Scott A. Gordon | |
---|---|
9th President of Stephen F. Austin State University | |
In office August 17, 2019 –April 10, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Baker Pattillo |
Succeeded by | Steve Westbrook |
Personal details | |
Born | Malone,New York,U.S. | October 31,1967
Alma mater | SUNY at Cortland (B.A.) University of Tennessee (M.S.,Ph.D.) |
Website | SFA President Website |
Scott A. Gordon served as the ninth president of Stephen F. Austin State University from August 17,2019,to April 10,2022. [1] [2] [3]
Gordon is a native of Malone,New York,and was a first-generation college student. He received his bachelor's degree in biology from the State University of New York at Cortland and earned a master's degree and doctorate in botany and mycology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. [4] [5] He also holds certifications in educational management and leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.[ citation needed ]
Gordon was affiliated with the University of Southern Indiana (USI) for 22 years (1994 to 2016) and served as dean of the Pott College of Science,Engineering and Education from 2005 to 2016. In addition,he served for 10 years as the faculty athletics representative,was named an NCAA faculty athletic representative fellow,and was vice president and treasurer of the Great Lakes Valley Conference,which includes 14 NCAA Division II institutions.[ citation needed ]
At USI,Gordon piloted a technology commercialization academy that allowed engineering and business students to develop ideas and business strategies around the commercialization of intellectual property. [6]
As Eastern Washington University (EWU) [7] provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2016 to 2019,Gordon continued his work to provide students with real-world experience in finding useful applications for existing technologies. [8] He developed partnerships with community colleges,business and industry,as well as government entities –work that was highlighted by a unique partnership of multiple businesses in The Catalyst,a 140,000-square-foot facility in downtown Spokane. [9] He encouraged development of a new degree program based on course materials developed by Microsoft to produce graduates with data analytics experience in order to meet the fluctuating needs of 21st-century employers. [10] [11]
As EWU's chief academic officer,Gordon was charged with overseeing more than 500 faculty members in six academic colleges,with responsibility for academic policy and planning,distance education,international programs and institutional research. Gordon wanted to reorganize Academic Affairs,but left with the plan unfinished. Reorganization was not completed until two years after he left EWU. [12]
At Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) he was named sole finalist for the position of president on July 23,2019,and unanimously confirmed by the SFA Board of Regents on August 17,2019. [13] The search for SFA's president was led by the Dallas-based firm R. William Funk &Associates. [14] At SFA,Gordon established a budget prioritization process and developed new tuition models to lower the cost of attendance. [15]
On September 9,2021,the SFA Faculty Senate voted no confidence in Gordon,citing initiatives with no results,breaches of shared governance,and troublesome personal behavior cited as "bullying and unreasonably impatient behavior both in public and in private." [16] Every Academic Dean and Academic Department Head joined the Faculty Senate in their concerns and support of the "no confidence" vote. [17] [18]
On April 10,2022,at a meeting of the SFA Board of Regents,SFA announced that the university and President Gordon mutually agreed to end his tenure after faculty objected to his pay raise. [19] [20] The Board of Regents appointed Steve Westbrook as interim president to replace him. [21] Gordon was paid $809,124.46 in severance plus up to $30,000 in moving expenses,eligible reimbursable expenses,as well as vacation days. [22] Forty-five people signed confidentiality agreements constraining them from speaking about this deal including the Regents,deans,and accountants,which came to light two months later. [23] [24] The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel reported:"Gordon gets 'approved talking points' in future job recommendations. Regents are not allowed to give an honest assessment." [25]
In 2022,Gordon was named Executive Director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Franklin County,New York. [26] [27]
Nacogdoches is a small city in deep East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County,Texas,United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and specializes in forestry and agriculture.
Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton,Massachusetts,and three other campuses in Boston,Massachusetts;Charlotte,North Carolina;and Jacksonville,Florida. According to the Association of Theological Schools,Gordon-Conwell ranks as one of the largest evangelical seminaries in North America in terms of total number of full-time students enrolled.
The University of Texas System is an American government entity of the state of Texas that includes 13 higher educational institutions throughout the state including eight universities and five independent health institutions. A ninth university will join the system at the start of the 2023–24 academic year. The UT System is headquartered in Downtown Austin. Its total enrollment of nearly 240,000 students is the largest university system in Texas. It employs 21,000 faculty and more than 83,000 health care professionals,researchers and support staff. The UT System's $30 billion endowment is the largest of any public university system in the United States. In 2018,Reuters ranked the UT System among the top 10 most innovative academic institutions in the world.
The University of Southern Indiana (USI) is a public university just outside of Evansville,Indiana. Founded in 1965,USI enrolls 9,750 dual credit,undergraduate,graduate and doctoral students in more than 130 areas of study. USI offers programs through the College of Liberal Arts,Romain College of Business,College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Pott College of Science,Engineering,and Education. USI is a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. It is also a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged University which offers continuing education and special programs to more than 15,000 participants annually through outreach and engagement.
Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) is a public university in Nacogdoches,Texas. It was founded as a teachers' college in 1923 and subsequently renamed after one of Texas's founding fathers,Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of Thomas Jefferson Rusk. On May 11,2023,the Stephen F. Austin joined the University of Texas System. Stephen F. Austin was previously one of two independent public universities in Texas.
The Universitàdella Svizzera italiana,sometimes referred to as the University of Lugano in English-speaking contexts,is a public Swiss university established in 1995,with campuses in Lugano,Mendrisio and Bellinzona. USI is the only university in Switzerland where the official language is Italian,but many of its programs are in English.
William R. Johnson Coliseum is a 7,203-seat multi-purpose arena in Nacogdoches,Texas. Popularly referred to as The Sawmill,it is located at the corner of University Drive and East College Street,and is home to the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks basketball team and the Ladyjacks basketball team. Built in 1974,the coliseum seats 7,203. Two NCAA Women's Midwest Regional games have been played at the Coliseum,as well as a men's NIT game. During summer 2006,a new video board and ad panel were installed. The Coliseum was named after President William R. Johnson who retired from SFA on July 15,1990,after 14 years of service. The Ladyjacks volleyball team played in the Coliseum until 2011 when they moved to the Robert H. Shelton Gymnasium.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks are composed of 16 teams representing Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in intercollegiate athletics. Stephen F. Austin teams participate in the Division I as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC),having joined that conference on July 1,2021,leaving the Southland Conference. The football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for football as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC). As of the 2023–24 season,the women's bowling team competes as a single-sport member of Conference USA.
Chief Caddo is the name of the statue formerly given to the winner of the annual football game between Southland Conference members Northwestern State University (NSU) of Natchitoches,Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) of Nacogdoches,Texas. Northwestern State University stopped participating in the exchange in 2021 after a Student Government Association and Faculty Senate joint resolution recognizing that Caddo Nation officials stated the statue was offensive,acknowledging the statue was inauthentic,and calling for the end to the practice.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches,Texas,United States.
Mary Cullinan was the an American academic administrator who served as the 26th president of Eastern Washington University from 2014 to 2020.
The Heritage College &Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Cambridge,Ontario,Canada. It is affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.
Mike Nesbitt is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Ottawa University in Surprise,Arizona. He served as the head football coach at West Texas A&M University from 2013 to 2016,compiling a record of 25–17. Nesbitt was the offensive coordinator for the Houston Cougars football team at the University of Houston at the start of the 2012 college football season. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University,West Texas A&M,and Blinn College. His 2006 Blinn team won the NJCAA national championship,and his 2010 West Texas A&M team ranked second in the nation with an average of 529 yards per game in total offense.
Taylor Smith is an American basketball player for Scaligera Verona of the LBA. He played college basketball for Stephen F. Austin State University.
Bradley Cole Underwood is the current head coach for the Illinois men's basketball team. Previously,he served as head coach at Oklahoma State,Stephen F. Austin,Dodge City Community College,and Daytona Beach Community College and assistant coach at Western Illinois,Kansas State,and South Carolina.
SFA Softball Field is the home stadium for the Division I (NCAA) Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks softball team. The stadium is located next to Jaycees Field,home of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball team,in Nacogdoches,Texas. The stadium has seating for 750 fans. Stephen F. Austin State University has a nineteen (19) year exclusive use lease on the stadium with the City of Nacogdoches,Texas starting in 2010. The university made several improvements to the preexisting city softball field including a new playing surface,a warning track,a Daktronics electronic scoreboard,new dugouts,windscreens,a new grandstand,an expanded press box,and bullpens.
Kyle Edward Keller is an American basketball coach,currently the head coach for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks men's basketball team. Previously,he served as an assistant coach at Texas A&M,Kansas,Oklahoma State,UTSA,Louisiana Tech and head coach at Tyler Junior College.
T. J. Holyfield is an American professional basketball player for EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for Stephen F. Austin and Texas Tech.
Joshua Alexander is an American retired professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Stephen F. Austin.
Xavier Gipson is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stephen F. Austin.