Welcome to Knight Talks, the University of Florida Journalism and Communications ta produced by students for student I'm Alex Land, a freshman studyi journalism and psychology.

And today, our guest is Charles Harris, the former Knight Divisi Director at the University of Fl College of Journalism and Commun And most recently, he was the CE Central Florida Community Action Hi, Charles.

Thank you for being here with us Hi, Alex.

Thanks for having me.

In 1978, you earn your bachelor' in advertising from the University of Florida.

So what drove you to studying ad Was this always the plan?

No, it wasn't.

I was a first generation college and had never actually been on a college campus.

So I was encouraged by others to apply for college.

But when I came in, my first major was psychology and honestly, it was because I d anything else.

I was just fishing around.

And I changed from psychology.

I went to business.

I was all over the place.

And normally in your first two y that's when you start to feel yo around the different majors and opportunities and careers ar and are available at the University of Florida.

But in my junior year, I'm sorry my sophomore year, I decided that advertising would be a good major for me.

And really, because of the creat involved with it, I thought that was an opportunit for me to express myself creativ And I felt it was a good opportu for me to establish a career.

Was it scary switching?

No, not at all.

Because again, I was still doing my general edu You know, so again, I would take that would, intrigue my interest piqued my interest, and then say this sounds like something.

I would do a little research to if this was an opportunity for a career for me.

So it really wasn't.

It was sort of fun to move aroun But again, it reached a point my sophomore year where I really to focus on what I was going to for the rest of my life.

Your first role with the University of Florida was Assistant Director of Minority Admissions What was the state of minority admissions at the time and what kind of work did this e It really was a grant opportunit by at that time the Board of Reg which was the governing body for all of the state university And they had provided grants to to bring in minority recruiters, because at that time the whole system was trying to i the number of minority students that were entering the system.

The position actually entailed I was actually assistant director of minority admissions, but it was the transfer student.

So I actually went out to commun colleges and recruited students for the University of Florida.

And the idea was that a lot of t students that were having proble especially minority students, wa to that general education maze.

But when they came to us with AA they had all those requirements and at that time they would be a right into the major and have su And back then there were studies that showed that students that w and transfer student, once they got into the junior ye that they performed pretty much at the same level.

So really it was an opportunity to go out and recruit minority s from 20 to 28 community colleges that we have in the state of Flo And at the time, the numbers were very low, which is the reason why they had the grants available.

In fact, when I started at the U of North Florida, it was also on a grant opportuni provided by the Board of Regents that were trying to create some opportunities for increasing the number of min students in the system.

What led you to getting that pos Well, I was a recruiter as I men I started out recruiting at the of North Florida, and then from I went to the University of Sout as a recruiter.

And at the time, the Directed the Minority Recruiting for the University of Florida wa John Boatwright.

And Mr. Boatwright had met me out on one of these career fairs.

We have the table set up and we're talking and everything And he actually asked me, was I interested in coming back to the University of Florida and working up under him?

I felt there was an opportunity because I always wanted to come back to UF.

I had fond memories of being here as a student.

So really it was an opportunity that was offered to me to come in and it was a new position.

I was the first person in that p When I left that position, the folks that came in after me, I sort of became the informal tr for them because they would come and get advice on how to program and everything.

In 1989, you began working for t Minority Programs office, which later became the Knight Di What is the Knight Division, wha its mission, and how did that ev time?

There was a need to put more emphasis and put more structure into a program that would encour minority students to come into t and be successful in the college So it wasn't just recruiting the but it was helping them to gradu and make sure that the retention stayed high.

So the minority program, it was a five year grant and it was very aggressive in th we said that we would go out and recruit students and bring them into the college help the student to graduate.

So it wasn't just bringing them but helping them to graduate.

And we started with the Minority office, which was successful.

And after the five year run, the Division, I'm sorry, to Knight F decided to make it a permanent e And from that point on, we had the Minorities Programs o Then we had a scholarship placement center, which was run at the time by the late Helen At And when Helen started having some health issues, again I was if I was interested in becoming the director of the entire progr and not just the Minority Progra So I was happy to do that.

And from there we created the Knight Division for Scholarships, Career Service and Multicultural Affairs.

And at that time, the Knight Div I was a coordinator for the coll undergraduate scholarship progra Also with the career services component assisting students with jobs and internship, we actually held our own job fai which I think now was done by th Resource Center here.

But at that time we had our own that we used to run for companie to come in and interview student And then the last part was the Multicultural Affairs De which again was a program of rec and retention of minority studen We really needed to go out and m students were aware of the oppor that we had at the University of in the College of Journalism.

So I spent pretty much half my t recruiting because, again, it was important for us to go ou in the community, for our studen who we were, what we have.

And again, this was before social media was what it is now.

So again, we did more face to fa and more interpersonal communica with student and the parents.

What were some of your biggest c and successes in these roles?

Biggest challenge?

I would say really was among some of the students that we were rec their parents did not have a fav impression of the University of And many of the parents were sort of fearful of allowing their child to attend University of Florida.

And that's one of the reasons why we had started a summer jour visitation program where students and parents came.

We pay for them to stay overnigh They got a chance to meet with p and sort of get a tour, see what we were, instead of the per that were out there in the commu So again, that was probably the biggest ch The biggest success.

Some of the successes, I would s is that I was really very happy that the support that I received in the college really made a dif The dean, Dean Lowenstein, at th time was very supportive.

Dean Diane McFarland, who I mentioned to you, Dean Joh They really believed in what we were trying to do.

Also at that time, there were a lot of facult that were really helping out as So it wasn't just a one man oper It really was a college wide eff To me, one of the most satisfyin was when I would have parents wh that came to the college and don well and got a job.

They were telling other parents about our program.

So I would get a call saying, We Miss Smith told me that you were to get the child in and do all t and they were calling.

So the parents actually got to t they were recruiting for us.

So it moved from them being very apprehensive about College of Journalism, the University of Florida in par to being very supportive of what we were trying to do.

Was it rewarding to get that positive feedback?

It was very rewarding.

And oftentimes it would come when I didn't expe So that was always very exciting Or I get a call saying, you know we didn't have a social media at time, we're getting a call sayin my daughter's interested in jour anything you can do to help out?

And I was referred by Ms.. Smith and so forth.

So again, it was very satisfying to be abl tell these parents that, yes, when your child comes here, that we're going to be able to support them and they are going to graduate and find jobs in the industry.

It mustve felt different and probably nice to be the one getting the calls versus going out and recruiting people.

Yeah, in fact, that's actually how recruiting w You know, initially it was going out a lot, but afte when counselors and parents saw the success that we were hav the college, counselors would call me and say I've got a student here that's i in the College of Journalism.

And again, so they started doing the recruiting for us.

But I believe it's because they really felt that we had a good program, that we were sincere in our effo One of the things that was very to me was to provide feedback as much as I could, given, the l against sharing too much informa about students.

But again, I would give them fee on how the students doing.

The scholarship opportunities we had were very numerous at tha We had over $200,000 that we were awarding a scholars And again, that's when we starte forming student organizations to help with retention aspect of So you worked at the CJC for nearly 25 years.

What motivated you to stay all t Well, you know, it goes back to when I accepted the opportunity to come back to work at UF.

I mean, it was an opportunity because when I was a student her I had a very enjoyable education should have studied a lot more t But it was a very enjoyable expe I did not have any hard feelings any bad feelings toward the college or the univer So when I had an opportunity to come back and work, I jumped on it and then an oppor to come in the college.

You know, again, I thought that was just fate.

And I stayed as long as I did because I believed in the missio that we had of trying to assist I got the support of the college that made the job easy for me because again, it wasn't a one man operation.

It was the entire college, staff other students, faculty members that really supp the efforts that we were doing.

And it just felt like home, just felt like home.

You have fond memories of being here, tell me one of the best me Well, some I can tell and some I One of the things I do remember, there was a class called ad campaigns that adverti students take their senior year.

And this was an opportunity for us to work as a group.

So I was working with a group with some of my classmates, and we actually our client was C Gardens, which is no longer around in Win And we actually got a chance to go and visit there.

They paid for the class, entire to come in for a weekend because they wanted us to see the ski shows and everything the But from that opportunity there, some friendships that really stuck with me for a Even after I graduated, we staye but it was a chance to work as a on a project that we did, and we got an A, which was good.

But again, it's just the relationships that we develo and from that class is really a simulated an ad campaign.

We had to do the media planning, the creative part of it, and aga we didn't have the social media, so we were drawing stick people and things along those lines.

But again, an opportunity to work as a grou you know, I really felt good abo And we had a good class group an we stayed friends for time after the class.

Why was it important to be invol with and president of the Association of Black Facu and Staff at UF?

Well, I was always involved with ABFS as a member.

And when the outgoing president had decided that they were not going to be r and it was someone that had been very positive, very active as a I just felt there was a void and there was an opportunity.

And one of the things I looked a you know, in my career is giving back.

So it was, you know, my work within th I enjoyed, because it was my way of giving back to those students who perhaps needed that leg up instead of the handout as we tal So it was an opportunity for me play a big role within the university itself.

At a time, we you had meetings with the President where we woul share concerns among our faculty as well as other staff members.

So again, it was an opportunity to give back and to play a bigge and not just stay in my cocoon of the college itself, but try to have a bigger impact with the entire university.

Additionally, why are groups like UFNABJ valua When I first came into the colle we had a student organization ca the Association of Black Communi And that was the group before UF but UFNABJ became a student affiliate of the National Associ of Black Journalists.

We actually created more organiz beside UFNABJ.

We actually created Hispanic Communicators Associati and also the Asian-American Stud Association as well.

And these groups were affiliated with the national organizations with an opportunity to attend the national conference, to see who look like them, to understan how you don't work in a vacuum, but understanding how to work with others as well.

So it wasn't just, you know, you see a black face here and you take that as far as what your your career was.

But no, it's learning how to be and still maintain yourself and work within a group setting with other folks to be successfu A lot of your work is surrounded around the idea of giving minori opportunities.

What was the inspiration?

Did you always feel like that was going to be your career What made you want to give those those opportunities?

No, I did not think that was goi my career path at all.

I really had no idea what my career path was going to But again, as I go back, you know, when I came through being a first generation college not understanding, I remember being in high school and there was a young man that had went to another school and I was asking about credits, how do you earn credits towards And just really I had no idea wh And although I was, if I may say successful in my journey, I realized that there were a lot of students that did not have that opportuni And again, it goes back to what I said earl It wasn't a handout.

It was a hand up, its an opport to say, here, you know, UF has a great program UF is producing.

UF its graduating students.

These students are getting jobs in the field.

So if this is an area that you're interested in, then this is what UF has to offe And as I said earlier, too, we initially, when I came in, received a lot of support from major newspapers.

Gannett Foundation was a big supporter o but a lot of news organizations were really trying to increase the number of minority hires and they were into diversity.

And again, this was based on a s I think came out in 1980 that American Society of Newspap Editors had created what they said that we were changing as a count And based on that, ASNE, along with other organizations, that they needed to make a chang they needed to have people who look like the people that ar reporting that could go in and t to these families.

In fact, the first, black professor in th Les Carson was hired, he actuall with the riots in the sixties.

He was a reporter for a major ne And again, from that experience, he was able to come into the col and tell students about not only his career path, but also encourage them as well.

So again, it was all about providing the s with some opportunities that perhaps they were unaware o or because of circumstances just did not know existed.

You receive the honor of Profess Emeritus from the College of Journalism and Communications.

What does this mean to you?

It means so much to me.

I was quite honestly surprised.

I wasn't aware that I had receiv until I went over to get my UFID and that's when he told me that I had the status there.

But it means so much to me becau you know, I came into the colleg I had a bachelor's degree.

I was an assistant in position, which was a non-tenure earning faculty position where not many folks in their po were able to achieve the status that I achieved.

But again, I think it's because of the success that we had of th At the height of our success, the college was 25% minority stu So one out of every four student was a minority member in the col When I started, we were about 8% So again, we had done a lot of g And my work started with the minority programs, but then it expanded to working with all students.

I was actually Honor Guard at graduation, as well.

So again, I feel that it was because of th and accomplishments that we had, but it's something that I will alway Its one of my greatest achievem in life and one again that really meant a lot to me.

And the college held a retirement party for me and I'm not a man that moved to tears often, but at the time when folks got u and spoke students and faculty a spoke about the work that we wer in the college, I mean, it actually brought a tear to my ey But again, it was because of the success th So again, even though I received Professor Emeritus status, it was because of the work that in the college.

In 2013, you left UF to become t of the Central Florida Community Action Agency.

How does this organization work to impact the community?

Good question, Alex.

I actually started as a member of the board of directors.

At that time, the University of had a presidential appointee to the board of directors for Ce Florida Community Action Agency, and I served in that position for over 20 years as a board mem serving as board, chair, treasur every position within the board.

And in 2013, the previous CEO at that time was having some health problems.

And again goes back to sort of m projection here is I was asked about interested in the position I did not have to apply for it and I was actually in the drop p within the university system.

So I was going to have to exit the college in 2015.

But this opportunity came along because I was so familiar and serving as a board member on behalf of the university, this was an opportunity that was provided for me.

Central Florida Community Action Agency is a nonprofit that receives federal funds to assist low income residents.

One program is the Low Income Ho Assistance Program, where they p utility bills for low income residents, assist with the payment of the bills.

One with the weatherization assistance program.

We went into homes and weatheriz those homes, mainly for elderly to make their homes more safe and secure for them.

But the biggest program was the self-sufficiency program We were able to provide them wit paying for their uniform for their educational pursuits, whatever they needed, so that th focus on getting out of poverty and staying out of poverty.

And that was probably one of our most successful progr And we had many clients that cam and one client in particular, I remember the family, they came making like $14,000 a year.

But after the husband and the wife went through our pr they secured better jobs.

The family income moved to $50,0 So really was a big change for that family.

And again, it was a way of me continuing to help folks.

And as I used to say I went from helping students to helping the everyday person o Again, its a program that does Community Action Agencies across the country.

Not many people are very familia with them, but they do receive federal funds and state funds that help low income individuals After being at UF for so long, was this transition difficult to a new career and what did your day to day loo Yes, it was quite a transition from working in a college enviro to working under a board of dire that we had.

I was, again, a member of the board of directo but having to work under the boa of directors.

And again, the biggest change to that the life situations were a more critical because we would h that came to us that were living out of the car or their house had got burned or having abuse.

So sort of problems changed a li And I also had a staff of about that worked up under me.

So it changed a little bit.

When I was in the college, I had full time assistant and we had a of student helpers, student assi that worked in the Knight Divisi But having to supervise over 25 And again, it changed because I was a big part of thei You know, and I always had to be you know, if someone was sick or if something happened to them It kind of changed a little bit.

But I felt that I was successful in the transition.

But again, it was a transition from working with students to working with folks who were i What was the most gratifying par of leading the CFCAA?

Working with the staff, creating We created a program called Aging in Place, where we would go into the homes of seniors and pu accommodations for them to make safer, like grab bars or recesse lighting or redoing the bathroom putting in a shower type of thin That was really because it was only seniors that we work But that was very satisfying.

And the letters that we would ge thanks that we would get from those seniors who now at on thinking that they may not be ab live in their home or stay in th were able to stay in their home be safe.

So that's one program that we cr There were some other opportunit that we created along the way.

We created a program for young k and the program was called Rise, and it was a program that we did case managem for the entire family.

So if a mother, a single parent or parents came then we were able to work with t put their kids in a tutorial pro or get them into a summer progra educational program.

We really focused on STEM programs at that time if we want these kids would be e and it was a lot of career explo we did with them.

But the program worked with not only the parents but the kid So it was a whole family approac to sort of getting the family out of povert helping them to stay out of pove Are there communication skills that you learned in college that have proven vital throughout your career?

Well, you know, when I started w as a recruiter, there was a lot speaking involved.

And at one time I was so terrifi of public speaking that I would and I would still be thinking I messing up with those notes ther But the more I did it, the more comfortable I became, the more comfortable you come with the content of what you're discussing, it makes you more comfortable, so you're able to go ahead and pursue that.

So and then initially in my posi the old advertising skills came where we created new brochures and again, looking at what type of informat that we need in this brochure that people need to know about.

So a lot of the programs we created, our website was part of what I did and public speakin just really the interpersonal sk of working with a board of direc which mean I went from one boss, which is the dean of the college to 15 bosses on the board of dir You're making sure that you are able to successfully with everyone.

So again, it did change quite a But again, I relied a lot on the that I obtained in the College of Journalism, which have never My wife is always asking me to edit her work now for things like that, so I still got an eye for that, But again, those skills, they never leave you.

Do you have any advice to our au when it comes to finding a caree that youre truly passionate abo I would say, you know, one of th that I would always talk about when I was a student was really your passion.

You know, oftentimes kids are lo positions and looking at the dol of those positions.

But again, you need to follow your passion.

I used to say, You know, if you really work hard, there's something that you reall the finances will come.

It may not come right away.

But again, be patient, but you will see success as long as you're doing the best that you can in your job.

But again, don't look at the dol value, dollar figure, associated with that position, b look at where that position can And I think one of the other thi I think is important is not look at jobs, but look at career Often times kids want a job.

But when you look at yourself and look at position that you're is this something that I want as Is this something that I feel th I can do for like I did 20 years Or is this just a job?

I think you find more satisfacti if you look at it from a career viewpoint rather than just, I'm getting a Thank you for your insight, Char Thank you, Alex.

I enjoyed it.

And thank you for joining us.

Until next time, goodnight.