RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Howard University in Washington, D.C., is one of the largest historically Black colleges and universities in the country, and it's got a long list of decorated alumni. One of them is now being honored with a college in his name, the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.

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CHADWICK BOSEMAN: A Howard University education is not just about what happens in the classroom, students. It takes the education out of the realm of theory and into utility and practice.

PHYLICIA RASHAD: Like many graduates of Howard University, there's something in you because Howard is much more than brick and mortar, you understand. There's a living spirit there. And it is not uncommon for graduates to imbibe this spirit and to hold on to it.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Familiar voice there - the actress Phylicia Rashad, the newly appointed dean for the College of Fine Arts. She used to teach classes at Howard and recalls Boseman as a student.

RASHAD: He was a lanky, young man with big, soft eyes and a warm smile. He wanted to know everything there was to know about theater. He was very strong in a quiet kind of way.

MARTIN: When he was a student, Boseman protested when the Fine Arts College was consolidated into the College of Arts and Sciences. And then as an alumnus, he advocated for its return. Here's Howard Provost Anthony Wutoh.

ANTHONY WUTOH: Chad Boseman meant a great deal to the university not only because of his career but really his commitment to the institution and his real desire to make sure that our students, particularly students in fine arts, had a world-class experience.

INSKEEP: And with some fundraising help from Disney Chairman Robert Iger, the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts hopes to build a brand-new facility and establish an endowment. Boseman died last year at the age of 43.

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