Dr. G. Duncan Harris Elected President of the National Council on Black American Affairs
Dr. G. Duncan Harris, dean of student affairs at Manchester Community College, has been elected president of the National Council on Black American Affairs (NCBAA).
Dr. Harris currently serves in the capacity of chief student affairs officer at MCC and is responsible for the oversight of the enrollment management, counseling and career services, student activities, and student affairs operations units of the college.
The NCBAA is the first affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and was founded in 1972 in the midst of social, political, cultural and educational change in the United States. “I’m excited about the opportunity to serve in the role of president of the NCBAA,” Dr. Harris said. “The NCBAA has a proud legacy of leadership development, community college advocacy and facilitation of student success. Based on our research and a review of current data, the need for organizations like NCBAA is as great as it’s ever been.”
Today, through its five affiliates (Northeastern Region, Western Region, Southern Region, North Central Region and the Presidents’ Round Table), NCBAA serves as the premier networking, professional development, and student advocacy vehicle for African Americans in community colleges across the United States. The NCBAA has received recognition for its two premier professional development institutes: the Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership, a Presidents’ Round Table signature program whose graduates have gone on to become college presidents or advanced to other high-level positions in the ranks of community colleges; and the Dr. Carolyn Grubbs Williams Leadership Development Institute, an intensive, one-week mid-level administrator fellowship program. For more information visit the NCBAA website.
During his 18-year tenure at MCC, Dr. Harris has served as acting dean of academic affairs, associate dean of academic affairs, counselor, coordinator of academic advising and interim director of the Center for Student Development. He has taught as an adjunct in the communications department for the past 12 years and serves on the School Governance Council of MCC’s middle-college magnet high school, Great Path Academy, with which he has been involved since its founding in 2001.
In addition to his work with NCBAA, Dr. Harris is affiliated with several state and national organizations and currently serves as board chair of Community Health Resources, a comprehensive behavioral health agency that provides services to children, adults and families in Central and Eastern Connecticut. He also serves on the advisory board of Windsor Federal Savings Bank and was recently appointed to the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. He has received a number of professional and service awards. These include the Connecticut Higher Education Community Service Award, the 2010 State of Connecticut African American Affairs Commission Man-of-the-Year and the 2012 NASPA Region I Community College Leader Awards.
As of September 5, Dr. Harris has been asked to provide leadership as interim executive director of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) Student Success Center, where he will be responsible for supporting and cultivating new strategic partnerships among the representatives of the 12 community colleges and other internal and external partners, including the State Department of Education, Workforce Investment Boards and foundations. The State of Connecticut received a two-year grant from the Kresge Foundation to launch the center. There are seven states that have such centers in the United States: Texas, Michigan, Arkansas, California, New Jersey, Ohio and Connecticut.
Dr. Harris holds a doctorate of education from the Fischler Graduate School of Education of Nova Southeastern University, a master of science degree in counseling from Central Connecticut State University, a bachelor of science degree in economics from the University of Connecticut, and a certificate in Management and Leadership in Higher Education from Harvard University.
He and his wife, Garcia, have three children: Jocelyn, a sophomore at Howard University; Grant and Grayson.
