James T. “Jim” Harris III, DEd, became the University of San Diego’s fourth president on Aug. 3, 2015. During his time as president, USD has been recognized as one of the top schools nationally for being a “best run college” and having the “best quality of life” by the Princeton Review, a top five program nationally for promoting public service by Washington Monthly and has received additional recognition for its sustainability efforts and work to enhance diversity and inclusion.

Jim is a first-generation college student. To this day, he still brings that same sense of excitement, energy and sense of wonder to his work and says his life was transformed through three profound experiences during his college years. First, he converted to Catholicism inspired in part by his experience as a student teacher at a Catholic high school. Secondly, he found his vocation and fell in love with the idea of teaching and of being an educator. And third, he found the love of his life, his wife, Mary. He and his wife, Mary, were married in 1982 and have two sons, Zachary, and Braden, both of whom are graduates of USD, and a 2-year-old granddaughter, Nora.

He remains an active scholar and professor, teaching leadership courses to undergraduates at USD. He is also interviewed regularly as a thought leader in higher education. In 2013, he co-authored a book titled, Academic Leadership and Governance in Higher Education, which he, along with three co-authors, revised in 2022. The book was published by Stylus and was on its higher education best sellers list. Jim has also been tapped to help train the next generation of college and university leaders. For example, he served for 20 years as a faculty member for the Harvard University Management Leadership Program and most recently was named by AGB as a faculty member for its Institute for Leadership and Governance.

In recognition of his considerable contributions to education and the communities he has served, Jim has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including leadership awards from the NAACP and the Urban League for his work on defending civil rights and promoting civic engagement.