Jeff Ruland, hometown favorite for his stellar days under the basket for the Washington Bullets in the 1980s, showed up Thursday for a coaches meeting in the University of the District of Columbia’s gym. Practice for the Firebirds’ season doesn’t begin for six weeks, but Ruland is already excited. “We should be able to build on last season,” Ruland tells me. “We have some kids with tons of potential.”
Like returning former Division I players Nigel Munson and Brandon Herbert. And a freshman from France. Ruland took over last year and coached the Firebirds to an 11-15 season. The team went 1-20 the year before. I see improvement — and potential.
Ruland’s rebuilding of UDC’s basketball squad is a metaphor for the university. Most Washingtonians think of it as a second-rate college for inner-city kids who need remedial courses. That may have been an accurate assessment a decade ago, but UDC is in the midst of a transformation that could turn heads and bring it closer to the league of other land grant colleges.
“We’re getting real street cred,” says UDC President Allen Sessoms. “People are starting to believe we can make this place work.”
Sessoms has gotten nicked for working his expense account overtime for first class trips to Europe and Egypt. He hopes the grilling by council members and an audit by the UDC board are in his rearview mirror.
When will his school be comparable to state universities in Maryland and Virginia? By the end of the decade, he says. That’s a big stretch.
“We want to graduate students who are prepared to work — and create wealth — from Day One,” he says.
Sounds good, but UDC still suffers from its creation in the 1970s with the union of three teaching colleges. It has struggled to attract strong students, recruit great faculty, and shake off its reputation of mediocrity, even though it sits on prime property above the Van Ness Metro.
If UDC has a chance of boosting its brand, now is the time, for a variety of reasons.
Former Mayor Adrian Fenty starved UDC for funds and contended with its trustees. Mayor Vincent Gray has always been a strong supporter and helped boost funding. Last year the college received $46 million for capital improvements; it got another $212 million this year. The funds are allowing UDC to commence a total renovation, from building its first student dorms, its first student center, and a central courtyard adorned with fountains. Perhaps it will no longer look like a Soviet gulag.
Sessoms is bringing on four new deans, a new provost, closing 17 programs and investing in core programs, such as law and nursing. And athletics.
“Notre Dame and Stanford built their visibility with football and basketball programs,” he says. “We’re going to bring football back.” That would be another big stretch — from scratch to playing at RFK Stadium.
But why not? If Ruland can get his team into the East Coast Conference and plan to play in tournaments, why can’t UDC begin to shine?
Harry Jaffe’s column appears on Tuesday and Friday. He can be contacted at [email protected].
