"Black Americans and this university must value excellence and quality more than we have even in the past. In our determination to celebrate and affirm the Black presence as an integral, legitimate and unavoidable expression of the American presence in the world, we must be equally determined to make being Black synonymous with being excellent, to endow that which is Black with an unmatched quality, and to express a dedication and a devotion that will be the envy of all men everywhere. The Institute for the Arts and the Humanities is one more example of our collective determination at Howard to use our existing resources and to harness additional resources in our effort to make a major contribution to world civilization.”

—Dr. James Cheek on the establishment of the Institute for Arts and Humanities