Editorial: New semester, new faces
As college students returned to area campuses this week and the fall semester commenced, it marked the beginning of a new era for higher education in Hampton Roads. Gone are some of the prominent, longtime leaders of our area universities; some of their successors are settling in and taking measure of the landscape.
That makes this a pivotal moment, both for higher education and the future of partnerships that have served this region so well. It is an exciting time, but a reminder of how consequential leadership decisions can be and how much depends on getting them right.
Norfolk State University last week commemorated the life of Marie V. McDemmond, the school’s president from 1997 to 2005, who died in late July. The event highlighted her many firsts, her career accomplishments and the leadership she demonstrated while at the NSU helm.
A resolution honoring McDemmond, passed by the General Assembly this year, noted she was the first African-American woman to lead a four-year public institution in the commonwealth and the first woman president of NSU; that she launched new initiatives for students and greatly expanded the school’s endowment; and celebrated her instrumental role in founding the Research and Innovations to Support Empowerment (RISE) Center, now known as the Marie V. McDemmond Center for Applied Research.
In short, her term was transformational for NSU, emphasizing technology, computer science and research that improves communities. And it has served as a roadmap for future presidents, including current President Javaune Adams-Gaston, who ascended to that post in 2019.
Even with only a few years under her belt, Adams-Gaston is now one of the longest tenured higher education leaders in the region. Virginia Wesleyan University’s Scott Miller has been in his office since 2015 and the College of William & Mary’s Katherine A. Rowe became president in 2018. Old Dominion University President Brian Hemphill is beginning his second year following the retirement of John Broderick, who served for 13 years.
They are joined this year by retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams, who in July succeeded William Harvey as president of Hampton University. Harvey led HU for 44 years before retiring this summer.
At Christopher Newport University, a search committee is working to find a replacement for President Paul Trible, with a recommendation expected to come next year. As Harvey was at HU, Trible was a steady and reliable hand on the tiller during his 26 years in office.
And like Harvey and Broderick, he was a community leader in addition to being a university president. They understood the importance of “town and gown” cooperation and never shied from taking on those responsibilities.
That represents a lot of change in a short amount of time for a region where colleges and universities have the power to shape and support initiatives with broad community impact.
Hampton University worked with the city on redevelopment efforts and Harvey was a visionary leader whose influence extended well beyond campus. Old Dominion’s work on sea-level rise and resilience is pioneering and incredibly vital to the future of Hampton Roads.
Those are just two examples, and they are a tiny sampling of what these institutions can do with visionary leadership and willing public and private partners. They can help drive the economy and shape the region, even as they prepare the leaders of tomorrow and conduct groundbreaking research with the power to change the world.
Hampton Roads is also fortunate to have two exceptional community colleges, Tidewater Community College and the recently renamed Virginia Peninsula Community College (formerly Thomas Nelson). They are instrumental to our region’s economic success — through skills training, partnerships with businesses and degree programs that move students into promising careers.
Together, our colleges and universities make for a stronger, more productive Hampton Roads and benefit the commonwealth in countless ways. Changes at the top might be cause for concern, but so long as schools continue to elevate talented leaders with vision, commitment and drive, their future — and that of the region — look bright.
