Virginia HBCU Hampton University is a vaccinated island in a sea of COVID

As it marks its return to in-person classes, Hampton University, a prominent historically black college known colloquially as “Home by the Sea,” is setting an example of how to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.

Video Transcript

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WILLIAM R. HARVEY: This is my 44th year as President. And it's been a wonderful journey.

I want them to do well. I'm so happy that they are back. I'm glad to see them. But the fact is that we're not going to change our stance on anything. You know, first-rate academics and the development of character. We want people to be safe as we fight this pandemic. And it is not over.

Hampton has always had a first class reputation. It had fallen some. The grandson of the founder and the former chairman of the board who is on the board had indicated that we should become a prep school. That we should no longer serve as a college. We had fallen.

And one of the things that I endeavor to do with the help of my team. And my team not only included the people here on campus, but those in the alumni, the board, friends, and others. And we were able to do just so many things. We have introduced some 92 new degree granting programs, including 12 doctoral programs. We have done so many other kinds of things as well.

When I came, the finances were in pretty bad shape. We hadn't balanced our budget in two decades. Well, we've balanced it every year since we've been here. The endowment was at $29 million. You know, it's at about $390 million now. Every time I talk, it goes up. And I'm glad. I'm glad. But the fact is the team here, the faculty, staff, the students, the alumni, the board, friends of this University, it's just been a tremendous journey.

We'll say that Hampton is one of the best modest sized universities in the entire country. We take pride in our students. We take pride in what we espouse here. For example, when our founder General Samuel Chapman Armstrong came here, he said that there were two things he wanted his institution to prioritize. One was a top flight academic program. Today, that would be called workforce development. And two, he said the development of character.

Then the very next sentence he said, and of the two, the development of character is more important. As a 12th president, I'll use his playbook. We get it from all over the country and we let them understand how important it is to be of good character and of high academics. Everybody has to be inoculated.

Now, we do give appeals to those for either religious or medical exemptions. Now, that's not automatic. They can appeal and it goes before a committee. And the fact is, the committee has accepted probably around 15% of those. So it's not just an automatic kind of thing.

But again, the overall objective, health and safety. Do what's right and best as it relates to that. And we're not going to change that. And we don't care if people don't like it. Guess what? If you don't want to do it, go somewhere else.

One of the things we did with some of the relief money that we got was to cancel all student debt from last semester. So we try to look out for everybody. And we're going to continue to do that.

What we want is opportunity. That's the kind of thing that Dr. Martin Luther King and other people during the Civil Rights Movement talked about. Not give me anything. Give me opportunity. That's what Hampton does. Give me an opportunity and we're going to excel.

I am a political independent. I'm not Democrat. And I'm not a Republican. When I was nine-years-old, my daddy who was a building contractor and a civil rights leader back in Alabama and Florida said that there are good people and there are scoundrels in both parties.

I've been in the company of every single president since Jimmy Carter. If they ask me a question, I give them a straightforward answer. I'm always very respectful, but I don't just tell them what they think that they want to hear. You know, there's no sense in me talking if I'm not going to give them my perspective.

And that's what I have done. We have reached out to people who were Democrats and Republicans. Six presidents have given me assignments. The fact is, I believe in service. I said early, I have been given the power to serve. And that's what I have done as an independent. And I'm going to always do that with my vote, with my influence, and with my money.

So I'm going to be here. My wife and I are building a home in Hampton. And I will always help Hampton. You know, you young folk don't know what a Rolodex is but my Rolodex is large with foundation, corporations, individuals, federal government people, Democrat and Republican. I'm going to always help Hampton.

I'm not going to interfere with the next president no matter whomever he or she may be, but I'm going to help Hampton always with my resources and with my contacts and with the like, you know? So that's what I intend to do. I'm going to write, be around. I'm a people person. At some point we're going to be able to operate without the masks and give the old Hampton hug, you know? That's what Hampton is famous for. And that's what we're going to get back to.

That's the way we do things here. We've just had such a remarkable journey. I figure that I am so blessed. I tell people I'm one of the most blessed persons in the entire world.