William B. Harvey, who previously assisted college administrators with diversity initiatives at the American Council on Education in Washington, is now joining the University as chief diversity officer. Harvey brings with him a notable work ethic and 35 years of experience in teaching, research and administration.
A strong proponent of diversity initiatives in higher education, Harvey said he is looking forward to working with students, faculty and administrators to further efforts already in place to promote diversity and equality, as well as create new programming and initiatives.
Despite the fact that he does not officially begin his work on Grounds until Nov. 1, Harvey already has begun to meet with student leaders and the Board of Visitors. He recommended the recent black ribbon initiative, in which students and faculty wore black ribbons to class and sporting events, as a response to the recent spate of racially-charged incidents and said responding to those incidents will be his initial concern upon commencing work.
Path to the Academy
Harvey, 57, was born in Elizabeth City, N.C., where his father worked as a school teacher. At age 12, his father moved the family to Newark, N.J., because he "desperately" wanted to get the family out of the small segregated community. He attended high school at Neptune High School in Neptune, N.J.
An aspiring journalist, Harvey said he went on to Pennsylvania's West Chester University because the individual who wrote the best-selling college textbook in journalism, Thomason Gary, was a professor there. Harvey received a B.A. in English from West Chester.
At West Chester, Gary would become Harvey's mentor and usher him into his first job as a reporter at the Newark Star Ledger. He was the second African-American reporter hired by the newspaper.
"[I] had a great, great time being a reporter," said Harvey. "Except at the end of the month, I came to realize that when people sent me bills, they actually wanted me to pay them. So I decided that maybe, as much as I had resisted going into education because my father was such a great teacher and I didn't think I could do it nearly as well as he did, I decided that I'd go to graduate school, and that's how I got started on this path" in higher education.
Harvey returned to school and received his master's degree in social and philosophical foundations of education and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Rutgers University.
Learning Through Family, Work and Travel
Currently married, Harvey has two grown daughters, Adia and Amina. His wife works at a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. that prepares underprivileged teenagers for college. Adia is a professor at Hollins University, and Amina runs a clothing store in New York City.
According to Harvey, Brenda, his wife of 34 years, consistently describes him as a "workaholic."
"I've resisted identification with that term, but work is very important to me," he said. "I put a lot of my time and effort into it, and even if I wanted to change my style, I think it's probably too late for that."
Harvey's career in higher education is as long as his marriage -- 35 years and counting.
"Higher education for me is what it's all about," Harvey said.
He has worked in many different parts of the higher education community and has been employed by several different institutions, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, North Carolina State University and the University of Pennsylvania.
His teaching record includes courses in education, anthropology, social welfare and African-American studies.
Harvey currently works for the American Council on Education, the nation's oldest and largest association representing colleges and universities.
Specifically, Harvey provides leadership for institutions through the Council's Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity. CAREE provides advice and assistance to higher-education leaders, including presidents, deans and provosts.
"We try to provide information and advice about how their institutions can become more proactive and more effective in increasing diversity among students, faculty and just trying to introduce a greater degree of multicultural education into the curriculum," Harvey said.
He also has co-authored the American Council on Education's "Twenty-First Annual Status Report on Minorities in Higher Education" and authored a chapter called "Deans as Diversity Leaders" in author Frank Hale's book "What Makes Racial Diversity Work in Higher Education."
"The kind of transitory experiences that I've had, going from one place to another, have at some point also been very good for me, because I've learned from every place that I've been," Harvey said. "Part of the observation there is that travel truly is broadening."
Harvey's travel is not limited to the United States. In between his work, Harvey and his family find time to travel around the world. He said he visits Africa frequently, having visited 15 different African countries.
It is "a way for me to relate to part of my history," he said.
Admirable U.Va.
When asked what attracted him to the chief diversity officer position, Harvey said the recently-released report from the President's Commission on Diversity shown to him by a member of the position's hiring committee, struck him as particularly noteworthy.
"It was one of the most comprehensive and insightful documents that I've seen about a university which is embracing diversity in a way that was forward looking and proactive," he said. "I was really quite impressed by that."
That diversity goes hand in hand with institutional excellence is a philosophy about diversity in higher education that Harvey has repeatedly emphasized.
Diversity, Harvey said, is important for all institutions that aim to be on the forefront in all disciplines.
"When you talk about the kind of changes that have taken place in society -- social, economic and political changes, and even transcend that and talk about the significance of the global village -- then you recognize that, in the 21st century, the interplay of different groups of people is an absolutely fundamental aspect of intellectual leadership," he said.
Harvey already has begun to meet with student leaders and the Board of Visitors. He said he hoped to officially start his work at the University earlier than Nov. 1 but must attend to professional obligations at his current position in Washington.
Harvey said the biggest challenge he will face in coming to the University is gaining a concrete understanding of the University's unique culture.
"The thing for me, as I come here, will be to be careful about not presuming that because I've had experiences in other places that those experiences necessarily will transfer, in an effective way, to the circumstances that are here," he said. "So I need to do a lot of looking and listening and learning."
Harvey said he expects his position to be a horizontal one in which he will complement and coordinate with administrators, students and collaborative efforts already in place.
"My responsibility cuts across a number of areas," he said. "And what you want to do is work with the people who have vertical responsibility in those areas to think about ways in which you can help support them and help move the diversity agenda forward."
Although Harvey explained there is no concrete agenda in place to tackle upon his arrival, he added that he plans to communicate with the University community, as well as parents, alumni, and other external University constituencies, in order to build on progress that has already been made.
"My role is to complement and coordinate," Harvey said. "My observations will be to look at what they do and then to get together with them and offer some ideas and suggestions and ways that I can complement and supplement the kinds of activities that they're engaged in."
Among his focuses at the University will be the recruitment of more faculty members and students from underrepresented groups, he said.
Recent Incidents of Bigotry
Harvey said his initial concern when he starts at the University will be responding to community concerns about the recent incidents involving bigoted messages targeted at students.
Although he does not officially start his position at the University until Nov. 1, Harvey already has begun to contribute to University efforts.
He suggested the black ribbon initiative, started by President John T. Casteen, III and the Board during Homecomings weekend, as a way for the community to express solidarity.
"It is a way for somebody who is not likely to be affected by that particular malady to demonstrate that you have some knowledge of and some concern about and some empathy for folks who do go through that," he said. "Just to give people a chance to visibly demonstrate to other members of the community and outside that those kinds of activities are not the kinds of things that most folks here at U.Va. are supporting."
Harvey said the recent incidents in which students from a variety of backgrounds have been made the targets of prejudice do not surprise him because they are not new or unique to the University.
"It's unfortunate, but it's not surprising that some of the same circumstances are happening here and in other places around the country right now, because there is a resistance to change, particularly by people who feel that they will be compromised by that change because they have a very decent set of circumstances in terms of maintaining the status quo," he said.
In order to resolve these issues, the University, as well as students, must pay attention to, identify and put in place some practices to address growing concerns and make it clear they will not be tolerated, Harvey said.
"I think it is important for students now to know that these same circumstances have occurred," he said. "What I would hope they would take out of that is a commitment to trying to apply their own talent and skills and abilities to make sure, as much as they can do that, that the next generation of students doesn't have to go through this again."
According to Harvey, progress in tolerating diversity is possible despite the transient culture of a university. If students can learn and meet implicit expectations, such as going to class and getting good grades, they can also learn to absorb University values of diversity and acceptance.
"They're communicated formally through information that they get from the institution," he said. "They're communicated informally by information they get from other students. So as you begin to make it clear that there are certain kinds of things that are important and valued and certain kinds of activities and behaviors that are not appropriate and won't be tolerated, I think over a period of time, even with the transient population, those understandings will take place."
Informal education, such as theatrical events, musical events and guest speakers, is a fundamental part of the college experience. Students should be encouraged to seek out interactions and conversations with students that they haven't had a chanced to be involved with, Harvey said.
"What we're talking about, I think in some ways, is what I like to think of as textured American culture," he said. "There are lots of different threads in there, and unless the threads get kind of woven together, folks don't have an opportunity to understand the richness of it."
Parting Words
At the close of this interview, Harvey said abolitionist Frederick Douglas is his hero and that he believes in Frederick Douglas' words: "If there is no struggle, there is no progress."
Douglas was not only talking about the condition of African Americans during his lifetime, Harvey said, but to the human condition.
"This is a world where we are going to constantly be confronted by circumstances that are not the way you want them to be, but you know, the perspective is rather than bemoan that or be paralyzed by it, you get energized by that, and you go in and try to make some changes," he said.
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