Denise Harrison, a professor in the Department of Africana Studies, was awarded this year’s Distinguished Honors Faculty Award.

Harrison came from Miami, Ohio, where she said she learned the importance of critical thinking.

“I came out of a school that really taught us to grapple with difficult subjects,” Harrison said. “Introduce our students to them, teach them how to think critically about them and write about them.”

She uses her background to teach her students to think critically about the world. She formerly taught in the English department before moving to Africana Studies. She has taught at Kent for 17 years.

When she applied to teach at Kent, she received a call asking her to teach immediately for the upcoming semester, just two weeks away.

Harrison teaches both honors and non honors courses, and is currently teaching one of the freshman honors colloquium courses.

“The most remarkable thing is that you have students for a year,” Harrison said. “Students get to know you and you get to know them.”

She enjoys the dynamic of working with, and challenging, honors students.

“I think for the honors students you get a different caliber of students and that’s not a secret on campus,” Harrison said. “It is a joy because you’re not pulling teeth.”

The Distinguished Honors Faculty Award is presented every spring to recognize an outstanding faculty member in the Honors College.

Alison Smith, dean of the Honors College, Frank Congin, assistant dean and Stephanie Moskal, marketing coordinator, all work to select the faculty member.

“It recognizes excellence in honors teaching,” Smith said. “It’s based on years of service, advising independent work and a proven record of strong teaching performance.”

Students are invited to nominate a faculty member and write about why. Submissions open up early in the spring semester.

Faculty members are required to teach at least three sections of honors to be eligible for the award and cannot win more than once.

“You look at who’s nominated, you look at the years of service, then you look at what kinds of things have they been doing, it’s usually pretty straightforward,” Smith said.

The distinguished honors faculty has been presented since 1991, and was started by Dean Larry Andrews.

The staff greatly recognizes the impact honors faculty have on their students throughout their time at Kent.

“These faculty play a large role in helping shape how the students view themselves and view the world,” Congin said. “I think that they really become mentors to honors students because of the close relationship they have, as well as friends.”

Harrison was shocked and felt humbled when she won the award.

“The award means so much to me, because it’s from the students,” Harrison said. “Knowing that students say I did do that, that I created a safe space for them, that’s really important.”

This will be Harrison’s last semester as a professor due to retirement. However, she said her relationship with the university is not completely over.

“So I’m leaving with some really really good memories and I know I’m gonna still be connected to the campus,” Harrison said.

Smith said Harrison is just one of the many recognized honors faculty members that have made an impact on students.

“They really know their students,” Smith said. “They see them and they care.”

Savana Capp is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].