honors program


Benjamin Harrison

23rd President of the United States and Miami Graduate

 



 
The purpose of the Harrison Scholarship is to promote:
  • Scholarly passion and excellence
  • Civic leadership, stewardship, and service
  • Global awareness and citizenship
These are ideals that Miami University holds dear. They are also traits exemplified by Benjamin Harrison and why the university named its premier scholarship program after this Miami graduate and 23rd President of the United States. The Harrison Scholarship Program seeks students from across the country and around the world who have the potential to be outstanding scholars, global citizens, and respected leaders.

Benjamin Harrison's commitment to public service had deep family roots. His grandfather was William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana territory , general in the War of 1812, congressman, U.S. senator, and ninth president of the United States. As a successful Miami student (class of 1852), a brilliant young lawyer, an effective colonel in the military, and a U.S. senator, Benjamin Harrison made his own mark on the developing nation.

An eloquent speaker, he was president of Miami's Union Literary Society, a debating club, and Phi Delta Theta fraternity. At graduation, he spoke on "The Poor of England."

In 1862, he set aside his law practice and recruited a regiment of 1,000 Indiana volunteers to join the Union forces. When they marched into the south with Sherman's army, he won the loyalty of his men through his study of military tactics and his personal care of the wounded. After the war, while serving as a U.S. senator, he was an advocate for Indian and homesteader rights and civil government in the Alaskan territory.

As president, he guided the growth of the United States, opening the Oklahoma Territory to settlers and promoting statehood for four western territories. In his concern for providing consistent national services for citizens, he reinforced the federal judiciary and increased the size and scope of the Civil Service. Abroad, he expanded American ties to the Samoan Islands and Hawaii. Even after his presidency, Harrison continued his passion for foreign policy and for the plight of American Indians. He was an advocate for social justice in America and for civil rights in the American territories of Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Miami University first honored its ties to this remarkable citizen by naming a main campus building after him. Although the original building was replaced in 1958, his name remained on the new structure, appropriately housing the Department of Political Science. The Harrison Scholarships continue to acknowledge this graduate and encourage new generations of Miami students to contribute to society.