It's Official
Scott named ninth president after 20 years at PSU
Madison Dennis
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Front Page
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About 800 students, faculty, staff, residents and guests braved the chilly weather to attend the ceremony, held in front of Russ Hall.
In a speech that called attention to the importance of the professor-student connection, Scott illustrated the impact that a relationship between an educator and a student can have. He drew on his own experience, those of President James Garfield, and those of his mother, who was also a student at Pittsburg State University. He highlighted the benefits that his mother gained from Pitt State, adding that it also affected the life of her family.
"What does that mean?" asked Scott. "It means that I'm now leading an institution that was in many ways responsible for the context of my life."
As a PSU alumnus, Scott encouraged the bonds that form on campus, and recalled the influence that professors have over their students.
"Without a doubt, to me, what gives meaning to this place are the relationships that develop in the classrooms, in the laboratories, on the football field, over lunch in Gorilla Crossing, on the Oval, in faculty and department offices, on the band practice field, and on the courts and diamonds," said Scott.
Scott recounted the advice of one of his former professors and the influence he had in Scott's decision to return to school to earn a doctorate in education.
"Dr. Parker used to say, 'Young man, you need to go get a doctorate.' Even more importantly, he said, 'You are capable of getting one,'" said Scott.
Scott spoke of how professors' impact can ripple far beyond students' college life. He quoted President Garfield on the influence former professors had upon him.
"The ideal college is Mark Hopkins on one end of a bench and a student on the other ... his sentiments are often called the classic American definition of higher education," Scott said.
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