William R. Harvey, president of Hampton University in Virginia, since 1978, has announced that he will retire from his post in June 2022.
During President Harvey’s tenure, he has presided over immense change on campus including the initiation of 92 new academic degrees, including 12 new doctoral programs; erecting 29 new buildings; increasing SAT scores by more than 300 points; launching four satellites which are currently flying in space; building a state-of the-art weather antenna that can detect hurricanes and storms up to 2,000 miles away; establishing the largest free-standing proton beam cancer center in the world, which treats prostate, breast, lung, ocular, pediatric, spine, head, neck and brain cancers; and increasing the endowment from $29 million to over $300 million.
“As a Hampton University Alumnus and Chairman of its Board of Trustees, the growth and development that I have witnessed under Dr. Harvey’s successful leadership have been, in a word, triumphant,” said Wesley Coleman. “The significance of this president’s legendary contributions to Hampton will be celebrated for generations. Indeed, the school is so much better off for his having served as our 12th President. Therefore, on behalf of the Board of Trustees and all of us who love Hampton, we will always be grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Harvey for the immeasurably great job that they have done for the past 43 years and will continue to do for the remainder of his tenure.”
Prior to coming to Hampton, Dr. Harvey held administrative posts at Harvard University, Tuskegee University, and Fisk University. He is a graduate of Talladega College in Alabama and holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Harvard University.
It’s ABOUT TIME. Harvey should have exited Hampton years ago because he literally enriched himself and his family. Harvey has managed turn Hampton into the breeding ground for so-called Black conservatism and ‘republicanism’. As a result, Hampton has morphed into a bastion of Afro-Europeanism within a US context. Just think, students at Hampton do not even have a “Freedom of the Speech” in which the confused so-called Black administrators will attempt to silence The Hamptonian when students challenge their disjointed decision making from food services (e.g., quality), housing quality, and campus security. Harvey should step down now in hopes of eradicating the high incidence rate of colorism that’s runs rampant of that campus. Adios “Booker T. Washington” Harvey!
As a mature and thankful alum of my illustrious ‘home by the sea,’ it is with humble gratitude that I extend my congratulations and well wishes to Dr. Harvey and our first family!! My heart is full with the passion and love the majority of us have for all the blessings bestowed during my four years at Hampton. My life and career shines with brilliance thanks to the Mass Media faculty, my beloved classmates and the legacy that I still have the privilege to honor and breathe life into!! I am eternally grateful for all Hampton Institute gave me, my first love, and my family. Godspeed as you continue your journey of philanthropy and service!
Your pollyannish and neoliberal response is not surprising in any capacity. It’s quite evident you have a false sense of Black reality all the while nestled in your gated community. The fact remains, Hampton is mired in colorism, sexism, groupism, and group think which signifiacntly impact students true intellectual and academic development on numerous levels.