Chadwick Boseman’s alma mater Howard University will re-name their College of Fine Arts after him

Nine months after the tragic passing of beloved actor Chadwick Boseman, his alma mater Howard University announced plans to honor him in a special way.

The private Washington D.C. university announced Wednesday they re-naming their newly re-established College of Fine Arts after the actor, according to a university press release.

The news comes just weeks after the university, which Boseman graduated from in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing, announced another famous alum, Phylicia Rashad, was named as the dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.

The news is quite fitting, since, while he was a student, Boseman lead protests against the school absorbing the College of Fine Arts into the College of Arts and Sciences.

Several years after graduating, Boseman and other alumni continued engaging the university in re-establishing the College of Fine Arts, which Howard announced in early 2018.

‘When Chadwick Boseman returned to campus in 2018 to serve as our commencement speaker, he called Howard a magical place,’ said Howard University President Wayne I.A. Frederick.

‘During his visit, I announced our plans to reestablish the College of Fine Arts and he was filled with ideas and plans to support the effort in a powerful way,’ Frederick added.

He added that the announcement comes with the support of Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward Boseman, and the Chadwick Boseman Foundation.

Frederick also announced that Walt Disney Company Executive Chairman Bob Iger has, ‘graciously volunteered to lead the fundraising effort to build a state-of-the art facility and endowment for the college.’

Boseman’s family thanked Frederick and the school’s Board of Trustees, ‘for honoring our beloved Chad with the renaming of the reestablished College of Fine Arts.’

They also thanked Iger, ‘for spearheading the fundraising efforts of this development.

‘Chadwick Boseman was an extraordinarily gifted, charismatic and kind-hearted person whose incredible talent and generous spirit were clearly reflected in his iconic performances, including as King T’Challa in Black Panther, and in his tireless commitment to helping others,’ Iger said in his statement. 

‘Through his tremendous example he inspired millions to overcome adversity, dream big and reach beyond the status quo, and this College named in his honor at his beloved Howard University will provide opportunities for future generations of artists to follow in his footsteps and pursue their dreams,’ Iger added.

The new state-of-the-art facility will house the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, along with the Cathy Hughes School of Communications and the University’s television and radio stations, WHUT-TV and WHUR 96.3 FM.

Fans can donate to the fundraising campaign at Giving.Howard.edu/BosemanCollegeofFineArts.