Mount Union alum Steve Harter '84 has been nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame.

A native of Carrollton, Ohio, Harter was a team captain for both the football and wrestling teams. He helped lead the wrestling team in 1984 to a 3rd place finish in the OAC and was an All-American with an 8th place finish at the NCAA Championships.
In 1983. he was an All-American football player, who won the OAC's Ken Wable Award given to the top offensive lineman in the conference.

A Business and Accounting major, he was also a NWCA Scholar All-American.

Today, the home football locker room, the Wable-Harter Building and the Kolenbrander-Harter Information Center both bear his name. He was also awarded the M-Club Award of Excellence.

Created in 1988, the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame recognizes Academic All-Americas® who have achieved lifetime success in their professional careers and are committed to philanthropic causes in the communities where they reside. Four or five deserving candidates are inducted at an annual awards ceremony. A total of 158 Academic All-Americas® have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception.

Since its inception, the Academic All-America® Hall of Fame has recognized U.S. Senators and Representatives, military heroes, attorneys, physicians, college presidents, Nobel Prize recipients and leading figures of corporate America. There has also been a fair share of sports legends including Bill Walton, Pat Haden, Lynette Woodard, Steve Young, Brock Strom, Joe Theisman, Lynn Barry, Cris Collinsworth, Bill Bradley, Bernie Kosar, Tracy Caulkins-Stockwell, Merlin Olsen, Danny Ainge, Drew Brees, Jennifer Rizzotti, Danny Wuerffel, Shane Battier, Derrick Brooks, Heather O'Reilly and Peyton Manning.

Harter joins Mount Union alum and current Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell '02 as nominees.

After graduating in 1984, Harter worked as a Senior Accountant for Arthur Andersen, then as Director of Acquisitions for Allwaste Inc. After his successful stints at Arthur Anderson and Allwaste, Inc. in 1994, Steve started Notre Capital Ventures (NVC).  Notre created and launched eight companies in five years that resulted in IPOs on the NYSE and have generated over $7 billion annual revenues. Three of the companies achieved revenues of at least 1 billion dollars. He has started over 25 companies in his lifetime. His primary focus is on technology that can change industries.

After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Steve decided to focus his efforts on Texas-based companies. He formed Texas Taxi, and acquired Yellow Cab Services in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Steve, whose own stepfather drove a taxi in Canton, Ohio, believes everyone should be treated equally.

Steve implemented a program to ensure that all drivers were treated with "dignity and respect." Steve set up a number where drivers could call him directly. This led to a driver, John Drew, the ex-Atlanta Hawk basketball player, getting up in front of the Houston City Council and stating he prayed for three things every day. His sobriety, Yellow Cab, and Steve Harter.

During his years of ownership, every child of a driver or employee who wrote an essay on where they wanted to go to college received a scholarship.  This was a way for Steve to give back to his adopted state of Texas. During hurricanes, free rides would be given to people seeking shelter, and the "Cabs on Patrol" program was developed with the cities for drinking and driving and to help with crime and human trafficking. The taxi company would also provide support for numerous causes and charities that needed transportation or funding.

In 1996, Steve gave lead gift for the football locker room in the North end of Mount Union Stadium, which was named the Wable-Harter Football Locker Room. In 2000, he gave the lead gift for the 80,000 square-foot Kolenbrander-Harter Information Center. Steve's work with technology and then President Kolenbrander's vision came together to create a state-of-the-art building. Mount Union would be positioned to offer online classes, on-campus learning, and students could participate in activities like sports, music, and theater.

Steve has also donated thousands of bikes to CYCLE (Changing Young Children's Lives through Education) to middle school kids for the last 15 years. This program incentivizes students to earn their bikes during the critical years of literacy comprehension and promotes study skills throughout their educational careers. 

Steve is a supporter of Mexican/American Studies at the University of Houston.  He started supporting the program with scholarships and then became the Chairman for fundraising. He was then honored as person of the year for his efforts.  In Steve's speech, he referenced that "the only difference between a poor kid from Carrollton, OH, and a poor Mexican kid is that he did not have to swim the Rio Grande to get to Texas." Steve also endowed a Chair in the name of the founder, Taticho Mendiola.

Steve and his employees started Adopt a Middle School program. They chose the worst-performing middle school that was failing and on the verge of being shut down. They mentored 100 8th graders a year for ten years by implementing programs focused on academic success, including a computer lab and reading and English language programs. The school in 5 years was in the top 12 "recommended" schools in the Houston Independent District (HISD).

Steve has started two middle school soccer programs. One related to his Adopt a Middle School program.  The school did not have after-school athletics.  He teamed with the YMCA to start a four-team league which he funded in the HISD.  The program expanded to 10 schools and was then adopted and supported by the Major League Soccer Houston Dynamo FC. 

Steve gave lead gift to Carrollton (Ohio) High School for a new football stadium, funded numerous scholarships for education in Houston, and continues to donate and endow scholarships for Carrollton High School, Buckeye Joint Vocational School, and Mount Union.