From the desk of President Leslie K. Guice
Dr. John Harrison: Honing education from Montessori to Ruby Tuesday
Dr. John Harrison has served as the Director of Human Resources for a multi-state organization, worked with leadership committees at non-profit organizations including the Boys & Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley, and developed corporate training programs for Ruby Tuesday, Inc. that incorporated the use of adult learning principles. His experience extends to organizational development and change strategies across industry platforms. He currently serves as an Associate Professor in the College of Education, the Director of Graduate Studies and Research, and the Program Coordinator for the EdD program in Educational Leadership.
John received his PhD. in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Education, with a cognate in Human Resource Development from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. He also earned an M.S. in Organizational Change and Leadership from Pfeiffer University and a B.S. in Business Administration – Human Resource Management from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is certified by the Society for Human Resource Management as a Senior Professional in Human Resources.
Through his experience in academia, John has served as NCATE Coordinator, successfully leading a small liberal arts university’s first attempt at gaining NCATE national accreditation. He has also served as program coordinator for multiple EdD programs across two universities, the Director of Graduate Studies and Research for Louisiana Tech’s College of Education, and a campus representative for the Fulbright Scholars Program.
John’s philosophy of teaching has evolved and developed as the result of many years teaching adult learners in higher education. When asked about his teaching philosophy, John stated, “I have developed the core of my philosophy as an adult educator with the following principles in mind:
- To build upon a learner’s life experiences as a rich source of learning in the classroom, with an understanding of diversity and cultural influences,
- To connect theory to practice with the intent of making learning accessible and relevant to learners’ life situation,
- To facilitate a constructive, engaging, open, and safe-to-fail environment for learning,
- To promote self-direction with an understanding that adults are responsible and capable of directing their learning experiences, and
- To create enthusiasm for life-long learning.
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