Howard University Research Center to Stay Open

After outcry from the Howard University community, it looks as if a long-standing pillar of research will remain open at the Washington, D.C., university.

Howard University's Chief Academic Office released a statement saying that it would keep the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center open, the Hilltop reports.

"There is no intention to close the center," Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Alvin Thornton tells the Hilltop in an E-mail. "It is a treasured and valued part of Howard and will continue."

The recent retirement of the center's director, Thomas Battle, prompted a nationwide search for a replacement. And the university is reviewing the organization, structure, and staffing at the center, Thornton says.

Battle had warned that financial cutbacks put the center in danger of closing, the report says. With numerous vacant jobs in the facility—and limited resources to fill them—it didn't seem like the facility could sustain operations.

"This should be a greater outcry," Battle told the Hilltop last week. "This is the premier place to research black history and culture."

And there was an outcry. Students, faculty, and alumni expressed support for maintaining the 95-year-old research center, letting their concerns be heard by the administration.

"I was angry when I first heard of Moorland-Spingarn's potential closure. That was my first reaction," Victoria Kirby, graduate student, tells the Hilltop. "This is our treasure, Howard University's treasure."

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