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Dr. Kim D. Harrington Student Employee Scholarship

Honoring a Legacy: The Dr. Kim D. Harrington Student Employee Scholarship

After 24 years of transformative service to Georgia Tech, Dr. Kim D. Harrington will retire in May 2025—leaving behind a profound legacy rooted in leadership, mentorship, and belonging. Throughout her career, Kim championed student success, elevated staff leadership, and shaped campus culture with both strength and care. 

Dr. Harrington began her Georgia Tech journey in the Student Center as the Associate Director of Operations, where she revitalized building operations, reimagined the custodial program, and led the opening of the renovated Stamps Commons. Her ability to drive strategic change while centering people earned her the role of Director of the Student Center, where her reputation as a trusted, empowering leader continued to grow. 

Recognizing her talents as a people leader, Georgia Tech tapped Dr. Harrington to serve as Chief Human Resources Officer, a position she held for seven years. In that role, she helped guide the Institute through major leadership transitions and the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Kim later stepped into multiple Chief of Staff roles before being named the inaugural Associate Vice President for Arts, Belonging, and Community. In this final chapter, she helped launch a new division within Student Engagement and Well-Being (SEWB), dedicated to fostering spaces where everyone—students and staff alike—can explore, create, and find community at Georgia Tech. 

In celebration of her remarkable contributions, the Student Employee of the Year Scholarship has been renamed in her honor as the Dr. Kim D. Harrington Student Employee Scholarship. The fund supports exceptional student employees within the Student and Campus Event Centers (SCEC)—the very team where Kim’s leadership journey began and where her commitment to student development has made a lasting impact. 

A Scholarship with a One-of-a-Kind Origin 

This scholarship has long served as a celebration of student excellence—but its story begins with a twist of fate and a game show. In 1994, Georgia Tech students were sent by the Student Center to represent the Institute on Wheel of Fortune's College Week. Dominating the competition, the team won a $75,000 annuity, which seeded the first $50,000 of this endowment. Since 2000, the scholarship has honored the Student Employee of the Year—empowering those who embody the spirit of leadership, service, and commitment within what is now known as SCEC. 

A National Voice for Student Affairs 

Beyond campus, Dr. Harrington has been a guiding force in the student affairs profession, serving as ACUI: Advancing Campus Community’s President in 2014. ACUI is one of the first professional associations in higher education rooted in supporting student centers and student unions. Dr. Harrington’s contributions to community-building and professional development continue to influence practitioners and programs across the country. 

Kim

Make a Gift in Honor of Dr. Harrington—and the Students Who Carry Her Legacy Forward

We invite you to make a meaningful gift to the Dr. Kim D. Harrington Student Employee Scholarship—honoring both Kim’s decades of leadership and the student employees whose work helps Georgia Tech thrive every day. 

Your donation expands the reach of this scholarship, ensuring that more students are recognized, supported, and celebrated for their impact. 

Together, we carry forward a legacy of excellence in student leadership and service.