TO: Employee-news
FROM: Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
DATE: September 4, 2015
SUBJECT: Interim Chief Academic Officer to Start October 1st
ATTACHMENT: CAO Job Description
Colleagues,
Please join me in welcoming Robert Frank Scott, Jr., Ph.D. to the Unity College community. Rob will be joining the College on October 1st as the Interim Associate CAO, and will transition to Interim Chief Academic Officer and Professor of Criminology on January 3rd. Dr. Scott comes to Unity College from Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas where he held the position of Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Effectiveness after years of service as CAO at multiple institutions.
The need for immediate service at the Chief Academic Officer position convinced me to move deliberately. My commitment to allow the next President to select his or her own CAO recommended an up to two year interim appointment. Hiring a proven leader with a particular skill set now, but for a set term, allows us to follow through on the Strategic Plan without delay.
Tangible progress on alternative revenue streams like online education and integration of the curricular, co-curricular, and residential living and learning experience are key to on-schedule realization of the Strategic Plan. As the list was narrowed, Dr. Scott’s experience as a successful developer of online and residential academic programs is what set him apart from other highly qualified candidates.
Dr. Scott contributes welcome experience to functional leadership in abundance at Unity College. In our emerging administrative structure Rob will work with the team of chief officers to establish execution strategies and provide mutual support across departmental boundaries. As Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Scott will serve as first among equals with regard to academic, curricular, and faculty matters.
In our new leadership in abundance model of chief officers, the CAO plays a vital role. Strict focus will allow our new CAO to give much-needed attention to day-to-day concerns, while relying on the President to work with the Board of Trustees and chief officer team to set policy and strategy.
Specific deliverables for the position of interim CAO include successful management of day-to-day academic operations; feasibility assessment and execution planning for online graduate education; continuous preparation for accreditation; ongoing response to student academic concerns; support of the President in implementation of academic restructuring; ongoing work with Center Directors to ensure compliance with the evaluation, retention and promotion requirements of the Personnel Policies & Procedures “PPP” faculty manual; and execution of assigned elements of the Strategic Plan for AY 15-16.
Dr. Scott has considerable experience as Chief Academic Officer, having held the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs at both Keystone College in La Plume, Pennsylvania and at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. He was also Dean of the College of Education and Applied Technology at Fort Hays State University in Fort Hays, Kansas and Chair of the Department of Justice Studies at the same institution.
Dr. Scott’s accomplishments in distance learning are considerable. At Fort Hays State University he oversaw the College of Education and Technology which enrolls 650 graduate and 600 undergraduate online students. Also at Fort Hays, Scott designed and led development of online undergraduate and graduate programs in Justice Studies. At Keystone College Dr. Scott increased online headcounts and offerings, and created a significant international partnership. Dr. Scott led the implementation of the online learning initiative at Kansas Wesleyan University. University of Maine at Fort Kent realized growth in online headcount and offerings during his leadership there.
Dr. Scott earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from Sam Houston State University in Criminal Justice in 1993. His dissertation is titled “Rural-Agrarian Illicit Anabolic Steroid Use Patterns.” Scott completed Post-Masters Study at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Criminal Justice where his major area of study was affirmative action policy. He completed his Master of Science (M.S.) in Criminal Justice at the State University of New York College at Buffalo where his major area of study was Public Administration. Scott’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) is from Brock University, St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Canada, in Political Science.
Teaching and scholarship in the fields of criminal justice and higher education administration provide the backbone of Dr. Scott’s faculty record. Publications and presentations include the areas of technology in law enforcement, drug crime, and the use of force, as well as on the higher education administration topics of distance education and graduate program development.
Rob Scott’s successful years of experience with program startup, policy development, faculty supervision and governance, and mission-focused service stand Unity College in good stead at CAO. His preparation as a scholar and years as a productive faculty member make him a ready advocate for faculty.
During professional development faculty expressed interest in better access to and communication with administration, so I have asked our Director of Facilities, Dan LaForge to work with CDs to identify an office location to achieve this excellent goal. By January 3, Dr. Scott will be located either in Founders Hall South or in Koons Hall.
I believe that we will agree with Rob’s glowing references conducted by HR that he is an excellent addition to the Unity College leadership team. Welcome, Dr. Rob Scott to the Unity College Faculty and community.
Sincerely,
MPK
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
Executive Vice President, CAO, CFO &
Liaison to the Board of Trustees
Unity College
Office: 207-509-7144
“Integrity, by its very existence, rekindles the belief that as a people we can live above the level of moral squalor. We need that belief; as a cynical community is a corrupt community.” John Gardner
