A $100,000 endowment, led by the Autumn Ridge Foundation with the help of School of Communication alumni, will honor a beloved public relations professor and provide lasting scholarship support to students who excel at writing.
The Dr. Stanley L. Harrison Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund honors Professor Stanley “Stan” L. Harrison, who imparted his love of writing to hundreds of School of Communication students. The fund awards assistance for tuition and expenses to deserving SoC undergraduates with a proficiency for writing. It is an important contribution to Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami, which emphasizes scholarship support as a priority for the School of Communication.
“The Dr. Stanley L. Harrison Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund will help generations of new SoC students who posses a passion for writing and embrace the importance of it as they excel in their studies and succeeding careers,” said Douglas E. Schimmel, B.S.C. ’88, president and founder of the Autumn Ridge Foundation. “For decades, Professor Harrison imparted his gift to SoC students and we are proud that future students will continue to benefit from his ongoing legacy.”
Harrison began his career in 1946 as a reporter at The Baltimore Sun. He later wrote and edited for the The National Journal and worked as a public relations strategist and a congressional speech writer. He authored six books.
Harrison, remembered also for his wit and uncompromising worldview, became a leading expert on famed Sun journalist and satirist H.L. Mencken, editing Menckeniana, a quarterly journal about the writer’s life and work, from 1999 until his death in 2012.
Harrison earned his doctorate from American University. He taught at American, as well as at the University of Maryland, before joining the University of Miami’s faculty in 1986. Alumni remember Harrison as a dedicated professor who demanded hard work and precision of his students. His emphasis on editing and grammar and his deep experience in many facets of communication were formative experiences for many students.
“Professor Harrison was a prolific writer, and truly understood the power of the written word,” said Alyse Lancaster, chair of the Department of Strategic Communication. “He instilled in his students not just core writing skills, but also an understanding of the importance and the potency of well-written communication. This scholarship endowment will enable Professor Harrison’s legacy to live on in a student who shows great potential as a writer.”
Harrison’s mentorship deeply affected Dr. Gail Shivel, B.S.C. ’90, who helped launch a memorial scholarship fund after the professor’s death in 2012. Shivel worked with Schimmel and the Autumn Ridge Foundation and rallied other alumni to donate, culminating in the $100,000 endowed scholarship fund.
“Professor Harrison taught us to be great communicators, to work with integrity, and to appreciate language,” said Shivel. “We hope that this endowment will support School of Communication students who embody the values he taught us.”
For more information on The Dr. Stanley L. Harrison Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund or to make additional gifts to the fund, please contact Brian Weinblatt, senior director of development, at brian.weinblatt@miami.edu or 305-284-9780. Make a gift online at www.com.miami.edu/givenow
