ENROLLED ORIGINAL
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
25-248
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
June 11, 2024
To recognize the contributions that Sylvia Mathews Burwell has made to the District upon the
occasion of her retirement as the President of American University, and declare June 30,
2024 as Sylvia Mathews Burwell Day in the District of Columbia.
WHEREAS, Sylvia M. Burwell will complete 7 years of service to the American
University community as its 15th president and the first woman to hold the office on June 30,
2024;
WHEREAS, President Burwell’s career of service as United States Secretary of Health
and Human Services, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and President of
American University has created a lasting impact on the District of Columbia;
WHEREAS, President Burwell resolved in her inaugural address to make American
University “a part of, not apart from” the District and elevated “Working with Washington” as
one of the pillars of American University’s Changemakers for a Changing World Strategic
Plan;
WHEREAS, President Burwell led American University’s engagement with District
organizations to foster more than 300 local partnerships and support more than 150,000 service
hours by American University students since 2019;
WHEREAS, President Burwell created opportunities for American University to
support educational opportunities at all levels in the District, including the Advancing Early
Education Collaborative partnership between American University, Trinity Washington
University, and Martha’s Table, the District of Columbia Public Schools Teacher Pipeline
Project and dual enrollment program where students train at American University and return to
District public schools to teach the next generation, and the American University District
Scholars program, which provides full scholarships for students from District public and public
charter schools;
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 ENROLLED ORIGINAL
WHEREAS, President Burwell has fostered American University’s support for arts and
culture in the District, including featuring 156 Washington-area artists at American University
Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in 2023, curating a permanent home for more than 9,000
works from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and welcoming Elyn Zimmerman’s sculptural
installation, Sudama, to American University’s campus as part of a gift from the National
Geographic Society that preserved the work and kept it in the District;
WHEREAS, President Burwell dedicated extensive service to District community
organizations and institutions, including serving as Vice Chair of the Consortium of
Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area and Trustee of the Federal City Council.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That
this resolution may be cited as the “Sylvia Mathews Burwell Recognition Resolution of 2024”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and thanks Sylvia
Mathews Burwell for her years of public service and dedication to American University, and
declares June 30, 2024 as Sylvia Mathews Burwell Day in the District of Columbia.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of
publication in the District of Columbia Register.
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