{"id":6932,"date":"2021-09-24T06:30:26","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T11:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=6932"},"modified":"2021-09-24T06:30:26","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T11:30:26","slug":"making-a-difference-thomas-harris-a-driving-force-for-uwl-area-social-justice","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/making-a-difference-thomas-harris-a-driving-force-for-uwl-area-social-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a difference: Thomas Harris a driving force for UWL, area social justice"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Photo
Thomas Harris, who graduated with a master\u2019s in college student personnel in \u201901, has received the 2021 Academic Staff Excellence Award that recognizes excellence in performance and service. Among his service on campus was a stint as hall director in Wentz Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When\u00a0Thomas Harris<\/a>\u00a0was graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree, three of his UW-Stevens Point mentors told him he had what it takes to make a difference among college students.<\/p>\n

Harris drove to La Crosse in August 1988 to discover how to do that through UWL\u2019s college student personnel master\u2019s program. He started classes that fall \u2014 the beginning of a 30-year UWL career that allowed him to mentor thousands of students and impact a community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stayed because the longer I remained connected with the off-campus community, the more opportunities, options, and assistance I was able to engage, offer, and provide for UWL students, faculty, staff, and individuals and organizations across the region,\u201d explains Harris.<\/p>\n

He credits nearly a dozen supervisors in Residence Life and Multicultural Student Services \u2014 the two office areas in which he has worked on campus \u2014 for his UWL longevity and career growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most valuable part of my UWL experience has been my supervisors trusting me, my abilities and my decision-making,\u201d he says. \u201cThrough these relationships and experiences, I have learned many lessons, especially from the students I have encountered and interacted with over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris says working with community and regional events and initiatives linked to equity, access, inclusion and social justice compelled him to stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn more recent years, my community activism role has been to build genuine relationships across racial and power structural lines, especially with open-minded white folks willing to recognize that they have the power, privilege, and capability to act to create positive equity improvements when it comes to interactions and partnerships with people of color and Indigenous people,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Harris specifically points to those who came with an open mind and used their privilege to make change benefitting everyone, not only the white majority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis critical shortcoming in the La Crosse area has provided me an opportunity, as a Black man, to play a unique role to welcome white individuals at every level to learn, reimagine and participate intentionally cross culturally,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s seen efforts among many area white leaders change how they address equity, access, inclusion and social justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new trend is that other area organizations are creating new positions and offices at the top of the hierarchal ladder to coordinate, assess, and collaborate equity, access, inclusion, and social justice efforts,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

UWL colleagues credit Harris for his many efforts to lead change on campus and in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am impressed by Thomas\u2019s commitment, diligence and focus on making the campus and community a more welcoming environment for students, faculty and staff of color,\u201d says\u00a0Antoiwana Williams, director of Multicultural Student Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With more than 20 local organizations now promoting equity, access, inclusion and social justice, Harris shares pride in achieving success. But, he knows those efforts must continue through collaboration, commitment and intentionality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Thomas Harris, assistant director in the UWL Office of Multicultural Student Services, is the recipient of the 2021 Academic Staff Excellence Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Thomas Harris file<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Assistant director in the UWL Office of Multicultural Student Services since 2003; assistant coordinator in the Housing Office, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2002-03; various positions in OMSS, Admissions, and Residence Life offices, UWL, 1988-2001.<\/li>\n
  • Recipient of La Crosse Area Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, 2009; CouleeCap People Helping People Award for La Crosse County, 2010.<\/li>\n
  • Recipient of UWL Rada Distinguished Alumni Award, 2012; UWL Parker Multicultural Alumni Award, 2018.<\/li>\n
  • UWL residence hall students establish the Thomas Harris Student Involvement Award Scholarship to annually recognize outstanding student dedication and commitment to Residence Life excellence, 2001.<\/li>\n
  • WURHA Advisor of the Year Award was renamed by UW System student leaders the \u201cThomas Harris Advisor of the Year Award,\u201d 2000.<\/li>\n
  • Bachelor\u2019s in political science\/public administration and policy analysis, UW-Stevens Point, 1988; master\u2019s in college student personnel, UWL, 2001.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When\u00a0Thomas Harris\u00a0was graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree, three of his UW-Stevens Point mentors told him he had what it takes to make a difference among college students. Harris drove to La Crosse in August 1988 to discover how to do that through UWL\u2019s college student personnel master\u2019s program. He started classes that fall \u2014 the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":6935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[104,95],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-6932","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-la-crosse","institution-uw-stevens-point"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/6932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=6932"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=6932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}