William A. Hanff Jr., PhD Assistant Professor, Div. of Arts and Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences University of the District of Columbia Testimony before the Council of the District of Columbia Committee of the Whole Budget Oversight Hearing Monday, April 20, 2015 – 2:00PM – Room 412

Thank you for the opportunity to provide some testimony today. Your continued funding and support of

UDC will continue to show a Return On Investment for the District of Columbia.

Like many of you, I’ve been amazed at the growth and changes that continue in our city.

As a resident of Ward five in particular, I’ve watched the landscape change, the population grow, and

our social fabric adapt and our institutions evolve. As full-time faculty at UDC, I’ve been disappointed

that we haven’t been keeping up with the city we were founded to educate.

The city government, the citizens of DC and the taxpayers have made an investment in accessible,

affordable public higher education by funding UDC. As an institution we’re finally beginning to adapt

and reflect this changing mission through our Vision 2020 plan.

But we need your help. We must work to counter the perception that UDC is literally and figuratively

stuck in the 80s — and our concrete bunker-like architecture doesn’t help. With the new student

center, we’re softening the ‘brutalist edge’ to the campus. Moving toward reaccreditation, we’re

collecting the data we need to make important decisions. With your boosterism, your support, and yes,

your funding, we can continue this in our curriculum, our outreach and our students.

I want to demonstrate three ways UDC is a good return on investment:

1) how we can serve nontraditional/transfer students

2) how we can connect through service learning

3) how we can prepare the city for sustainable continued growth

Very quietly, UDC has become a model for how to effectively educate non-traditional students. Many of

our graduates do not begin their college studies at UDC. The way people go to college has changed.

UDC integrates transfer students into courses of study, connects them with internships and moves

them toward graduation. Sadly, most of these students are not reflected in our six-year graduation

statistics. The flexibility that we build into our curricula and our general education program allows for

students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to complete a bachelor’s degree to do so — and to remain in

the city. Also quietly, UDC has shown the benefits of integrating international students. By studying

alongside local students, many international students come to UDC for the education and stay in the

city to make careers. By working with transfer, nontraditional and international students UDC can

demonstrate a return on investment.

Following the David A. Clark School of Law example, programs across UDC have piloted service

learning projects that link class work, student skills and local nonprofits giving opportunities to apply

theoretical concepts to real-world situations. From the well-established tax and legal clinics, to adult

nutrition and literacy programs, to new potential projects in business and a Center for Urban Media,

UDC can continue to connect to the larger communities of the city. But we need your support to bring

more of these opportunities online. By connecting through service learning projects UDC can

demonstrate a return on investment.

From cranes and condo canyons, to row-house pop ups, and transit-oriented development, the

population of DC is continuing to grow. And the college-age population will soon grow with it. Making

an investment in UDC now will allow for innovative new ways to handle this growth. From 2+2

programs with charter schools and DCPS, to certificate programs for working professionals, to research

initiatives, to part-time law programs, to entrepreneurship centers — UDC can remain a place to trial, to

evaluate and to institutionalize the new ways higher education can be accessed by the public – and

remain affordable. But we need your help in giving the administration and faculty the flexibility to

continue to explore and grow. By continuing to innovatively prepare the city for sustainable continued

growth UDC can demonstrate a return on investment.

As is too often the case, UDC is in a precarious position. We are still undergoing reorganization, we

are deep in the Middle States reaccreditation process, we are choosing a new president, and other

administrators, we are transitioning among faculty members and working to keep our institutional

memory. Now is the time we need your support. Along with the mayor, you will be involved in selecting

our new board members. Challenge them to work hard, dedicate and innovate. Along with the mayor,

you will be involved in setting the appropriation for UDC’s budget. Consider:

1) how we serve nontraditional/transfer students

2) how we connect through service learning

3) how we prepare the city for sustainable continued growth

…and your continued funding and support of UDC will continue to show a Return On Investment for the

District of Columbia. Thank you for your time.