Walsh University has appointed 2004 Walsh alum Nick Morris, Ph.D., as Faculty Director of the Blouin Scholars Program, an intensive study of some of the most challenging issues that contribute to poverty in our local, national and global communities. Morris brings more than 16 years of community development and higher education leadership experience to this role. Morris will work with key stakeholders and steward the Blouin Scholars Program with strategic initiatives to positively impact Walsh University, the greater Stark County community, and scholars themselves.
Each fall, a new cohort of incoming freshmen is identified for the Blouin Scholars Program from a diverse range of majors and disciplines and spends the next four years together studying a different topic related to social justice and human dignity including human trafficking, access to clean water, healthcare, education and other important issues. As Blouin Scholars, they develop a passion to become leaders in service to others and learn the critical thinking, problem solving, communication and intercultural skills that empower them to make meaningful change in their communities throughout their careers.
Morris most recently served as Principal and Owner of Kestrel Community Solutions LLC. In that role he worked with several nonprofits to support program and staff development, evaluation and assessment, as well as fundraising. Previous to that role he was Community Relations Director for the Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation and a Program Specialist for the University of Arizona. He has led the collaboratives in Stark County for public health and inter-university collaborations through his work at Stark Parks and has served as an adjunct professor since 2004 with stints at Walsh University and Kent State University. Morris earned his Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations of Education from Kent State University in 2016 with a focus on the intersections of higher education institutions and the communities in which they operate.
