Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Scott Brown will take over as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the College of Wooster August 1.
“Scott’s dedication to the well-being of each student during the last eight years has been a benefit to our entire community,” said Interim President Jill Harsin.
Since his arrival at Colgate in 2008, Brown has supervised the ALANA Cultural Center; the Max A. Shacknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education; Center for Leadership and Student Involvement (CLSI); the Office of the Chaplains; the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs; the Office of LGBTQ Initiatives; the Shaw Wellness Institute; campus safety department; student conduct; International Student Services; and the sophomore-year experience program. He also served as interim vice president and dean of the college (2011–2012).
“Scott is an exceptional colleague who has contributed much during his time at Colgate,” said Vice President and Dean of the College Suzy Nelson. “He has been integral to creating partnerships with faculty and staff that have ultimately helped us better support students.”
During his tenure, Brown established and chaired presidentially appointed committees to coordinate campus responses to sexual violence as well as drug and alcohol abuse. He built campuswide coalitions as co-chair of the university’s National Coalition Building Institute team, and he fostered proactive crisis management by co-chairing Colgate’s Emergency Management Team. As interim dean of the college, he initiated the reframing of transgender student support, and he reengaged faculty in the strategic planning process to integrate living and the liberal arts.
“My time at Colgate has been extraordinary — I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such remarkable people,” Brown said. “I am excited about this next chapter, though our whole family will miss being a part of Colgate and the greater Hamilton community. Colgate is a special place. I know the talented and committed dean of the college division will continue its excellent support of the total student experience.”
Brown received his PhD in college student personnel administration from the University of Maryland in 1999. He has served in various capacities with Semester at Sea (University of Pittsburgh) and Dartmouth College, and came to Colgate from Mount Holyoke College, where he was director of the Daniel L. Jones Career Development Center.
An award-winning researcher as well as an administrator, Brown has conducted extensive work on student learning, including Learning Across the Campus: How College Facilitates the Development of Wisdom.