A native of McLeansboro, Illinois, Willard Harrison his earned his B.A. and M.A. in Chemistry from SIUC and his Ph.D. from University of Illinois (1964). Currently, Harrison is dean of the University of Florida's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a professor of chemistry, posts he has held since 1988. Harrison is helping to pioneer an accelerated method of analyzing components in alloys and other solids. Such research shows promise for manufacturers striving to control quality on the production line. Earlier, Harrison chaired and taught classes in the chemistry department at the University of Virginia and served as visiting scholar at universities in France and Germany and at Stanford University. Dr. Harrison is a member of the Alumni Advisory Board for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, SIUC, and was inducted into the Department of Chemistry Alumni Hall of Fame in 1998.
"...the toughest competition I ever had was right here at Southern. And this eventually made more sense to me when I saw where these students went and what they accomplished. SIU continues to turn out top notch people. I run into them all the time. For example, at the University of Florida, we have an SIU graduate on our chemistry faculty (a woman), and an outstanding sociologist and now my chief associate dean is a Saluki. It is important to note that these people were not selected for any favoritism of being from Southern. They were selected because they are the best." (Commencement Address, May 13, 1995)
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Last updated: 15-Sep-99 / lsm