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Livingstone College President Anthony J. Davis outlines HOPE program to support students aging out of foster care
Summary
In a BronxNet interview, Livingstone College president Dr. Anthony J. Davis described HOPE — a campus program offering year‑round housing, meals and last‑dollar scholarships for students who age out of foster care — and detailed enrollment gains, fundraising totals and a proposed $268 million campus revitalization.
Dr. Anthony J. Davis, the 13th president of Livingstone College, told BronxNet’s Social Justice Forum that he launched HOPE — an initiative for students who age out of foster care — after drawing on his own experience as a ward of the state.
“HOPE stands for healing, opportunity, preparation, and empowerment,” Davis said, explaining that the program provides 365‑day housing, daily meals and last‑dollar scholarships so eligible students can “graduate from college debt free.” He described HOPE as a response to what he called “horrible statistics” for youth who leave foster care without sustained supports.
Davis framed the program as part of a broader strategy to improve outcomes at the private historically Black college in Concord. He said Livingstone’s incoming freshman class grew from 221 to 441 students since he became president and that total enrollment rose from 713 to 1,026 — changes he calculates as a 100% increase in freshmen and a 43.5% increase in overall enrollment. He also said the average incoming freshman GPA increased from 2.4 to 3.26.
On fundraising, Davis said Livingstone raised about $60 million during his early tenure and that total has grown to $83 million since his kidney transplant. He said the college secured $7.2 million from Bank of America in state and federal tax credits and indicated Livingstone was the only HBCU in North Carolina to use that particular financing approach.
Davis also previewed a planned capital revitalization effort he said will be announced in coming months: “We will be announcing one of the most transformative capital revitalization projects known in the HBCU space,” he said, estimating a $268,000,000 investment that would add revenue‑generating enterprises to reduce reliance on tuition and fees.
The president placed his work in historical context, telling listeners that HBCUs “do more with less” and stressing outcomes for Black and Hispanic students. He cited a College Board finding — as he described it — that African American and Hispanic students who attend HBCUs are “12 percentage points more likely to graduate with their degree.”
Davis identified specific services and partnerships tied to HOPE: year‑round campus housing, regular meals, last‑dollar scholarships and programs for McKinney‑Vento students (those experiencing homelessness). He named a partnership with Capital Prep Harlem and said seven students are attending Livingstone on presidential scholarships.
Contact information: Davis gave the college website, www.livingstone.edu, and an email address, president13@livingstone.edu, for listeners seeking more information. Host Darren Jaime closed the program by directing viewers to bronxnet.org for a recap and to the station’s social channels.
Why it matters: Many colleges and nonprofits are seeking ways to reduce barriers for students who lack family housing or financial support; Davis presented HOPE as a campus‑based, wraparound model that combines housing, meals and scholarship aid with recruitment and retention efforts. He framed the planned capital project as an effort to create sustainable revenue streams for the institution.
What this report does and does not show: The figures and program details above are claims and program descriptions made by Dr. Davis on the program. The article reports those statements as attributed quotes and paraphrases; it does not independently verify enrollment counts, fundraising totals, tax‑credit transactions or the $268 million project.
