WASHINGTON ― In a packed auditorium at the U.S. Department of Education, surrounded by many of those who say they know him as an adviser, fixer, friend, mentor, advocate, colleague, and surrogate, Leonard L. Haynes III, Ph.D., wrapped up nearly three decades of public service in higher education.
Former and present HBCU presidents, senior federal administrators, state government officials, corporate leaders, and even fraternity brothers, including William R. Harvey, Archie M. Griffin, Carrie Billy, Freeman Hrabowski, Ernest McNealey, Helga A. Greenfield, and Isiah Leggett, Ron Mason, and Haywood L. Strickland, were among the more than 100 guests who paid tribute to Haynes, who retired Monday from the Department of Education as senior director of institutional service for the Office of Postsecondary Education.
Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, president emeritus of Morehouse School of Medicine and a former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, emerged as a “surprise guest” on the stage to thank Haynes for his contributions to the Department of Education. He urged Haynes, his former federal government colleague, to continue to “make the future of our young people and the nation brighter.” And in a stirring videotaped message, Norman Francis, the president emeritus of Xavier University, recalled how he’s “watched” over the years as his “friend, colleague and fellow educator” lifted others as he climbed. But like the long list of speakers that day, Francis called Haynes, a graduate of the historically Black Southern University, a champion of HBCUs.
Haynes, a long-serving political appointee, first came to the Department of Education in 1989 when George H.W. Bush tapped him to be assistant secretary for postsecondary education — the first African-American to hold the post. He also directed the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education and was executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In this interview, Haynes reflects on his roots in learned family, his passion for Black colleges and what awaits him after retirement.
Q: Coming from a family of educators and college-educated people, did you have an idea of what you wanted to do for a career when you entered college?
A: Yes. I knew that I wanted to be around a college or university setting. That thought was in my mind as early as the fifth grade. I’ll never forget this; my parents gave me a new notebook to start the school year in Orangeburg, S.C. On the cover of the notebook were the pennants of U.S. colleges and universities. There were no Black colleges among them, but I was fascinated with the cover. I spent time looking up each of the schools and where they were located, and, before long, I was thinking, ‘I want to be a part of this.’ Of course, my Dad and Mom were influential in my decision to go into education. I wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Q: What have been the best aspects of being a public servant?
