Chadwick Boseman is gone, but his legacy lives on. On Wednesday, the late actor's alma mater Howard University announced that they were renaming their newly revived College of Fine Arts after him.
Howard only just re-established the college as its own entity. Back in 1997, when Boseman was a student, he led a protest against the university's decision to incorporate the College of Fine Arts into the larger College of Arts & Sciences, according to the Washington Post. In 2018, the same year Boseman returned to Howard as commencement speaker, school president Wayne A. I. Frederick announced Howard was re-establishing the College of Fine Arts.
Renaming the college after Boseman has garnered immense support. In the wake of his death from colon cancer last summer, more than 50,000 people signed an online petition to rename the College of Fine Arts after him. Now, it's becoming reality.
Earlier this year, Howard announced that actress Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show, Creed) will be dean of the college. Rashad was a mentor to Boseman during his time as a student and will now lead the Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts.
"Chad was a very proud Bison," the actor's widow Simone Ledward-Boseman said in a statement. "Both Howard and Ms. Rashad played integral roles in his journey as an artist. The reestablishment of the College of Fine Arts brings this part of his story full-circle and ensures that his legacy will continue to inspire young storytellers for years to come."
Howard University did not immediately respond to EW's request for additional comment.
This story originally appeared on ew.com
