Pamela Harper, a professor at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, was awarded the NAACP’s “Joe and Mildred Williams Lifetime Achievement Award” at this year’s annual Freedom Fund Banquet. The Lifetime Achievement Award is present to an individual who has culminated ten year or more of service and support to the betterment of the local and national community. The award represents years of service and accomplishment in one or many fields. Although the awardee is not required to be a member of the NAACP, the individual must uphold the tenets and image of the organization.
Harper, who is the Coordinator of ECTC’s Learning Lab, has worked at the college in several capacities for 35 years. She is widely recognized for the Gospel Extravaganza she has coordinated for more than 30 years. Harper started this event to celebrate black history and to show her students diversity in song and praise. The event has grown over the years, with as many as 27 local churches participating. Many now call it Hardin County Black People’s Family reunion because it is the largest free cultural event in the area, open to all regardless of faith or color. The musical has even featured state-wide talent such as the nine college gospel choirs from across Kentucky that drew over 985 people.
She has also taught Sociology, Human Services and Study Skills courses. Harper dedicated her career to enhancing the skills of academically disadvantaged students. She has been a strong force in the recruitment and retention of minority students at ECTC. Harper has been instrumental in acquiring scholarships for students through her church as well as the community. She serves as the vice president of the Scholarship Committee at First Baptist Church and works on the Scholarship Committee at ECTC.
She has been a member of the First Baptist Church, NAACP, KY Association of Blacks in Higher Education, National Council of Instructional Administrators, Delta Sigma Theta Service Sorority, and National Council on Black American Affairs. Two recent major accomplishments included winning the Governor's "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Citizenship Award" in 2009, which was based on outstanding service to the state of Kentucky in the areas of community service, civic activities, and humanitarian achievements. Pam was the only person in Hardin County to achieve this award and one of the few teachers to receive this award. In 2010, Harper was also featured by Western Kentucky University in their Mountain Workshop Photography Shoot of Hardin County, which was featured on MSNBC, in which she represented Hardin County and exemplified the various lifestyles of Kentuckians.
Harper, who is the Coordinator of ECTC’s Learning Lab, has worked at the college in several capacities for 35 years. She is widely recognized for the Gospel Extravaganza she has coordinated for more than 30 years. Harper started this event to celebrate black history and to show her students diversity in song and praise. The event has grown over the years, with as many as 27 local churches participating. Many now call it Hardin County Black People’s Family reunion because it is the largest free cultural event in the area, open to all regardless of faith or color. The musical has even featured state-wide talent such as the nine college gospel choirs from across Kentucky that drew over 985 people.
She has also taught Sociology, Human Services and Study Skills courses. Harper dedicated her career to enhancing the skills of academically disadvantaged students. She has been a strong force in the recruitment and retention of minority students at ECTC. Harper has been instrumental in acquiring scholarships for students through her church as well as the community. She serves as the vice president of the Scholarship Committee at First Baptist Church and works on the Scholarship Committee at ECTC.
She has been a member of the First Baptist Church, NAACP, KY Association of Blacks in Higher Education, National Council of Instructional Administrators, Delta Sigma Theta Service Sorority, and National Council on Black American Affairs. Two recent major accomplishments included winning the Governor's "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Citizenship Award" in 2009, which was based on outstanding service to the state of Kentucky in the areas of community service, civic activities, and humanitarian achievements. Pam was the only person in Hardin County to achieve this award and one of the few teachers to receive this award. In 2010, Harper was also featured by Western Kentucky University in their Mountain Workshop Photography Shoot of Hardin County, which was featured on MSNBC, in which she represented Hardin County and exemplified the various lifestyles of Kentuckians.