SIX COLLEGE PRESIDENTS AND COUNTING . . .
With the September 27 announcement of Dianne Boardley Suber's election as president of St. Augustine's College, she becomes the first woman to lead the 132-year-old college in Raleigh, N.C. Suber is vice president for Administrative Services at Hampton University in Hampton, Va. Both are historically black institutions.
Suber's gender is only part of this story. In acknowledging those who have supported her, she added that her elevation to a college presidency happened because she "had the privilege to be a student of Dr. William Harvey, who has provided me with the experience and the model to prepare me for the leadership of St. Augustine College."
Harvey, president of Hampton, has heard such grateful praise before. In fact, Suber is the sixth administrator under Harvey's leadership to advance to the presidency of a college or university in the last decade. No other historically black college or university (HBCU) can make this claim.
Suber joins former Hampton colleagues Oscar Prater, named president of Fort Valley State University in 1990; Harold Wade, named president of Atlanta Metropolitan College in 1994; Carlton Brown named president of Savannah State University in 1997; Elnora Daniel, named president of Chicago State University in 1998 and Warren Buck, named president of the University of Washington-Bothell in 1999. All are HBCUs.
The "model" Suber referred to is the Model for Academic Administrative Success, which guides all Hampton University administrators, who tend to call it "the Harvey Model." No weighty tome or handbook contains the details of this model. Rather it is the example set by Harvey and the principles that define his leadership philosophy: vision, academic excellence, team building, innovation, good management, fiscal conservatism and results orientation.
Upon assuming the presidency of Hampton in 1978, Harvey faced the daunting economic and academic challenges found at many HBCUs today. But his positive vision, a focus on excellence and a commitment to quality soon permeated life at Hampton. During Harvey's tenure the university's endowment has grown from $29 million to $160 million, and mean SAT scores have risen from 700 to 1,010. And recently, Harvey announced a $200 million dollar capital campaign ñ the largest declared goal for any HBCU.
Now with the announcement of Dianne Boardley Suber's college presidency, Harvey has actively mentored a half dozen Hampton administrators who are now working on their own HBCU turn-around stories. And he expects this trend to continue into the 21st century.
President Harvey would be happy to speak with you about the Model for Academic Administrative Success at Hampton University. He can also put you in touch with the six Hampton administrators who are now HBCU presidents. Harvey can be most easily reached through Vickie Jones in the campus news office at 757-727-5253.
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