Ed.D. Candidate Named “Unsung Hero” at Syracuse University

Nichole Henry, a current candidate in St. John Fisher University’s Doctor of Education in Executive Leadership (Ed.D.), was one of the recipients of Syracuse University’s 2023 Unsung Hero award.

This accolade is given annually to “community members, students, faculty, and staff who have made a positive impact on the lives of others but are not widely recognized for their contributions.” Henry was recognized for her accomplishments at the 38th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, held on Sunday, Jan. 22.

Henry is earning her doctorate at Fisher’s extension site at Onondaga Community College, while continuing to develop her professional career at Syracuse University. She first joined the institution as as an admissions coordinator, and is now director of admissions and recruitment. She was drawn to the Fisher Ed.D program’s focus on social justice and community outreach. Her doctoral research explores the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), following her passion of empowering students from marginalized backgrounds to gain access to higher education.

“My goal is to educate and help those seeking to obtain a college education,” she said. “The community is my canvas and I work to engage others to aid in coloring it with programs that lead to economic and educational success.”

The tools Henry developed during her time in the Ed.D. program have helped to fuel her 20-year impact at Syracuse University. She is the president and charter member of the Delta Alpha Gamma Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., working with sorority sisters to provide financial support to local women with aspirations of higher education.

In addition to her sorority outreach, Henry is as a volunteer dialogue facilitator for InterFaith Works which focuses on promoting racial and religious equity. She is also a FullCircle Mentor at Syracuse, where she aids students in adjusting to the different academic, social, professional, and personal challenges of college life.

Being a recipient of Syracuse University’s Unsung Hero Award highlights Henry’s legacy of leadership in academics and in the wider campus community. While balancing both social and professional responsibilities, Henry has helped hundreds of students gain access to higher education through her devotion to HEOP and her work in admissions and recruitment. Colleagues at Syracuse University had exceptional praise for Henry in their announcement, stating, “She reflects the ideals of her sorority by engaging in ‘scholarship, service, sisterhood and finer womanhood,’ in all that she does in the community and in her work to continue to uphold, lift up and empower all members of the community.”

This article was written by Tyler Cole ’23, a cybersecurity major and PR Writing Intern in the Office of Marketing and Communications.