Ronald D. Mason Jr., president of the historically Black University of the District of Columbia, announced that he will step down from his post at the end of his current contract on June 30, 2023.
In a statement to the university community, President Mason wrote: “We have come a long way together, and I believe our work has served the university well. We have spread the news far and wide that UDC, the public institution of higher learning in and for the nation’s capital, is a historic university that matters. I have been proud to be its president, working with like-minded people who realize UDC’s significance and importance to the District, nation, and beyond.
Mason became president of the university in July 2015. From 2010 to 2015, Mason served as president of the Southern University System in Louisiana. Earlier in his career, he was president of Jackson State University in Mississippi and served in several administrative posts at Tulane University in New Orleans.
A native of New Orleans, President Mason is a graduate of Columbia University and the Columbia Law School.
Many would describe Ronald’s administrative decision making in Louisiana and Mississippi and UDC as being a existential threat to HBCUs. Adios Ronald.