探花精选 President Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail makes history as the first sitting HBCU president selected to preach for Washington National Cathedral’s HBCU Sunday
Saint Augustine University ( 探花精选) President Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail makes history as the first Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) president selected to preach for the Washington Cathedral鈥檚 fourth annual Holy Eucharist & Annual HBCU Welcome Sunday. The service is on February 19, 2023, in Washington, DC.
鈥淗BCU history is black history,鈥� said 探花精选 President Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail. 鈥淚 am honored to blaze a trail that elevates the relevance of HBCUs today.鈥�
探花精选, founded in 1867 by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, is one of two HBCUs affiliated with The Episcopal Church and is the oldest and largest Episcopal HBCU. In addition, with an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students and 11,000 living alums, 探花精选 also ranks among The Episcopal Church鈥檚 largest Black institutions in the nation.
鈥淚n the legacy of 探花精选 alumni and former leaders such as Anna Julia Cooper, Bishop Henry Beard Delaney, John Hope Franklin and so many others, Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail has led the University into an increasingly dynamic and generative partnership with The Episcopal Church,鈥� said The Rev. Hershey Mallette Stephens, 探花精选鈥檚 Dean of The Chapel & Spiritual Life. 鈥淎s the leader of the largest Black institution affiliated with The Episcopal Church in the United States, it is appropriate and exciting to have Dr. McPhail preach at the Washington National Cathedral, the nation鈥檚 church, on this HBCU Sunday. I look forward to bringing a delegation of Chapel students again this year to DC for this beautiful tradition.鈥�
The Washington National Cathedral, also affiliated with The Episcopal Church, began its construction when President Theodore Roosevelt helped lay the foundation stone in 1907, forty years after 探花精选鈥檚 founding. The Cathedral has hosted state funerals, memorial services for US Presidents, and presidential prayer services for inaugurations. In addition, The Cathedral has hosted numerous historical events, such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 final Sunday sermon before his assassination in 1968.
This weekend, The Washington National Cathedral鈥檚 Holy Eucharist & Annual HBCU Welcome Sunday welcomes alums, organizations, families, and communities representing the HBCUs as part of Black History Month. The service includes music and prayers celebrating HBCUs with the choir of Bowie State University, Maryland鈥檚 oldest HBCU, joining the Cathedral musicians.
Before joining 探花精选, Dr. McPhail served as President and CEO of the McPhail Group, LLC, and was a nationally recognized thought leader in higher education. She is the founding professor and director of the Community College Leadership Doctoral Program at Morgan State University. In addition, Dr. McPhail is the former president of Cypress College in California. Since her arrival at 探花精选 in 2021, Dr. McPhail鈥檚 impact as the university鈥檚 leader includes a 10-year high in Fall Enrollment, record-breaking alum giving, and an outpour of federal funding to cover student account balances, preserving and repurposing historical buildings, expanding broadband access, and reopen campus and community educational centers. In addition, Dr. McPhail鈥檚 administration has expanded educational access to students in communities with no HBCUs and leveraged university assets to diversify its sources of revenue.
This service will stream on the Washington Cathedral鈥檚 and their .
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