one of those classes, you are spellbound. I was spellbound. I maintained my connection with Dr. Banner up until the day of his death. I always admired him. I kept in touch with him throughout my career, and he's been the subject of a number of commencement speeches that I've done before because it was his leadership that I truly admired and his scholarship. Dr. Banner was writing articles and chapters right up until his mid-90s, so you can’t help but be inspired by people like that.” 

Garibaldi also mentioned Howard faculty members Dr. Percy Pierre, former dean of the university’s College of Engineering, and Dr. Ralph Gomes, former professor of sociology and criminology, as influential figures who believed in him in the early stages of his life. 

“They took the time when I wanted to see them to get to know them on a personal level, as well as professional,” he said. They probably gave me a lot more advice than they knew that they were giving me at that time.”

A Pillar of Many Communities

Throughout his career, Garibaldi has been a prominent thought leader in academia, authoring 11 books and more than 100 research articles and book chapters. The hardest thing he’s ever written, Garibaldi shared, was his chapter in “Voices of Historical and Contemporary Black American Pioneers,” (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012). The chapter, entitled “Prepare Yourself Well, Set Realistic Goals, and all Will Fall in Place,” was a retrospective of his career up until that point. He often refers to that chapter when encouraging students to set and achieve their goals. 

“Students frequently ask me, ‘when did you know you wanted to be a president?’ And I flatly tell them I did not believe that I wanted to be a president,” said Garibaldi. “That was not my goal. All of [my experiences] gave me the confidence to say that I could lead a university, irrespective of whether it’s an HBCU, a Catholic university, or a public institution. The support that I received from my former professors, as well as the people whom I worked with, really helped me to be the president of both Gannon and the University of Detroit Mercy. It’s one of those things that takes a lot more than just confidence. You have to stick to your goals and follow through on them.”

Beyond academia, Garibaldi has been a vital pillar of support with his work in advancing economic and development opportunities for underserved neighborhoods in Detroit. In 2015, he co-founded Live6 Alliance, a community planning and development organization working to increase economic opportunities and community outcomes in Detroit’s Livernois/McNichols neighborhood. 

As Garibaldi makes his return to Howard for its 2026 Commencement ceremony, he’s excited to impart words of wisdom and guiding principles to this year’s graduating class. 

“You never know exactly how life twists and turns will come about, but lots of good things happen by just keeping your head down and doing your work,” Garibaldi emphasized. “When you’re working and you’re doing a good job, you’re not as conscious of the fact that there are other people who are your cheerleaders, and they’re looking out for you. Take advantage of that.”