Howard University was founded on March 2, 1867 in the Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C. It was decided that the school would be named after Civil War hero General Oliver O. Howard who was serving as the Commissioner of the Freedman’s Bureau.

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Within a year, the school’s focus had expanded to include liberal arts and medical training. By 1872, Howard University would see to the education of 150,000 freed slaves. Howard University’s first black president, Dr. Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, expanded the school. By the time he retired, Howard University had 6,000 students, a budget of $8 million dollars, and more than doubled the number of buildings and facilities.

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Moorland-Spingarn Research Center is now one of the world’s premiere centers for the study of the Black experience. It has made possible new research and enabled scholars to probe more deeply into the complexities of Black history and culture. In linking its past accomplishments to its plans for the future, the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center continues in its unswerving commitment to preserve the legacy of people of African descent for this and future generations.

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Currently, Howard has approximately 11,000 students in its undergraduate, graduate, professional, and joint degree programs, which span more than 120 areas of study within 13 schools and colleges. Howard University is the Mecca of African and African Diaspora Studies. It is one of only 48 U.S. private, doctoral/research-extensive universities and produces more on-campus African American Ph.D.s than any other university in the world. Howard aims to educate a diverse group of students and continues to follow its motto, “In Truth and Service.”

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