‘Data-driven’ ASU President Robert Scott: We’re at the edge of greatness

ALBANY — The Albany State University stakeholders — students, alumni, supporters, faculty, staff — who want a president to walk in the door and tell them exactly what he plans to do to make their university a great institution might have some issues with new head man Robert Scott.

Scott, who’s approaching the end of his first 100 days at the university, having moved into the president’s office on May 1, makes it clear that he has some settling-in and some data research to complete before he starts making promises, many of which might not be feasible.

“I’m a very pragmatic person,” Scott, who came to Albany State from the Kraft Heinz Co. after an impressive career in education and industry, said during a conversation at his office on the university’s West Campus. “I believe before you can start making any concrete plans, you have to have the data. I spent my first 30-40 days here conducting listening sessions with the stakeholders, the community, local businesses, alumni, faculty, staff, and, especially, students.

“Before we move into a building phase, we have to learn as much as we can about the university, get at the foundation. You can’t put some big thing on top of a poor foundation and expect it to thrive. Everyone has a role to play, and we’ve got to determine what those roles are. We’ve got to fix the foundation first.”

While Scott, whose joint educational and business background that includes stints at Georgia Tech, Boston College, Spelman College, Abbott Nutrition and the Coca-Cola Company, gives him a leg up on deciding the future direction of ASU, is not ready to roll out some pie-in-the-sky plan before he’s had time to consider what that plan might be, there are things he says will be essential to building a “new Albany State University.”

“I believe Albany State is at the edge of greatness,” he said. “The infrastructure is in place for this university to become a major builder in southwest Georgia. It’s an integral part of the fabric of this region, but even as good as we may feel about ASU, I believe we’re just scratching the surface of what a true, integrative university can feel like.

“We have to seek even greater student success, commit ourselves to providing our students great educational opportunities. We have to build an environment conducive not only to education but to broader growth. We’ll seek a higher degree of customer service, pathways and revenue streams that will define our standing in this community. I believe there is no greater driver of economic growth than higher education.”

Although he’s worked at and lived in some of America’s great cities, among them Boston, Chicago and Atlanta, the new Albany State president says he’s right at home in smaller-town Albany.

“I grew up on a pig farm,” Scott, who was born in New Jersey but grew up in Suffolk, Va., said. “I grew up in lower economic circumstances, where going to college was not an option because our family couldn’t afford the books. But a university very much like Albany State (Norfolk State University) opened the door for me.

“So I’ve experienced first-hand how a university like Albany State can change individuals’ lives. That’s the reason I’m so passionate about the roles our university can play in the lives of all our students.”

Scott said he’s experienced close “town-to-gown” relationships in other cities, but he’s not ready to hammer out an outline of what that could like like in Albany.

“First, you have to define what that even means,” he said. “Albany State is a big part of Albany, but in order to build more of a ‘university town-type’ relationship, you have to look at it from both sides. It has to be a win-win, for the university and for the city. We have our role to play, but so does local leadership. We have to work together — probably in phases — to determine how we can partner. I do know, though, that Albany State is committed to seeing what a close collaboration between town and gown could look like.”

Like other institutions in the University System of Georgia, Albany State gets a great deal of its operational funding from the system. But Scott knows from his business background that bringing in additional monies and grants is the lifeblood of any university.

“We bring in revenue in four ways: From our students — and recruitment is vital because every year there is turnover and the need to bring in new students — from state appropriations, from philanthropic giving and from corporate giving,” he said. “And, rest assured, no corporation wants to give to an institution that’s not winning. That’s why it’s vital that we tell our story.”

Asked about concerns over campus safety in the wake of a fatal on-campus shooting during last year’s homecoming celebration, Scott said he and his staff will provide transparency when it comes to events that impact the HBCU.

“Safety on campus is a concern of every college president,” he said. “I plan to look at the data, find ways to make our campus even safer. We want to put into place assurances that we are addressing any issue that arises on our campus, and we will always be transparent. I am — and we will be — an open book. If we have to bring in more police officers or reduce access to campus, we’re going to do what works on our campus.”

As he moves into the building phase of his master plan for Albany State, Robert Scott is building excitement among university shareholders eager to see Albany State take its place among the state’s great institutions.

“The university is a brand, and the idea behind the brand is to create a great educational product,” he said. “I’ve been a professor, a dean, the leader of large corporations … I’m a hybrid kind of unicorn who understands education and education as business.

“My life was changed by a university that gave me an opportunity, and now I want to help build a place that does that for young people in southwest Georgia. I have a passion for this; it’s the only reason I’m here. I’m going to run my leg of the race as hard as I can and then pass the baton on to the next person in line.”