Jessica Harris earns SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Jessica Harris, chair and associate professor of health promotion and wellness, recently earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, recognizing outstanding work inside and outside Oswego’s classrooms.
“In my 35 years in higher education, she is the best teacher I have seen!” wrote nominator and recently retired health promotion and wellness professor Sandra Bargainnier. “As her colleague, I have witnessed the impact of her teaching, advising and mentoring on our students and graduates.”
Whether teaching introductory 100-level courses for those just entering the program or advanced 500-level classes, Harris routinely receives outstanding evaluations from students, wrote Laura Spenceley, dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services.
Student evalutions “note that her curriculum is organized, sequential and well-designed,” Spenceley noted. “They comment that she provides supportive and formative feedback, is available for discussion, and provides support and high standards in her courses. They consistently note her courses are well-aligned to their future work in the health/wellness sector.“
“As of fall 2025, Jessica has taught 17 different preps totaling approximately 158 courses,” Bargainnier said. “She is active in course development, course revisions and course modality modifications.”
Harris delivers quality over and above the quantity of teaching and leadership, Bargainnier added.
“Students' comments support that putting theory into practice increased their understanding and application of health promotion theories and models,” Bargainnier noted. “She makes learning relevant and meaningful to her students.”
“She is an exceptional teacher, mentor and advocate for student success,” wrote recent alum Gabriella Patterson, who also views Harris as a mentor and key in shaping a future career in education.
“Her mentorship has shaped me not only as a student and researcher but also as a leader — better preparing me for my graduate studies and professional roles,” Patterson said. “In my internship working with elementary students, I strive to emulate Dr. Harris’ approach by challenging my students while creating a supportive environment and encouraging them to reach their full potential.”
“Dr. Jessica Harris is an exceptional colleague whose commitment to instructional excellence has been clear since she joined our campus community,” Spenceley said. “Our students benefit from her commitment to excellence as does our college and campus community.”
Dedicated educator
Harris joined Oswego’s faculty in 2015, and continues to provide excellent teaching, innovation and leadership – all while going above and beyond for students and the field.
“Jessica also goes beyond the typical workday for her students to apply their skills in real-world environments,” Bargainnier wrote. “She can be found in a residence hall watching students present to first-year students at 9 p.m. or evaluating students as they educate the campus community on the quad, or present at SUNY Oswego in Syracuse for National Women's Wellness Day.”
That dedication also led Harris to become chair of the Committee on Learning and Teaching (COLT), and creating a Student Advisory Board (SCOLT), “where students can be heard about what they believe can be improved or what is going well on our campus regarding learning and teaching,” Bargainnier wrote.
Harris also has served twice as acting associate director of Oswego’s Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) twice, as well as associate director of the Honors Program in spring 2024.
“She played a central role in designing and facilitating workshops, reading groups and breakout sessions that helped instructors enhance accessibility, equity and student engagement and learning in their courses,” wrote Distinguished Service Professor John Kane, professor of economics and director of CELT. “She is deeply engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning, as evidenced by her active research agenda, which includes numerous peer-reviewed articles, conference papers and book chapters.”
Other nominators noted Harris’ exemplary scholarship, including leadership with Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses.
“Her most-cited work, ‘Global Competency Through COIL,’ has become a key reference in the field of global learning,” Bargainnier said. “The progression from public health topics to specialized COIL research highlights her ability to adapt her teaching and scholarship to meet evolving academic and societal needs.”
Harris is now in the process of co-authoring a COIL textbook with fellow health promotion and wellness faculty member Minjung Seo and Joshua McKeown, associate provost for international education and programs.
Previously, Harris authored an interactive textbook for the department’s introductory course, HSC 101, now in its second edition.
Harris also was the founding advisor of SUNY Oswego’s chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma, the National Health Education Honorary Society, which would earn the 2024 Chapter Excellence Award for its meaningful, student-driven accomplishments.
Her teaching has also been recognized by the campus with the President’s Award for Teaching, President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advisement, the School of Education Perry A. Zirkel Education Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Teaching, and Residential Life Outstanding Faculty Recognition Award.
Harris earned her doctorate in executive leadership from St. John Fisher University, master’s in health science from the University of Arkansas and bachelor’s in community health education from the University of Maine at Farmington.