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HomeFeature Page - H. Patrick Swygert

Bro. H. Patrick Swygert 

 

 

H. Patrick Swygert became president of Howard University on August 1, 1995. As Howard’s 15 th president, he is the fifth African American to serve as the University’s chief executive officer.  He is scheduled to retire in June 2008.

 

Mr. Swygert, born in 1943, is an alumnus of Howard University, having earned his undergraduate degree and law degree (cum laude) from the University in 1965 and 1968. He joined our Illustrious Fraternity through Alpha Chapter on April 4, 1964.  He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of New England in 1997, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Temple University in 1999, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Tuskegee University in 2002.

 

Mr. Swygert received the Medallion of the University, the highest honor of the University at Albany, State University of New York, on February 14, 2002. He was president of that institution, a public research university, from 1990 until accepting the presidency of Howard in 1995.

 

Prior to assuming the presidency at Albany, Mr. Swygert had been associated with Temple University in Philadelphia beginning in 1972, when he was appointed to the faculty of the School of Law. In 1987, he was named executive vice president of Temple University. From 1982 to 1987 he was vice president for university administration, and served as special counsel to the president of Temple University from 1980 to 1982.

In addition to his academic career, Mr. Swygert has held several government positions. In 1979, he served as special counsel to the Merit Systems Protection Board. From 1977 to 1979, he was general counsel of the U.S. Civil Service Commission. He also served as law clerk to Chief Judge William H. Hastie of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia; administrative assistant to Congressman Charles B. Rangel, D-NY, Special Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia under then District Attorney now United States Senator Arlen Specter.

 

From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Swygert served as Chairman of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Program Advisory Board of the U.S. Department of Education. On August 8, 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Mr. Swygert as a member of the Brown v. Board of Education Commemoration Commission. In 2004, District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams, appointed Mr. Swygert to the DC Emancipation Commemoration Commission, and on November 15, 2004, Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell, appointed him to serve on the United States National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Mr. Swygert is also a member of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

 

At the Congressional Black Caucus’ 34th Annual Legislative Conference, Mr. Swygert was presented with the Congressional Black Caucus Chair’s Award in recognition of his efforts on behalf of higher education.  On July 30, 2005, he was honored with the National Urban League 2005 Legend Award for dedicated leadership and commitment to the education of young people.

 

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