This week, Fort Valley State University will honor the 18 men that helped launch the university during its annual Founders Day Observance at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 in the Woodward Gymnasium. The keynote speaker for this year's event will be Dr. Marcy Hunt-Harris, director of Student Services for the Monroe County Board of Education in Forsyth Ga. Hunt-Harris is the great-great granddaughter of Henry A. Hunt, the second principal of Fort Valley High and Industrial School which later became FVSU. Following the event, the university will also celebrate its 120th Anniversary with a cake-cutting ceremony in the Lyons Student Center.

Hunt-Harris is an alumna of Fort Valley State. In 1997, she earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from FVSU. She later receieved her master's degree in school counseling from Fort Valley State. The administrator earned her specialist and doctorate degree in educational leadership from Nova Southern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The administrator is employed with the Monroe County Board of Education. During her 19-year educational career, Hunt-Harris has mentored and taught the county's young students as a teacher, school counselor, assistant principal and principal.

Hunt-Harris explained that her career path has provided her with opportunities to support parents, teachers and students from pre-kindgarten through 12th grade, and ultimately prepared her to serve in my current job as director of student services.
In her current administrative role, Hunt-Harris says she helps students to reach their fullest potential.

"My mission is to gear my efforts toward positively impacting the community by working for children. I count my work with at-risk students as my greatest passion," she said. "My personal goal is to seek those that seem 'unreachable,' and show them their own personal strengths, and watch as they amaze themselves at what they're able to accomplish."