Biography

Dr. Melinda Harper has been actively involved in teaching and research in higher education and providing clinical services since 2000. Dr. Harper is currently a Professor of Psychology at Queens University of Charlotte and the 2023 winner of the Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award. She currently teaches General Psychology, Child & Adolescent Psychopathology, Group Dynamics, and Practicum in Leadership Skills. Her current research focuses on the variables that contribute to a successful transition from high school to college. She is the Director of the Transition to University (T2U) program at Queens University of Charlotte. This program teaches both rising and current college first-year students a variety of skills to facilitate their adjustment to university life. Her work has been recognized in the two-book series by Momentum Press, Transition to Success: Training Students to Lead Peer Groups in Higher Education (Harper & Allegretti, 2018) and Transition to Success: The Transition to University Program (Harper & Allegretti, 2018).

Dr. Harper has published in several journals, including Teaching of Psychology, Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy, The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and The Journal of Youth and Adolescence. She has contributed to the Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Parent Magazine, Charlotte Magazine, WCCB-Charlotte, FOX Charlotte, WSOC TV Channel 9, and WCNC Channel 36. She speaks regularly about the transition to university life and predictive variables of first-year student success to local and regional institutions, including area high schools and teaching conferences.

Dr. Harper has traveled extensively for Queens, leading student trips to Great Britain, Greece, Spain, Austria, Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

In addition to her role at Queens, Dr. Harper is a licensed psychologist and clinical partner with Charlotte Psychotherapy & Consultation Group in Charlotte, NC. She provides consultative and psychological services to adolescents and adults.

Education

Post-doctoral Fellow, Psychology, Yale University
Pre-doctoral Fellow, Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine
Ph.D., Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
B.A., Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Awards / Recognition

2023 Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award