February 1, 2022

Dear Howard University Community,

I am writing to update you on the status of the University’s operations for today, February 1, 2022.
 
Between 3-6 a.m., the Howard University Department of Public Safety and the Metropolitan Police Department investigated, assessed and eventually cleared the campus after a bomb threat made against our campus.
 
All academic, research, auxiliary and community service functions will open at full capacity and operate during regular business hours for today.
 
There is no doubt that there is a heightened sense of anxiety for our campus community and our network of HBCU supporters worldwide around these threats. I encourage our community members to become familiar with our emergency management planning and protocols. They offer great insight into the University’s preparedness and mitigation efforts for everything from natural disasters to environmental threats and dangers. This is our evolving guidance on how we make decisions about operational functions and the protection of our community.
 
In the coming days, we will provide a number of additional opportunities for stakeholder training in our emergency management functions, which will augment our regular exercises for evacuations, tabletop exercises and other preparedness practices.
 
We have an obligation to thousands of students and their families to support the pursuit of education and our faculty and staff to provide a safe working environment through which they can safely and confidently provide for their families. To this end, the Howard University Department of Public Safety, in partnership with municipal and federal law enforcement agencies, allows us to meet these important obligations even in tenuous circumstances.
 
This week’s events are part of a continuing narrative of how our public safety officers are exemplary in their service and serve with the highest regard for the safety of others, even when placing themselves at risk. Acts of domestic terror have not deterred them from their duties, and I know I speak for all of us when I express our sincere gratitude for their service.
 
As one Howard, we know that our success as an institution is intimately tied to the willingness of individuals to operate within the context of a community. We are also grateful to our faculty, staff and partnering vendors who not only support the infrastructure of our campus operations, but who also serve as front-line, first responders to potential threats and help to keep our students safe while abating their fears.
 
We have already ramped up the police presence on campus. You will see MPD and DPS officers stationed all throughout the University, and they will remain in place to safeguard our spaces. We will be hosting a series of town halls with our campus community to inform you of our progress in the investigation. We encourage everyone to attend as we move forward together.

Please be vigilant, aware, and stay safe.

Excellence in Truth and Service,

Tashni-Ann Dubroy, Ph.D. MBA
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer