Lee and Barbara Harris

Changing Lives by: awarding four-year scholarships to four freshmen in education each year through the Tomorrow’s Teacher Scholarship Program in the College of Education.

K-State connection: Lee graduated from K-State in 1975 with a degree in economics. Barbara earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree from K-State in nursing.

Why they gave: The Harrises’ wanted to attract and reward the “best and the brightest” young Kansans who wish to pursue a career in teaching and desire to attend K-State.

“We believe that generosity is an opportunity to make a difference,” Lee said. “If you’re not a generous person, you’re missing a big-time opportunity to make a difference in a lot of lives. We also believe that when you are generous, good things come back to you in ways you can’t imagine. That’s the way we were both raised. We watched our parents practice that, and that’s what we do today.”

Why teachers: “We thought, ‘How can we make the biggest impact with what we want to do?’ And that’s why we picked teachers,” Lee said. “They touch so many lives, and they do it over so many years. If a Tomorrow’s Teacher, over the course of a 30-year career, has 25 kids a year in his or her classroom, you’re talking about 750 children who have been impacted over the course of that career. Multiply that by the number of Tomorrow’s Teachers who are out there, and you’re talking thousands of kids who are, hopefully, positively influenced by these really bright people who got a great education at K-State. You absolutely know when you’re educating teachers that there’s going to be a major-league difference made for decades to come, and we like that.”

Lifelong connection: “We get to know the students and their parents, and we get notes and cards from them throughout the year. Now we’re hearing from people who have graduated, and they’ll tell us what they’re doing and how much they appreciated their time at K-State and, of course, thank us for the financial help.”

What people are saying: “The Tomorrow’s Teacher Scholarship Program has provided me with a sense of focus and passion throughout my three years at K-State,” said Eryn Wood, education and journalism major. “Barbara and Lee Harris have modeled their generosity through this scholarship, and through their example, I have been encouraged to give back to K-State and the Manhattan community. Overall, the scholarship has reminded me that success in teaching and life will be determined by how one makes a difference in the lives of others.”