Kandace L. Harris, Ph.D.

With over 17+ years in higher education, Kandace L. Harris, Ph.D. is extremely knowledgeable about an array of institutional priorities and best practices for teaching, learning, and preparing students for lifelong success. A media and communication studies scholar, she currently is the Associate Dean of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication at California State University, Northridge and has served as an administrator at three HBCUs. As AMC‘s Associate Dean, Dr. Harris leads the college‘s Student Success and DEI

initiatives. In this role, she‘s participated in various campus-wide CSUN think-tanks, including the Black Student Success Initiative and is a co-lead for the Seal of Excelencia, which conducts analysis to inform educational policies, and advance institutional practices that promote Latino student achievement. Harris also serves as lead advisor for Black Graduation Advisory Committee, mentors students through the graduate process, and works to create new programs that increase CSUN’s graduation rates and graduate degree recipients. Her most recent honors include being selected as a 2022 HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Fellow and being recognized as a 2019 Pearls of Purpose Foundation, Inc.'s “Women Making a Difference; Sustaining the Legacy of HBCUs” Awardee. Also, Dr. Harris is a 2016 recipient of the Rex Crawley Outstanding Service Award from the National Communication Association’s Black Caucus. Her research focus includes media representation, social media, and the advancement of women and the underrepresented in the academy. She recently co-authored “Best Friends Forever: Representations of Sisterhood Among Black Women on Screen” in the book Sacred Sisterhoods: A Celebration of Black Women’s Friendships on TV & Film 1993 – 2023; and co-edited the book Being Mara Brock Akil: Representations of Black Womanhood on Television. An Oakland native, Dr. Harris holds triple degrees from Howard University, including being one of the first graduates to receive a Ph.D. in Mass Communications & Media Studies. A long-time leadership servant of her Alma Mater, Dr. Harris was awarded the 2018 Crystal Bison Award from the Department of Alumni Relations (DAR), the 2018 and 2020 Region Chair of the Year, and currently is the 8th woman to serve as the Howard University Alumni Association President.

Kandace L. Harris, Ph.D.
Associate Dean