Ben M. Harris, through his long tenure as a professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Texas at Austin, became a national leader in the field of instructional supervision. By means of his scholarship, teaching and field service, he developed a deeply rooted knowledge and solid understanding which he passed on to graduate students who became educational leaders within the state of Texas and the United States. His comprehensive knowledge is best reflected in his scholarly writing in the Handbook of Research on School Supervision (1998). The opening chapter provides a wide view of the evolution of supervision to the time of its publication. No doubt, he was selected to write this introduction because of his highly regarded books (Supervisory Behavior in Education, 1963) and relevant practitioner materials (Developing Teacher Evaluation, 1986). He, along with a few other nationally known professors of instructional supervision, founded the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision. Because of his national reputation, he was selected to be the first president of COPIS. An honor rightfully earned and well deserved.
Ben was a devoted and supportive professor toward students and the department. In the classroom he used simulation, going beyond descriptive theory and textbook cases. As a department member, he was ethical and analytical when approaching problems. He assisted in the department opening its enrollment to racial and ethnic students. As a result, he helped to bring about a cohesive and strong graduate department ranked annually among the top ten research university programs.
As an extension of his classroom focus and graduate student development, he traveled within Texas and nationally to school districts and to professional sponsored meetings and gave clinical instruction to participants. He believed that personal interaction was the beginning of relationships which could and did lead to graduate student recruitment and/or recurrent professional contacts. Because of his accomplishments, he was appointed by the UT regents as the H. K. Hage professor in the College of Education.
Ben Harris, contributed greatly to the betterment of the Department of Educational Administration, the College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin, the state of Texas, national school related leaders, and most importantly the evolution of Education in the United States.
Leonard A. Valverde
Professor and Chairman
Educational Administration Department