Dawn Bonker
After a 31-year career, Ronald L. Scott, Ph.D., professor, Schmid College of Science, department of psychology, has plenty of memories. But there’s one remarkable stand-out moment he especially loves to share.
It was Valentine’s Day, in the early ‘90s, and a small group of gay students, perhaps just five or six folks, announced they would hold a poetry reading in a corner of the psychology lounge. All were welcome, but as Dr. remembers it, few were expected to attend.
So imagine his surprise when the room and hallway overflowed with readers and listeners, gay and straight, all together to share what Dr. Scott says became a “turning point” for tolerance at Chapman.
“The thing that amazed me is that they came from every corner of the Chapman community. Faculty members, administrators, a lot of staff people, secretaries, a couple people from custodial services, as they called it at that time. Jim Doti came and he was the acting president at that time, he read a poem, and from that point on, things started to change,” says Dr. Scott, one of the first openly gay faculty members at Chapman. “It was like people just burst through and said ‘No more.’ ”
Such memories and the many accomplishments of Dr. Scott, a leading researcher and expert in psychological assessment, will be celebrated at a retirement reception on Tuesday, May 11, at 2 p.m., in Argyros Forum 209.
“He’s one of our most-loved and distinguished faculty members in psychology,” says Carolyn Brodbeck, Ph.D., associate professor, Schmid College of Science, Department of Psychology. “He has been an outstanding advocate for diversity. Not just for GLBT students and members of the community, but all forms of diversity.”
We’d enjoy seeing a host of more tributes and praise for Dr. Scott here. Post your comments and remember to mark your calendars for Tuesday’s reception. All are welcome!
Gotta like a poetry story! As Shelley said, “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” As Adrienne Rich writes, “when poetry lays its hand on our shoulder we are, to an almost physical degree, touched and moved.” Those faculty who are relatively new to Chapman appreciate the contributions of longtime faculty like Dr. Scott, whether or not we get to know the individuals well.
Dr. Scott was my favorite professor as an undergraduate student at Chapman, back in 1994. I of course learned the subject matter because of his incredible expertise and passion, but more importantly I learned about myself. Based on the experience I had in his class as an undergrad, I enrolled in his Multicultural Counseling class as a graduate student. Although a handful of us were not part of the MFT Program, we were in the Career Counseling track, he always made us feel like a part of the group. In this class, my eyes were opened to a whole new world, and a completely different way of looking at diversity. I walked away from the class a changed person, and all for the better. I now pride myself on being an advocate for diversity, especially for my LGBT friends. So thank you, Dr. Scott for being such an influence in my life and in my career. I am truly a better person because of you. Best of luck in the future – the Chapman community will not be the same without you.
Ron Scott is a very special human being. He has served as a transformational agent of change in promoting intellectual excellence and tolerance at Chapman. He personifies so well what we mean when we talk about treating everyone with dignity and respect. I am very fortunate to call him my friend.
Ron is an important member of the Chapman community and we hope he will continue to interact with us from the comfort of his well-earned retirement. His commitment to fairness and inclusion benefits all whom he meets. He is a person who continues to make a difference in the lives of those who know him. Congratulations on a race well run.
[…] wonderful tributes to Dr. Scott were sent to Happenings last week. You can read them here in the original post. And we’ll continue posting any tributes you’d like to send […]