Dr. Todd Harris named Vice President for Student Affairs
Morehead State University has appointed an accomplished and dedicated advocate for students, bringing extensive student affairs experience in both private and public higher education, to assume a key leadership role on campus.
Dr. Todd Harris will serve as MSU’s new vice president for student affairs beginning Feb. 2. He most recently served as vice president for student life and dean of students at Hilbert College in Hamburg, New York.
Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Harris earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication with a concentration in public relations and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counseling with a concentration in college student development, both from North Carolina State University. He later earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Harris began his career in student affairs at Georgetown University, where he served as the associate director of residence life from 1998 to 2005, a role he said was particularly beneficial to him as his first job.
“Getting into housing and residence life...that’s really where you cut your teeth in student affairs work,” he said. “The housing folks do a little bit of everything.”
He would go on to serve as associate dean of students and director of residence life at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois (2005-10), director of housing, American campus communities at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Georgia (2010-12) and senior associate dean of students at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina (2012-24) before taking on his current role at Hilbert College.
“Dr. Harris offers a wealth of experience at a variety of levels in higher education settings,” said Dr. Jay Morgan, MSU president. “His professional expertise and steadfast dedication to enhancing the student experience will undoubtedly contribute to the continued strengthening of the University.”
Harris said working at both private and public colleges and universities has been great for his development as a student affairs leader.
“When you get a chance to work at several types of institutions, you learn many different ways of operating,” he said. “I have been positively influenced by several leaders in my career that will shape how I work with my staff and students.”
Outside of his leadership responsibilities, Harris said one of the most fulfilling parts of his roles in student affairs is attending various campus events and seeing student interactions and their faces as they are experiencing “memory-making moments.”
“I get a lot of joy and a lot of happiness from attending games, performances and events...they want to be supported,” Harris said. “Some jobs are life-giving, and some jobs are life-depleting, and this job is very life-giving.”
Harris said a few aspects that interested him in becoming vice president for student affairs at MSU were the University’s size, regional focus and how closely the position works with both MSU Athletics and the Office of Enrollment Services. He also said highlights from MSU’s recent Homecoming celebration highlighted the vibrancy of campus life.
“It was a place where it’s large enough to offer students a lot...at the same time, it’s still grounded to the community and in service to the region,” Harris said. “Some schools don’t have a strong sense of pride, but if you can find who you are as a university and can be the very best you can be at it, it can be a strong point of pride.”
Harris said that, as he is coming to a campus that is growing with the construction of new residence halls and academic facilities, he is looking forward to building relationships with faculty, staff, and particularly students. He knows college can be among the most formative and impactful years, and he is intent on creating a campus culture that allows Eagles to excel.
“The heart of what we do better be about the growth and joy and development of our students,” Harris said. “The experience of students growing and becoming something that they weren’t yesterday, that excites me.”
To learn more about MSU’s Division of Student Affairs, contact Dr. Harris at 606-783-2070.
