Howard University is a private university.
 In July 2014 Howard's Board of Trustees named Frederick as the school's 17th president
== Notable alumni ==Distinguished alumni of Howard University include a Vice President of the United States, several United States diplomats and United States governors, a United States Ambassador to the United Nations, foreign royals, seven foreign heads of state, 11 members of United States Congress, a Supreme Court Justice, directors and executives of Fortune 500 companies, Academy Award and Emmy Awardwinning actors, Grammy Awardwinning songwriters and producers, two US Army generals, a US Air Force general and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and Nobel laureates including Nobel Prize for Literature winner Toni Morrison

