Acclaimed actress and Howard University alum Phylicia Rashad will step down from her role as Dean of Howard University’s Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts after the 2023-2024 academic year.
Rashad – a Tony award-winning actress whose roles included playing Claire Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” and inaugural holder of the Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities at Howard University, has served as dean since 2021.
“Dean Rashad returned to alma mater to lead the re-establishment of the College of Fine Arts as an independent college and to restore it to its rightful place as the center for arts and creativity at Howard University,” Howard University President Dr Wayne A. I. Frederick wrote in a statement.
According to Frederick, the renowned film director also “bolstered our esteemed facility with the appointment of nationally and internationally recognized scholars, artists, and creatives to serve as department chairs, mentors, teachers, and role models for our students.”
The university will kickstart its search for Rashad’s replacement shortly, Frederick added.
Rashad graduated from Howard University in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts before launching a career as an actress and director. She was named the college’s dean in 2021 after it was renamed after the late Black Panther star and Howard alum Chadwick Boseman.
Boseman graduated from Howard University in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in directing. Rashad was one of his professors.
