Dr. and Mrs. William R. Harvey are doing their part to assist Hampton University students during these unprecedented times by making a donation of $100,000 to their “Home by the Sea” to provide financial relief to individual students who have needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hampton‘s first couple is no stranger to giving and giving back to the university they have led for 42 years. This latest gift matches the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s gift of $100,000 to the University in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hampton University will use the $200,000 to provide each on-campus student $100 to assist with travel costs to retrieve their belongings or return to school in the fall.
“The financial impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having on our Hampton students causes me great concern. Mrs. Harvey and I wanted to personally be of help to the students during this unprecedented situation. It is truly important for us to be supportive during the greatest health and economic crisis in our lifetime,” said Hampton University President, Dr. William R. Harvey.
Hampton has also received $4.2 million from the CARES Act; half of these funds are to support students and the funds will be allocated according to the federal guidelines.
This offering truly displays Dr. and Mrs. Harvey’s heartfelt commitment to giving back to the university community they serve. There is no question that in the four decades of service, the Harvey’s have upheld THE Standard of Excellence that is Hampton University. The Harvey’s are more than President and First Lady of Hampton University, they are truly admired for being the heart and soul of this prestigious institution.
As a visionary, Dr. Harvey has embraced HU founder General Samuel Chapman Armstrong’s mission to have every aspect at Hampton University excel. And excel it has under Dr. Harvey’s leadership. The William R. Harvey years, 42 and counting, will grace the record books as an unparalleled accounting of mega success, not just for the HU students, faculty and staff whose lives give testimony to the results of his labor, but for the global community of stakeholders who will continually reap the benefits of his astute leadership for generations to come.
Dr. Harvey has introduced innovations, which have solidified Hampton University’s stellar position among the nation’s colleges and universities. Ninety-two new academic programs, an endowment that has increased 866%, satellites on active missions in space, the largest free-standing proton therapy cancer treatment center in the world, speaks to his desire to leave the world better than he found it.
The Brewton, Alabama native is a servant leader who faces each day determined to enrich the lives of others. His blessed path led him from a small town to the coveted classrooms of Harvard University. With his Ivy League degree in hand, Dr. Harvey could have taken any one of so many prestigious university offers. However, he, the true educator, chose to lead at an HBCU where he could make a real difference in the academic worlds of young people who yearned for better lives. Dr. Harvey, the businessman, put his acumen to work placing Hampton on the fast track for growth and development as a world-class university.
Dr. and Mrs. Harvey continue to support Hampton University’s institutional vision and mission by ensuring high quality faculty and staff continue to thrive, to build character, and to help prepare promising students for successful futures. Hampton University truly thanks Dr. and Mrs. Harvey for their kindness, their faithful support, and their selfless generosity.
