Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs & Assessment at Notre Dame of Maryland University
About
Dr. Suzan Harkness is the associate vice president for academic affairs and assessment at Notre Dame of Maryland University. Most recently, she was an associate professor of political science at the University of the District of Columbia, and Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) at Stephens College. Prior to that, she was special assistant to the president, founding director of the Center for Academic Technology and assistant dean at the University of the District of Columbia. She earned her PhD in political science from the University of Hawaii (Manoa), certificates in leadership and intercultural curriculum development from the East-West Center, higher education management from the Peabody School, Vanderbilt University, and most recently a certificate in data analytics from Cornell University. In 2012-2013, Dr. Harkness was an ACE Fellow. Dr. Harkness' experiences and responsibilities have included providing academic oversight and vision, strategic planning, senior staff collaboration and support, budget management, institutional compliance, and educational innovation. Dr. Harkness' skills includes higher education teaching, research and management, e-learning, experiential education, faculty professional development, and data analytics. Her research is in the scholarship of teaching and learning, instructional technology, institutional compliance, freedom of speech, and political behavior.
Current Work:
The 2016 US presidential campaign of Donald Trump, and his subsequent election as president, has sparked a continuous focus on freedom of speech. Incidents in the public sphere and spilling onto US colleges and university campuses warrants a review of the American fundamental US right to free speech and freedom of the press. Dr. Harkness asks the question, what are the boundaries of free speech? When do sensibilities and sensitivities warrant limitations? The purpose of her research is to explore public sentiment around freedom of speech.
Research Area Keyword(s):
Freedom of speech, political behavior
