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Sedgwick L. Harris, the new president of four-campus Bristol Community College in Fall River, Mass., effective March 1 came to Southwestern Michigan College from Albion in 1988-90 for general studies, looking to transfer after playing basketball for the Roadrunners.

“Never,” Harris said of whether he had any aspiration to lead a college someday.

“However,” he added, “as a first-generation student I struggled my first semester. It was Carol Churchill at SMC who taught me the process and kept me informed of the student support services and academic resources on campus. I think this relationship is what led me to returning to higher education and community colleges specifically.”

Harris selected SMC because “I was told that my classmates, Tiffany Dees and Dan Coleman, were going to be on the track and cross country teams. They had basketball and I knew I could play at this level as my local community college, Kellogg, was recruiting me to play. I also was encouraged by a university that this would be a good option to increase my academic and athletic outcomes.”

His time at SMC “didn’t start off great,” he recalls. “My first three days I lodged at the Skyline Motel (Castle Inn and Suites, M-51 South) due to Hamilton Square Apartments overbooking, but I did find housing in Eau Claire for the first semester. By spring, I was back in an apartment with my new basketball teammate, Jeff Goodman. Jeff and I are still friends to this day.

“I also remember working for Coach Ron Gunn in athletics and the fitness center, as well as my work-study job scoring wrestling matches for Coach (James) Judd,” Harris said. “I was exposed to Amtrak as we could catch the train back home or to Chicago.”

President David C. Briegel’s name now adorns the administration building. Residence halls were two decades in the future.

Harris went to Northwestern Oklahoma State University for a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and a basketball scholarship opportunity.

“I enjoyed the radio and television program once I arrived at NWOSU,” he said. “It was a great work-study position and a lot of fun. I was intending to be a history teacher, but this was more interesting and different than education.”

Returning to Michigan, Harris earned his master’s degree in educational leadership at Western Michigan University and, eventually, his doctorate in educational leadership from Ferris State University.

“I worked in the non-profit and private sectors my first few years,” Harris said, “but was still interested in education, so I enrolled at WMU with the intention to become a high school principal or athletic director.”

After working more than two decades at Kellogg CC, Kaskaskia College (VP of Student Services, 2007-13) in Centralia, Ill., Kishwaukee College (VP of Student Services, 2013-16) in Malta, Ill., and Northampton CC in Bethlehem, Pa. (VP of Student Services, 2016-25), “It was my goal to become a president to positively impact student success at the highest level. My mentors, Dr. Ken Atwater and Dr. James Underwood, encouraged me to get my doctorate as this would be the only barrier.

“Therefore, I was focused on giving back to students what Carol Churchill did for me during my time at SMC. So I enrolled in the Ferris State University Doctoral in Community College Leadership cohort six and it was a wonderful program and an even better experience.

“I will be forever grateful to Dr. Roberta “Robbie” Teahen and Dr. Sandra “Sandy” Balkema for their support throughout the program as well as my cohort mates Dr. Vicki Gardner, Dr. Moaty Fayek and Dr. Tina Hummons.”

Harris served as an adjunct instructor at each of his stops. His primary subjects taught are communications and first-year college experience.

“I enjoy engaging with the current student population, as it keeps me aware of what the real needs are of the community college student,” he said.

Asked about what influenced him to enter education, Harris said, “My experiences at SMC and my other educational institutions, but other than my parents, it was my godfather, Harry Bonner Sr. He always gave me his time, resources and wisdom to encourage me to reach the top. He stressed that by working hard at your craft, you will achieve what people told me was unobtainable and impossible, mainly because, as kids from a low-income housing unit, becoming a community college president would only be a silly dream. I would hear the naysayers often say you have average grades, you are from Albion and you’re too short to play basketball in college, so you will never amount to anything.

“Nevertheless, with the support of my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bonner, and my classmate Paula Langston-Ware, in addition to the right combination of effort, support and resiliency, I became an example for all those students like me who didn’t think education was possible to know yes it is, just believe.”

Last year Harris was awarded an Aspen Institute fellowship as a “Rising President.”

“The program has been great, as I’m at the final stage,” Harris said. “There was a competitive application and interview process before being selected. The program has expanded my professional network to connect with other aspiring presidents as a generation of CC presidents are retiring. The primary focus is on how we can continue increasing the value of higher education and why it is essential in today’s job market.

“We all have a capstone project based on data collected from our college and the region(s) we serve,” he said. “My project is to prove that dual enrollment is critical to the successful outcome of students graduating at both the associate and bachelor’s degree levels. However, looking deeper at the data, students of color are underrepresented as dual enrollment and are less likely not to graduate if they don’t have access to dual enrollment during their high school years. The locations for our programs were Virginia, North Carolina and Aspen, Colo.

Of applying to Bristol, Harris said it “is an institution that has great people within as well as the communities that we serve. The college has had a history of providing accessible, affordable and innovative education and workforce development within the region. Bristol has a history of being a student-first institution, which has been a cornerstone of my educational philosophy.”

“My goal,” Harris said, “is to continue the work of my previous presidential partners, which is to carry out the institutional mission. I also believe that we will continue to elevate visibility of the college at all levels. Dr. Douglas did an excellent job leading the institution through the pandemic, so it will be my job to take the torch and keep the path clear and lit for the next generation of students, faculty, staff and community stakeholders.”

Training maritime and offshore wind industry

Fall River and the surrounding areas “are very entrepreneurial,” according to Harris. “Therefore, we look to continue with an innovative growth mindset. Our newest addition is the National Off-Shore Wind Institute (NOWI). The facility was specifically designed as a one-stop shop, state-of-the-art training center to offer all required trainings and certifications for a maritime and offshore wind industry on site, year-round.”

As for juggling four campuses, Harris “has a great blueprint from my time at Kaskaskia College, where we had five educational centers, vocational/tech center and workforce development center in addition to the main campus.

“Therefore, I plan to meet with the staff at each location to align our institutional strategic plan and goals for positive outcomes for our commonwealth and all who want to partake,” Harris said. “I will reapply the knowledge from my experience at Kaskaskia that each community is unique and has differences, so there is not a one-size-fits-all plan. Each location will have strategy specific to their population and community needs.”

The financial industry, health care and manufacturing are vital employment leaders.

“Bristol will continue to work closely with all business and industry partners,” Harris said, “while seeking approaches to expand in ways to be creative in the ever-changing landscape of technology and AI.”

Yes, Fall River (population twice the size of Cass County, 10^th largest city in Massachusetts) is Lizzie Borden’s hometown. She was tried and acquitted for the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother. Her neighbors ostracized her for the rest of her life, believing she was guilty.

Harris pivots to a community “favorite son,” Emeril Lagasse, the celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and TV personality.

“I hope to have him back for an event with our culinary students,” Harris said.

He and his wife, Jamica, have been married for 30 years and have two children.