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2018 SESSION


SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 54
Commending Dr. William R. Harvey.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, March 7, 2018

 

WHEREAS, Dr. William R. Harvey has served with distinction for 40 years as the 12th President of Hampton University, creating a monumental legacy as one of the longest-sitting presidents of a college or university in the country; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harvey has set high standards for student achievement and unwaveringly guided Hampton University as THE Standard of Excellence; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harvey initiated 92 new degree programs, including seven new doctoral programs; increased enrollment from 2,700 students to a high of more than 6,300 students; and established the Atmospheric Science Center, which launches weather satellites and currently has four in orbit, the latest of which was a $140 million launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harvey helped Hampton University earn national recognition perennially from the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and HBCU Digest as one of the top universities in the country, the top university in the Hampton Roads region, and a top historically black college/university; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harvey has increased Hampton University’s endowment from $29 million to over $280 million dollars as well as balanced the university’s budget for 40 years; and

WHEREAS, under Dr. Harvey’s leadership, Hampton University has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for capital projects, completed major renovations of campus buildings, and completed 28 new buildings and facilities; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harvey’s vision of leaving this world better than he found it led him to invest $225 million to establish the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, the world’s largest proton therapy cancer treatment center, which is easing human misery and saving lives; and

WHEREAS, during Dr. Harvey’s presidency, the Hampton University Pirates athletic programs have been recognized for excellence on and off the field for academic performance, victories and championships in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament appearances; and

WHEREAS, 17 former Hampton University administrators who served under Dr. Harvey’s leadership have become college and university presidents or executives in other organizations; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his duties as president of Hampton University, Dr. Harvey is 100 percent owner of a Pepsi Bottling Company in Houghton, Michigan, has been appointed by seven United States presidents to serve on national boards, and has served on 19 corporate and nonprofit boards; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harvey has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Thurgood Marshall Educational Leadership Award; the Attorney Charles Hamilton Houston Perseverance in Higher Education Leadership and Economic Development Award; the Daily Press Citizen of the Year Award; the PepsiCo Harvey C. Russell Award; the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Citizen Award; the Harvard Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa Distinguished Service Award; and the American Biographical Institute Man of the Year Award; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harvey has been awarded 11 honorary doctorates from institutions of higher education, including Howard University, Tuskegee University, Talladega College, and Salisbury State University, and he was granted a Key to the City by Berkeley, California; San Antonio, Texas; Tuskegee, Alabama; and Birmingham, Alabama; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harvey holds degrees from Harvard University, Virginia State University, and Talladega College; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Dr. William R. Harvey hereby be commended for his 40 years of visionary leadership as president of Hampton University; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dr. William R. Harvey as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s admiration for his commitment to academic excellence and service to the Hampton community.