Hampton University President Dr. William R. Harvey Writes Chapter for Prestigious Higher Ed Leadership Book

Hampton University President Dr. William R. Harvey has written a chapter for a new book published by Johns Hopkins University Press, entitled “Leading Colleges and Universities,” which serves to share how today’s college and university leaders face complex problems in higher education. The book was edited by Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, President Emeritus of George Washington University; E.Gordon Gee, President of West Virginia University, former President of The Ohio State University and Gerald B. Kauvar, special assistant to the President Emeritus at George Washington University.

The book brings together presidents and other leaders in higher education who share real-life examples and stories of how they have dealt with challenges in their institutions and answer questions such as, “What do you need to know about crisis management and legal affairs,” and “How do you manage college athletics, faculty, donors, and a local community?”

“In my 40 years as President of Hampton University, I have seen the highs and the lows,” said Dr. Harvey. “If I can share my experience with other administrators and they prosper and they dream big, then I’m doing something right.”

Dr. Harvey has served 40 years as Hampton University’s President and in his chapter, penned by Dr. Harvey himself, Chapter 14 – “Exercising Institutional Autonomy – Entrepreneurship in Higher Education,” Dr. Harvey delves into the world of budgets and entrepreneurship. Dr. Harvey states, “Because of the pressures to identify new and additional sources of revenue, many institutions have begun to pursue entrepreneurial activities as one of the solutions.” Dr. Harvey utilizes his experience as an entrepreneur and an educator to share with other college administrators how entrepreneurial activities can serve as a new source of funding.

The book also contains other chapters and deals with varied topics such as managing donor relations, shared governance, crisis management, and many others. Each contributor to the book has been an effective president or other significant leader in higher education.

About Dr. William R. Harvey
Dr. William R. Harvey has served as President of Hampton University for 40 years, making him one of the longest-serving presidents of a college or university in America. During his tenure, he has introduced innovations that have solidified Hampton’s stellar position among the nation’s colleges and universities. His extraordinary leadership is reflected in the growth and quality of the University’s student population, academic programs, physical facilities and financial base. During Dr. Harvey’s 40 years of visionary leadership 92 new programs have been introduced, 28 new structures dot the landscape of the campus surrounded three sides by water and the university’s endowment has grown 866% from $29 million to $280 million and growing. Dr. Harvey has transformed Hampton University into a world-class leader in higher education. He has received appointments to national boards by six presidents of the United States and led important community and educational initiatives in Virginia.

Hampton University has built the first proton therapy cancer treatment center in the Commonwealth of Virginia — an unparalleled hub for cancer treatment, research and technology. Hampton University is the first and only HBCU to have 100% control of a NASA mission and Hampton has four satellites / instruments currently in orbit.

An astute businessman, Dr. Harvey has applied his business acumen to the needs of Hampton University. In the process, he established student scholarships, created jobs, provided services, and increased the number of African-American entrepreneurs, while expanding the tax base in the City of Hampton. Dr. Harvey is also the author of several books, his most recent, “The Principles of Leadership: The Harvey Leadership Model,” successfully launched in China in January.

In addition to the distinguished leadership Dr. Harvey has provided to Hampton University, he is the sole owner of the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company of Houghton, Michigan. Dr. Harvey and his wife Norma have three children and three grandchildren.