New Scholarship Awarded

*By Grant Jackson

The new academic year always brings promise and potential upon the campus at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This year, the Communication Department introduced a new scholarship called the Jimmy “Jim” Foster Harris Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship amount is for a total of $25,000, with $5,000 in annual funding. The inaugural recipients of the scholarship are Niah McGrew and Grace Russo, who are both seniors majoring in Strategic Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. Niah serves as the president of Rotaract – the UL Chapter of Rotary Club, and Grace is the president of UL’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

The Jimmy "Jim" Foster Harris Scholarship honors a Louisiana legend who passed away in 2023 after battling ALS. Harris was a master in communication and leadership. Harris got his start as a high school DJ in  Louisiana and quickly became a news reporting rockstar. While juggling school at UL and army reserve duties, he landed gigs at radio stations, racking up awards left and right. His media skills caught the eye of political dignitaries, and he became press secretary for Governor Edwin Edwards. In 1975, Harris was offered a job as part of Edwards’ re-election campaign. Harris worked in Edwards’ Department of Transportation and Development, and then Department of Health and Human Resources between 1976-1980. His work then caught the eye of Governor David Treen, who appointed Harris to the Executive Director role of the Louisiana World’s Fair in 1984. Harris’ job included planning, construction, and operation of the fair. After Harris finished his efforts on the legislative side of Louisiana, he, alongside Renwick DeVille, founded Harris, DeVille, & Associates law company, now one of the largest in Louisiana.