Governor John de Jongh is no stranger to island-hopping. After all, he’s in charge of a territory that includes three main islands that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands — St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. But last weekend he traveled over 1,000 miles to visit this Island, and attend an event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University of the Virgin Islands.

The event, held at the home of Gus and Maria Rimpel in Vineyard Haven, hosted more than 70 potential university donors. University president Dr. David Hall, a former Boston area resident and frequent Vineyard visitor, also flew in for two days to attend the event.

Though visiting for strictly business purposes, Mr. de Jongh and Mr. Hall, took time to briefly see the Island before flying back to the Virgin Islands.

On Saturday, governor and first lady Cecile de Jongh visited a friend on Chappaquiddick, and enjoyed ice cream at Mad Martha’s. Mrs. de Jongh also insisted on a visit to the Black Dog to pick up some T-shirts.

“One of the things I find very enjoyable on Martha’s Vineyard is the small shops, the local jewelry and handcraft stores . . . I enjoy the window shopping aspect,” Mr. de Jongh said in an interview with the Gazette.

“And the anonymity,” added Mr. Hall. “Except that they’re wondering, why are they walking with two people in front and back?” Mr. de Jongh joked.

He and his wife vacationed in Aquinnah for several years, about a decade ago. “That’s probably an indication of when my last vacation was,” Mr. de Jongh said.

Since his election to governor in 2007, the economic recession and the recent closing of the oil refinery on St. Croix has caused him to turn to the public university to help stimulate the economy. “A lot of what we’re trying to do is piggybacking on the university’s initiatives,” Mr. de Jongh said. “In a tourist economy, entrepreneurship is really what drives commerce.”

The university has adopted an aggressive program to stimulate entrepreneurship, he said. “We are also looking at how we diversify [the economy].” The university recently opened a research and technology facility on St. Croix, which intends to bring e-commerce to the islands.

Saturday’s event aimed to raise awareness about the university’s ongoing initiatives to improve the territory. “The classic [response I get] is that people aren’t aware of it,” Mr. Hall said. “Some of the issues we are grappling with have national and international implications. I think their support will be more forthcoming if they have an understanding of the issues. We are serious about higher education and the role it can play in transforming a nation.”

The university is also working with the public school system to help students become better prepared for college. “We want to encourage students to see college as something that is of interest to them,” Mr. Hall said. Young males of color, specifically, are the target population. The university also wishes to attract more international students.

The two islands do not share the same weather, or water temperature, but the Virgin Islanders say they are tuned into the economic similarities. “There’s the tourism aspect of an offshore community,” said Mr. de Jongh. “We are both dependant on tourism with respect to our economic development.”

But off-season here is the most active economic period there. Cruise ships that frequent the Virgin Islands sail to Europe and Alaska from May to September, creating an off-season for Virgin Islanders. “Whenever it snows [up here], we advertise,” Mr. de Jongh said. Eighty per cent of the territory’s gross domestic product is based in tourism, Mr. de Jongh said. Of the two million tourists that set foot on the island, the majority are cruise ship travelers, mostly natives of the northeastern part of the United States. Though the numbers of tourists has remained stable during the economic recession, because Caribbean tours are generally cheaper than cruises that explore Europe or Alaska, tourists now spend less money once they get to the islands. “They were doing a lot more window shopping,” Mr. de Jongh said. The U.S. Virgin Islands’ economic situation has been worsened by the high cost of utilities; residents pay 45 to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, compared with mainlanders’ nine to 11 cents. “That impacts business as well as [residents’] disposable income,” Mr. de Jongh said.

February’s closing of the oil refinery on St. Croix has eliminated 2,000 well-paying jobs, which represented 12 per cent of the employment on the island. Though he is confident that access to fuel will not be an issue, the governor said the refinery closure will cause fuel prices to rise. The territory has been forced to evaluate new sources of energy at an accelerated pace compared with the mainland U.S., including wind and solar.

In addition to a struggling economy, U.S. Virgin Islands has the highest homicide rate of any other place in the United States on a per capita basis, with an average of 42 homicides per 100,000 residents from 2004 to 2009. In 2010, the homicide rate peaked at 66 homicides, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News. In recent years, police and elected leaders have mounted a concerted effort in the U.S. Virgin Islands and throughout the Caribbean to reduce crime.

The Vineyard event last Saturday was an opportunity to promote the university programs, and it was also an opportunity for former Virgin Islanders living in the area to visit with the governor. People attending included university trustee Carol Fulp, a longtime Vineyard resident, former trustee Juanita Woods and William Delone, board member of the Research and Technology Park. Vineyard Haven resident, poet and human rights activist Rose Styron also attended. A music teacher from St. Thomas played steel drum throughout the evening. The host, Mr. Rimpel, is a former trustee of the university. Mrs. de Jongh gave a speech about early childhood education.

“We must no longer be the best kept secret of the university [world],” Mr. Hall said.