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, Ive been amazed at the growth and changes that continue in our city.
As a resident of Ward five in particular, Ive watched the landscape change, the population grow, and
our social fabric adapt and our institutions evolve. As full-time faculty at UDC, Ive been disappointed
that we havent 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 were 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 doesnt help. With the new student
center, were softening the brutalist edge to the campus. Moving toward reaccreditation, were
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 wouldnt otherwise be able to complete a bachelors 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 UDCs 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.