If you look carefully, you might be able to see Keith Harrison on the IU campus, but you must look quickly or you'll miss him. A few days after arriving in Bloomington, Harrison was off to the N4A Conference (National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics) in Phoenix to present a paper entitled "Reality Constructs of the African American Student Athlete." The two intertwining elements of this paper are a good reflection of Harrison's interests in general: how African American athletes perceive reality before and after higher education and how the African American athlete is depicted in popular culture. If the only images of black men available in the media are of black men as athletes, Harrison contends, it becomes very difficult for black students to picture themselves in other roles.
Harrison spoke about similar and related issues when he was an invited panelist in a sport philosophy symposium at the International Congress on Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sports and Dance Conference held in July in Korea. Harrison also presented a paper at this conference entitled "Revitalizing the African American Sportsman," which discussed the damaging racial stereotypes both within and outside of sports. "I am not against sport," says Harrison, a one-time athlete himself, "it can develop character--but it is too myopic in its present state. Also, the mixed messages of African Americans in sports are a problem."
In addition to teaching a graduate course called "Athletics and Higher Education," Harrison will be giving two guest lectures on topics related to his interests. A returning fellow from last summer, Harrison has certainly gotten the most from his Minority Faculty Fellowship.
In the fall, Harrison begins a new job as Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In addition to other projects, Harrison plans to edit the second edition of a volume called Racism in College Athletics and will contribute a chapter to the third edition. About MFFP, Harrison says, "Participating in the Minority Faculty Fellowship Program has enabled me to align my thoughts in the direction of a successful career as a scholar and, more importantly, as a positive individual in our society."