Dorian Harrison Named Diversity Award Recipient

Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) President John M. Berry, PhD,  and The Ohio State University at Newark Dean and Director Matthew Smith, PhD, presented the prestigious President’s and Dean/Director’s Diversity Award to Dorian Harrison, PhD, on Sept. 6.

The Diversity Award recognizes outstanding achievements that advance the campus’ overall awareness of and sensitivity to differences among people(s) including race, mixed races and heritages, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, mental abilities, cultural heritage, religious beliefs, political beliefs, and geographic location. Outstanding achievements honored by this award are as follows: institutionalizing diversity; supporting diversity; displaying commitment to diversity; enhancing or fostering diversity; and/or increasing knowledge of diversity issues.

Harrison, of Columbus, has taught at Ohio State Newark for more than five years. As an associate professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology’s Department of Teaching and Learning, she teaches foundational and licensure courses in literacy at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Harrison has over 15 years of experience in various education roles, including an elementary teacher, pre-K teacher, literacy specialist, educational consultant, after-school program director and college tutor.

Her professional academic research explores how equity and literacy in education is enacted, looking broadly at the intersections of race, class and language at play in a teaching and learning environment. Harrison’s research is aimed at not only improving classroom practice but restructuring how institutions prepare future educators to engage with diverse populations of students and communities.

Harrison was nominated by Jacqueline Parrill, EdD, COTC’s vice president and chief of staff and Ohio State Newark’s chief of staff, for the conception and implementation of Ohio State Newark’s Culturally Responsive Mentoring Program, which provides mentoring for both Ohio State Newark students and Newark City Schools’ secondary schools. “The program, which has been running for two years, has made excellent progress toward all of its goals,” praised Parrill, who cited the program’s specific progress in increasing students’ academic success toward college readiness. “During its first year, 26 students participated. In the second year, 42 participated. Of the second-year participants, eight were accepted into college.”

Parrill further explained Harrison’s and the program’s long-term goals, which are to “increase self-efficacy and leadership skills for both mentors and mentees, to promote positive mental health and positive cultural and linguistic identities of all participants, and to enhance participants’ access to and experience in college.” Parill continued, “These efforts will likely lead the campus’ student population to become even more diverse and draw that diversity from our local community. Harrison is thus not only enhancing diversity at the campus but also enhancing the campus’ relationship with the community.”