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James
T. Harris III Transformed Widener into a National Leader in Civic Engagement
Chester, Pa.—Widener University
President James T. Harris III, who transformed Widener into one of the
nation’s leading universities for civic engagement in his 13 years as
president, announced to the Board of Trustees on Thursday that he is
resigning his post at the end of July to become president of the University
of San Diego effective August 1.
Harris, who became the ninth
president of Widener in July 2002, took a respected regional university and
transformed it into a national leader, recognized by the Carnegie Foundation,
Washington Monthly, Newsweek/The Daily Beast, and the President’s
Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for helping to strengthen the
communities it serves through community service, economic development,
service learning, and unique education partnerships.
“It has been my honor and
privilege to work with Dr. Harris for the past 13 years as a member of the
Widener Board of Trustees and as a proud alumnus of this institution,” said
John Tilelli, chair of the Widener Board of Trustees, who communicated
Harris’s resignation to the university community earlier today. “During that
time, I have witnessed the transformation of Widener in terms of its academic
profile, reputation, student leadership, physical campus, and relationship to
the community. Dr. Harris’ leadership has also attracted a whole tier
of exceptionally dedicated faculty and administrators who want to be part of
the inclusive transformation he has ignited at Widener.”
During his tenure as president,
Dr. Harris put the university on firm financial footing despite the worst
economic downturn since the Great Depression. He tripled the endowment to $90
million and launched the largest fundraising campaign in university history, Taking
the Lead ~ The Campaign for Widener, which has raised $62 million to
date. This solid financial foundation allowed the university to invest more
than $222 million in capital improvements on its four campuses, and more than
doubled financial aid to students, helping to attract the largest and most
diverse undergraduate population ever at Widener.
Under Dr. Harris’ leadership, the
academic profile of incoming students rose to record highs. Widener also
introduced new doctoral programs in social work, human sexuality, and
nursing, and expanded offerings of graduate and undergraduate programs in
cutting-edge majors, such as biomedical engineering and informatics. Widener
opened a campus in Exton, Pa. to house the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
and created a greater global presence through partnerships with Chongqing
Technology and Business University in China and Dongseo University in South
Korea.
With leadership development as a
goal of the strategic plan, Dr. Harris established the Oskin Leadership
Institute with a $5 million gift, the largest in Widener’s history, from
David (PMC ’64) and JoEllen Oskin and their late son, David Jr. The institute
aims to inspire students to be strategic leaders and responsible citizens who
possess the character, courage, and competencies to affect positive change
throughout the world. The university also launched the High School Leadership
Awards, recognizing burgeoning leaders
from high schools in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Inspired by Dr. Harris’ vision,
the university community embraced civic engagement as a cornerstone of its
mission, vision, and strategic plan. Dr. Harris was the driving force behind
the establishment of the Widener Partnership Charter School, the state’s
first university-based charter school. Today, the K–8 charter school has an
enrollment waiting list and a strong, holistic curriculum that includes arts,
music, foreign language, and a consistent message that the children know by
heart: “I can change the world.”
In order to coordinate service
work and maximize the impact of their presence in Chester, Dr. Harris
convened the presidents of Swarthmore, Neumann, Cheyney, Penn State
Brandywine, and Delaware County Community College to form the Chester Higher
Education Council. This group established the College Access Center of
Delaware County in a Widener-owned building to help increase the numbers of
college-bound students in southeastern Delaware County.
President Harris collaborated with
hospital and investment-fund partners to create University Crossings, a $50
million retail and housing development on Providence Avenue in Chester that
houses a bank, police substation, convenience store, loft apartments and
Chester’s only new hotel in the past 35 years. The Widener University Small
Business Development Center, founded under Dr. Harris’ presidency, has helped
grow a number of small businesses, including Phatso’s Bakery and Cheryl’s
Southern Style Cooking.
Under Dr. Harris’ tenure, the
university has also created or became involved in nationally recognized and
award-winning community outreach programs such as the Chester Community
Physical Therapy Clinic, which has served as a model for similar clinics at
other universities throughout the nation; and the Wills for Heroes
initiative, a national program which provides free wills and estate planning
for first responders, which won the Delaware Governor’s Award.
National recognition for Widener’s
civic engagement efforts includes being ranked by Washington Monthly
and Newsweek/Daily Beast on their lists of the most service-oriented
schools in the U.S., named by preLaw magazine among the Best Law Schools for Public Interest,
and being named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor
Roll six consecutive years including being named a President’s Award finalist
in 2013.
“This decision to leave Widener
has not been easy,” Harris said. “I love Widener, and I have been honored to
work side by side with such capable and dedicated colleagues on the faculty
and staff. Their passion for education, their dedication to students, and
commitment to the mission and vision of Widener has been an inspiration to me
and to the thousands of Widener students who have passed through our doors. I
have particularly enjoyed my annual alternative spring break trips with
students to developing nations and the opportunity to see them develop their
global citizenship skills. Widener is facing a strong, stable future with its
own core of accomplished, capable leaders, who will see that the university
stays on course and continues to make progress,” Harris continued.
The Board of Trustees will launch
a nationwide search for a new president to implement Widener’s newly minted
strategic plan, Vision 2021, and lead university into its third century. “We
will seek the input of faculty and staff as part of this process to help
ensure that we find the best fit for Widener, to maintain the university’s
forward trajectory and strengthen the mission and vision that has elevated it
to national prominence,” Tilelli said.
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