Feature Story
Andy Harris Joins SVU Faculty as Assistant Professor of Family and Human Development
Southern Virginia University is pleased to welcome Andy Harris as an assistant professor of family and human development, where he will teach courses covering marriage and family, family process, and men in families.
“I feel like family and human development is the most important subject you could study because it’s so practical for everybody,” said Harris. “Whatever major students are pursuing or career they want, we all have families. We all want to have good families, and we care about having strong, healthy relationships with people we care about.”
Prior to joining Southern Virginia University, Harris served as an assistant professor at Utah State University in the department of human development and family studies from 2020–24. There he taught courses covering human development, marriage and family relationships, adolescence, and family and social policy. He was also a committee chair of the university’s faculty-to-student mentoring program for three years.
“The most important thing that students can take away from this area of study, even if it’s not their major, is that in both parenting and in relationships, what matters most is being intentional,” Harris said. “Wanting to build a strong relationship or be a good parent means you’re going to look for ways that you can do better, and this field provides great resources for success.”
Harris was nominated for undergraduate instructor of the year at Utah State University in 2024 and won graduate student instructor of the year in 2019. His research into family relationships, marriage, youth, and social responsibility and influence has been published in several refereed journals, including the North American Journal of Psychology and the Journal of Leadership Education.
“Teaching was something that I always wanted to do,” said Harris. “While going through school, I admired the great teachers in my life, and I just had that feeling of, ‘I want to do that for someone.’ I want to be the reason why someone feels inspired to go learn as well, and I’m really excited to get to know my students here at Southern Virginia.”
He has presented at conferences and seminars over the last ten years, including at the Empowering Teaching Excellence Conference in 2023 and the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar in 2022. Harris has also served on numerous planning and service committees, including for the Utah Association of Youth Councils and the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership organization.
Harris holds a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in human development and family studies from Utah State University.