Hampton University President Donates Additional Gift to Staff

Hampton, Va. – Hampton University President Dr. William R. Harvey and Mrs. Norma B. Harvey, have given a $166,000 personal gift to HU to support a wage increase to all full-time permanent HU staff earning less than $8 an hour. Through this donation, 118 full-time, permanent HU staff employees will receive a wage increase equal to $8 an hour. This increase takes effect July 1.

This contribution follows the recent gift of $1 million to HU by the Harveys (May 2011).  In July 2006, President and Mrs. Harvey made a similar donation of $45,000 to the University in support of a five percent increase to staff earning less than $7 an hour.

In total, the Harveys have gifted more than $2.2 million to the University over the past ten years.

“Norma and I have made another gift to increase the wages of hourly support staff to $8 an hour. While everyone at Hampton already receives more than the minimum wage, we wanted to show our gratitude to those staff members who serve the campus behind the scenes. These dedicated employees serve our faculty, administration and students and warrant our recognition,” said President Harvey.

From HU Press Release; Alison Phillips@757.727.5754 or email alison.phillips@hamptonu.edu 

S.C. State football to face Arizona in 2012

Orangeburg, S.C. - "Orangeburg Heat" has prepared many a South Carolina State football player over the years for competing in scorching conditions early in the season.

This season, the Bulldogs will head to Daytona Beach, Fla. for a Sept. 10 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown against Bethune-Cookman. In 2012, another Wildcats' team which competes in a city which averages 94 degrees in the month of September will test their mettle.

On Tuesday, athletics director Charlene Johnson and head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough confirmed S.C. State will travel west to Tucson, Arizona for a Sept. 15, 2012 contest against the University of Arizona. The game's date could change given the revamped Pac-12, according to Arizona athletics director Greg Byrne.

The game is historic for both programs...



READ MORE

Banks’ time at Southern University arrives

Baton Rouge, LA - A decade ago, when Southern University was looking for a new men’s basketball coach, Roman Banks hoped to prove he was the right man for the job. An assistant to Tommy Green for five seasons, Banks served as interim head coach while SU looked for Green’s replacement. But he didn’t get the full-time gig. That, instead, went to Ben Jobe for the second time.

Banks — whose father (Cleophus Banks), brother (Carlos Sample) and godfather (Bob Love) all played at SU — later conceded he was stung by the snub. “We would tell him: In spite of politics, in spite of all the personal agendas, your time will come at Southern,” Cleophus Banks said. “Just wait and be patient.”

A decade later, Banks finally has the job. But here’s the thing: The Southern job is a whole lot tougher than it was in 2001. The Jaguars are short on firepower. In losing three seniors, they lost 50 percent of last year’s scoring and 36 percent of last year’s rebounds.



READ MORE

Lewis: I'd pick Grambling again

Wide Receiver Frank Lewis NFL career span 13 season
397 receptions, 6,724 yards, 40 TDs  and 2 Super Bowl
Championships with the Pittsburg Steelers, who drafted
Lewis in the 1971 NFL Draft, 1st Round, Pick 8.

NFL great to join other inductees into Grambling Legends Hall

Houma, LA - Frank Lewis was as quiet as he was deadly proficient in the game of football. And, in many ways, the Houma native remains just that unassuming. Until you get him to talking about his college alma mater.

"There's something about Grambling," he said. "It's a small school in a secluded area. But if I had to choose again — even as big as things are in today's world of college football — I'd still go to Grambling. I'd want that same experience. It's unforgettable. I don't think you could trade that for anything."

That passion, which led to a league championship at Grambling and then a pair of Super Bowl titles in the pros, will be recognized Saturday when Lewis joins the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame. The class also includes former Super Bowl winner Everson Walls, former NBA champion Larry Wright, former Pro Bowl MVP James "Shack" Harris and College Football Hall of Fame coach Douglas Porter, among others. Ceremonies will be held...



READ MORE

Saint Augustine's College stadium plan renews old spat

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The yard lines are painted, the goal posts are up, and a video scoreboard stands ready to flash the first Falcons touchdown. But one thing is missing from the new sports complex at Saint Augustine's College, and it's not referees, offensive linemen or a drum line. The stadium has no bleachers.

Saint Augustine's finished work this spring on a turf field and nine-lane track, marking progress on the long-awaited George Williams Athletic Complex. But the school put off installing bleachers while it worked to resolve conflicts with neighbors aghast at the prospect of noisy crowds and game-day traffic.



At issue is the seating capacity for the stadium, nestled in a quiet residential area off Oakwood Avenue. In 2004, after several rounds of talks between neighbors and school leaders, the City Council approved a 2,500-seat stadium under a compromise brokered by Mayor Charles Meeker. But the school never acted on the plan. Now, college officials are convinced they need more seats to attract recruits and compete for upper-tier NCAA track competitions.

"At 5,000 seats, we will be one of the smallest stadiums of any institution we play," President Dianne Boardley Suber told a group of concerned neighbors last week. "I don't expect this to be an easy decision for you. ... There is nothing in our history to suggest we're going to be anything other than good neighbors."



The George Williams Athletic Complex is a special tribute to the contributions of distinguished alumnus and Athletic Director George "Pup" Williams. Coach Williams has earned thirty-one (31) NCAA Division II Track Championships, produced nine Olympians including 2008 Bronze medalist Bershawn Jackson, and served as head coach of the 2004 gold medal-winning United States Olympic Men's Track and Field Team.

READ MORE

Wright to join Grambling State University 'Legends'

Monroe, LA - Larry Wright, the product of a single-parent home in the poorest part of southside Monroe, never let his humble beginnings slow him down. He'd help teams win basketball championships in high school and college — then titles in the NBA and overseas.

That fiery determination will be recognized with Wright's induction July 16 as part of the third class of the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame.

"The best small guard we've ever had, pound for pound the best guard," Wright's coach, the late Frederick C. Hobdy, once said. "A great jumper, he gets an 'A' in every category."

Wright was a two-time Parade All-American at Richwood, where he won a Louisiana state Class 3A title in 1972 as a junior under...

READ MORE

Harris: Tough road ahead for the ECSU Vikings

Elizabeth City, N.C. - Less than a month away from the start of football practice and seven weeks until Elizabeth City State kicks off the season and the Vikings’ path to the CIAA championship game and playoffs is finally set. And what a tough road it is.

After getting a waiver from the NCAA to open the season a week early, ECSU now opens at Delta State, last year’s NCAA Division II runner-up. To be honest, this has loss written all over it.

Delta State has been one of the most consistent programs in the nation and a routine participant in the postseason. ECSU is traveling a long way to play in hostile territory. Not something the team cannot overcome, but a tremendous challenge — one I am sure the team and coaching staff are ready for.

The key to this game is....

READ MORE