2007 NETWORKING® MAGAZINE’S DAVID AWARD HONOREE.

DR. ROBERT A. SCOTT
President, Adelphi University

BY MAUREEN TRAXLER

A scholar, teacher, author and business leader, Dr.
Robert Scott has been the driving force behind
Adelphi University’s accomplishments since he
was appointed as the University’s ninth president in
July 2000. During Scott’s tenure, the University completed
its first new residence hall in 36 years, which is
now filled to capacity; put together enrollment, academic,
staffing and financial plans for each academic
unit from the arts to social work; and constructed a
new Fine Arts facility on the south side of campus for
sculpture, ceramics, painting, and print-making, which
includes exhibition space.

Currently, Adelphi is undergoing over $113 million
in construction projects that include an expanded performing arts building comprising a 500-seat music
auditorium, 200-seat dance recital hall, faculty offices,
new black-box theater, new lobby and renovated theater.
Part of this effort is also a new recreation and
sports center that will be connected to Woodruff Hall.
Adjacent to the Center, a new soccer/lacrosse field will
be built atop underground parking for 310 cars.
Adding to the aesthetic value, the 75-acre Garden
City campus became a registered member of the
American Association of Botanical Gardens and
Arboreta in May 2002, and has taken on the look of an
outdoor art exhibit with sculptures and other artistic
works. “We want people who walk around our campus
to learn something,” notes Scott. “We want them to be
stimulated and think about their environment.”
Under Scott’s watch, Adelphi has seen annual
fundraising increase by 300%, endowment and other
invested funds increase 57%, full-time enrollment
increase by 1,870, full-time faculty up by 120, total
assets up nearly 90% to $276 million, and alumni
giving rising by over 650%.

“ Alumni represent the soul of the university in
many ways,” says Scott. Having invested a good
portion of their lives in study at Adelphi, he adds,
“ their degrees have value to them and they want to
know the University is improving.”

In addition to a new visual look on campus, Scott
has emphasized world affairs and global education.
Under his leadership, Adelphi had applied for and
was granted status as an NGO, a non-governmental
organization, of the United Nations. As a result of
this designation, ambassadors visit the campus for
lectures and events, and faculty and students can
receive UN identification cards, giving them privileges
to visit the UN and attend sessions. Students
can also participate in internships at international
organizations and government offices. On campus,
Adelphi has established a “Model UN” club, following
the program initiated by the U.S. State
Department, which provides students with valuable
experience in communication, negotiation tactics and
conflict prevention.

“ Our students, no matter where they settle, are
going to be working with, supervising, or living next
to somebody from a different nation, culture or region,”
comments Scott. “College is the place to learn and foster
the skills needed to be a good global citizen.”

Through the U.S. Departments of Education and
State, Scott has represented the United States in international negotiations on matters concerning the transferability of higher education credit and credentials. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Attending the Council of Europe in June, he worked
with university and government officials to develop a
declaration on the role of universities in advancing
democratic societies and a sustainable environment.
“ Adelphi is an engaged university, active in the community,” notes Scott, and he encourages students, faculty and staff to participate in the University’s community service programs. For 25 years, Adelphi has provided information, referrals, and emotional support
from the only university-based breast cancer counseling
program in New York State. Adelphi’s Breast
Cancer Hotline is staffed by volunteer breast-cancer
survivors and is available 24/7. Adelphi’s Long Island
Center for Nonprofit Leadership offers programs and
services for executive directors, boards of directors, and
new and emerging leaders. During development of this
program, Adelphi sought assistance from the Long
Island Community Foundation, United Way,
Sustainable Long Island and the Rauch Foundation.
The University has held two major summits to help
nonprofits promote leadership development, advance
strategic planning and strengthen their missions, and
the Center has many innovative programs planned.
Adelphi has initiated a new campus-community
research and action project — Vital Signs, Measuring
Long Island’s Social Health. The University recently
issued its 2006 Inaugural Report, identifying, tracking
and assessing the social health status of the people and
communities of Long Island, and creating a baseline
profile of quality of life in the region. By making data
available in a centralized location, the profile provides
a tool for policy making, strategic planning, and
resource allocation.

A New Jersey native, Scott spent his formative years
in Mount Vernon. As a youngster, he had two fascinations
— words (his mom was a poet and he had an
interest in writing), and people (in junior high, he was
called “the mayor of Fourth Avenue” because he knew
just about everyone).

Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in English
Literature at Bucknell University. During a tour in the
Philippines while in the Navy, he became interested in
education, and taught English to fellow sailors and
civilians at the University of the Philippines. He later
went on to receive a Ph.D. in the sociology of education
at Cornell University.

Scott has distinguished himself by becoming the only
American to have served in the three top posts in higher
education — at a coordinating agency (he served as
head of the New Jersey Commission on Higher
Education and Assistant Commissioner of Higher
Education in Indiana), a public institution (President of
Ramapo College of New Jersey), and an independent
private university (President of Adelphi University).
Scott demonstrates his unique rapport with students,
from seeing the soccer team off to play a championship
game against Brown University to performing in the
student production of Our Town this February. He
writes a column for the Anton weekly newspaper
group, hosts a TV show on Telecare called Critical
Issues, and enjoys writing poetry, occasionally incorporating verse in his official remarks. A Garden City resident, Scott enjoys visiting his daughter Kira and son
Ryan and their families, including a three-year old
grandson and two-year old twins.

NETWORKING® January 2007