Open Letter to our Alumni

Dear Alumni
For the past 35 years the University of the District of Columbia has stood in the forefront as an example of the democratization of education. Like the motto engraved on the Statue of Liberty ... give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... the University of the District of Columbia has offered a promise to all residents of this city - come to us as you are, and we will get you to where you should be.

It has long been understood by the faculty and the students at this institution that open admissions did not mean open graduation. UDC students matriculated by virtue of hard work, determination and nurtured intellect. In the criminal justice program our graduates can be found in all areas of government and the private sector. We have always been so very proud of you.

Recent decisions by the Board of Trustees to impose a 100% tuition increase over a two year period and to eliminate open admissions for the 4 year baccalaureate programs appear to have been taken in the belief that the quality of graduates are measured when they enter the University as opposed to when they exit. The decision to track students not meeting a new set of "standards" into an institution which does not award 4-year baccaluareate degrees should not be viewed as a return to the days pre-Brown v. Board of Education with the fiction of seprate but equal because the separate institution in this instance will not award 4-year degrees.

It is possible that some of you may have felt offended and insulted by what appeared to be a denigration of your hard work and the value of your degree. Some of you may be concerned that your employers will view you less favorably when it comes to promotion after reading negative comments made by high university officials. If so, the faculty of the criminal justice program want to apologize on behalf of the University. We also assure you that we will not take it personally in the event you feel compelled to object in writing to what you may have perceived to be an insult.

Sincerely,

Faculty of the Criminal Justice Program
University of the District of Columbia