When Jamie Harris came to Millsaps College as a geology professor in 1995, he had never taught before, even as a graduate student. Since then, Harris has flourished as a teacher. On Nov. 19, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him Professor of the Year for Mississippi.
"When I first came to Millsaps, I had no idea how long I would be here," Harris told the Jackson Free Press. "I was very green when it comes to teaching, then. A couple years after that, I was approached about a couple research positions to move on to, but I just couldn't bring myself to leave Millsaps. The students are what kept me here."
Harris, 49, lives in Ridgeland with his wife and two daughters. A native of Richmond, Ky., and the son of two college professors, Harris knew he wanted to be a geologist since childhood, but he only came to academia after dallying in the Texas oil business—"like every good geologist in the early '80s," he says. He earned his doctorate in geology and geophysics from the University of Kentucky in 1992.
Harris is the sixth Millsaps professor to win the Mississippi Professor of the Year award since the state awards began in 1985. He credits the school's "teacher-scholar" model for its professors with encouraging faculty to pursue their own research even as they pass knowledge on to their students.
Harris' research currently focuses on imaging the near surface of the earth, which can prove useful for purposes as varied as earthquake monitoring and groundwater exploration.
"The way you stay current in your field is to be active in your field," Harris said. "I include students in just about every research activity that I do."
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