Dr. Victor Harris
Professor
UF/IFAS Extension SMARTCouples
Biography
Dr. Victor William Harris is a Professor in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences at the University of Florida. He is a nationally and internationally recognized educator, scholar, and social scientist in the area of close relationships—relationship quality, couple and relationship education, and social emotional ability.
Contact Information
victorharris@ufl.edu
(352) 273-3523
Office:
3028B McCarty Hall D
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Education
- Ph.D. Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Utah State University
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Professional Experience
Dr. Harris’ love for teaching, research, and outreach includes more than forty years working with children, youth, emerging adults, persons with disabilities, couples, and parents at the preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and community level, as well as in the college and university setting.
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Teaching
- FYC 3001 – Principles of Family, Youth and Community Sciences
- FYC 3101 – Parenting and Family Development
- FYC 3112 – Contemporary Family Problems and Interventions
- FYC 3115 – Human Services
- FYC 4503 – Methods of Family Life Education
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Research
Dr. Harris has authored more than 300 creative works, including three books. His research includes more than 50 peer reviewed publications and 70 conference/symposium presentations and proceedings reaching more than 150 thousand scholars and practitioners in over 150 countries throughout the world.
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Extension
Extension Focus: Healthy Relationships
Dr. Harris’ SMART relationship education programming has been funded by the Office of Family Assistance and by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation—offices in the Administration of Children and Families—with more than 5.8 million in extramural funding awarded to date. Three federal studies have also been conducted on his SMART Couples programs.
- Publications
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Awards and Honors
Dr. Harris has received multiple national teaching and outreach awards for his work with teens, families, couples, and students such as:
- North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Distinguished Educator Award
- National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Osborne Award for excellence in teaching Family Science
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture/United States Department of Agriculture (NIFA/USDA) Extension State Specialist Achievement Award for excellence in outreach service and programming
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Teacher of the Year Award
- One of seven finalists nominated as the Teacher of the Year for the University of Florida.
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Other Professional Activities
Dr. Harris has directed multiple travel study groups to Europe and enjoys studying different cultures and peoples and how they form and maintain close relationships. As a result of his studies, he has traveled to almost all 50 of the United States and to such countries as Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, and Wales. He is also a USPTA certified professional tennis coach and has spent more than 40-years using the sport of tennis to empower children and adults to develop greater confidence, self-efficacy, and healthier lifestyles.