Phylicia Rashad named dean of Howard University
“The Cosby Show” matriarch Phylicia Rashad has been named a Dean of Howard University’s recently established College of Fine Arts. Rashad, an alumna of the Howard University, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in fine arts from the school in 1970. She was a theater and acting major and has taught acting courses at Howard in the past as well. She will report to Provost Anthony K. Wutoh when she begins the role on July 1.
“It is an honor to welcome one of Howard’s acclaimed daughters back home to Alma Mater,” said Wutoh in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “In this full-circle moment, Ms. Phylicia Rashad will take the training and skills that she honed as a student at Howard and exuded in an outstanding performing career, and she will share those pearls of wisdom with the next generation of students in the College of Fine Arts. Her passion for the arts and student success makes her a perfect fit for this role.”
Chadwick Boseman, who also graduated from Howard University in 2000 with a degree in fine arts, was one of Rashad’s students. Rashad discusses their relationship in the documentary Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist, currently streaming on Netflix. The limited-edition viewing is billed as an “intimate look” at the Black Panther star’s impact on Hollywood and features interviews with a few of his creative collaborators.
Rashad, who’ll be revising her role as Michael B. Jordan’s adoptive mother in Creed III, also spoke of the news and returning to her alma mater. “It is a privilege to serve in this capacity and to work with the Howard University administration, faculty and students in reestablishing the College of Fine Arts,” she added.
Rashad previously served as a guest lecturer at many institutions, including New York University, Vasser College, Julliard and The Black Arts Institute of the Stella Adler School of Acting.
