Student Spotlight

Robert L. Harris, III

        Robert L. Harris III is a junior, double-majoring in political science and history at The University of Alabama and he is a participant in Student Support Services.  Due to Robert's academic accomplishment in maintaining a consistent GPA of 3.0 and above, he is also in the University Honors Program, and was selected as a Fellow in the prestigious Blackburn Institute last spring.  The purpose of the Institute is to provide opportunities for the Fellows to explore issues and identify strategic actions that will improve the quality of life for all Alabama citizens, an issue about which Robert is passionate.

        Preparing for a career in public service, Robert has immersed himself in all aspects of campus life relative to student government and policy development.  In fact, he ran a very competitive campaign for Student Government President in 2006. But more important, Robert is one of three young men who have developed a proposal for the Alabama Center for Public Policy.  An outgrowth of his attending a Human Rights Symposium in the spring of 2006, the idea of a Center for Public Policy took shape and took off!  Robert and his colleagues saw the need for a program that would be dedicated to finding solutions for many of Alabama's greatest and most challenging issues, and they also felt that The University of Alabama, the epicenter for politics in the South and powerhouse in the areas of law and politics, was the ideal location for such a program.

        After receiving the support of the Provost and Executive Vice President at the university, Robert has forged ahead with his proposal which is an interdisciplinary initiative seeking to provide students with the education and experience necessary to create sound public policy for the state and nation.  At its core is a 21-hour minor degree program which will enroll approximately ten to twelve students per year in a wide range of policy-related courses.  Through a combination of specially designed courses offered through several departments and directed study opportunities, students enrolled in the public policy minor degree program would graduate with a sound knowledge of the means by which governments, businesses, and communities facilitate growth and prosperity.  This is no small effort on the part of an undergraduate.

        Combining his vision with an astute administrative know-how, Robert has engaged key university officials in his dynamic idea and is moving ahead with plans for implementation.  Currently being fine-tuned by the involved academic departments on campus, the proposal remains viable, and will hopefully, see completion in 2008.

        There is no doubt that Robert L. Harris III is destined to become a
central figure in the future of Alabama politics and economics.