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Scott A. Gordon served as the ninth president of Stephen F. Austin State University from August 17, 2019, to April 10, 2022.

Early life and education

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. He also holds certifications in educational management and leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Career

University of Southern Indiana

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.

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.

Eastern Washington University

As Eastern Washington University (EWU) 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. 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. 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.

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.

Stephen F. Austin State University

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. The search for SFA's president was led by the Dallas-based firm R. William Funk & Associates. At SFA, Gordon established a budget prioritization process and developed new tuition models to lower the cost of attendance.

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." Every Academic Dean and Academic Department Head joined the Faculty Senate in their concerns and support of the "no confidence" vote.

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. The Board of Regents appointed Steve Westbrook as interim president to replace him. Gordon was paid $809,124.46 in severance plus up to $30,000 in moving expenses, eligible reimbursable expenses, as well as vacation days. 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. The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel reported: "Gordon gets 'approved talking points' in future job recommendations. Regents are not allowed to give an honest assessment."

Cornell University

In 2022, Gordon was named Executive Director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Franklin County, New York.

References

1. "Stephen F. Austin State University". SFA. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
2. "Dr. Scott Gordon confirmed as ninth SFA president". KTRE. August 17, 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
3. "Stephen F. Austin State president Scott Gordon out months after $85,000 raise angered many". khou.com. April 12, 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
4. Gordon, Scott Allen (1990). Mating systems in Marasmius (M.S.). University of Tennessee. OCLC 23172644. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
5. Gordon, Scott Allen (1994). Infraspecific variation within three species of Marasmius (Tricholomataceae, Agaricales, Basidiomycotina) (PhD). University of Tennessee. OCLC 32219287. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
6. "USI spearheads Technology Commercialization Academy - University of Southern Indiana". www.usi.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
7. Press, Cheney Free. "EWU hires Gordon for provost position". Cheney Free Press. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
8. "EWU launches new tech commercialization academy > Spokane Journal of Business". www.spokanejournal.com. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
9. "EWU plans major expansion into Spokane's University District". The University District. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
10. Marcus, Jon (2017-12-18). "Impatient with universities' slow pace of change, employers go around them". The Hechinger Report. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
11. Drawdy, Ryan (2018-01-22). "How Eastern Washington University Spins Up New Programs in Record Time". Helix Education. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
12. "Reorganization of EWU's Colleges Detailed". Inside EWU. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
13. Staff, KTRE Digital Media. "Dr. Scott Gordon confirmed as ninth SFA president". ksla.com. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
14. "SFA Regents Hire Presidential Search Firm." https://www.sfasu.edu/10269.asp
15. McCollum, Donna. "SFA talks about college's COVID-19 preparations". KTRE. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
16. "KETK-TV News". KETK-TV News. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
17. Frazier, Stephanie. "SFA president responds to Faculty Senate calls for revocation of contract, says 'we have to work together'". KLTV. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
18. "SFA talks about college's COVID-19 preparations". Daily Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
19. Greenberg, Susan H. (April 12, 2022). "President Departs After Faculty Objects to His Pay Raise". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
20. Sentinel, JOSH EDWARDS/The Nacogdoches Daily. "Gordon out as SFA president". The Lufkin Daily News. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
21. Sowels, Sage (2021-04-10). "SFA: President Scott Gordon and university mutually agree to end his tenure". KETK-TV News. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
22. "Documents: SFA's Gordon gets $800K in severance pay".
23. McGee, Kate. "Stephen F. Austin State University President Scott Gordon Steps Down Months After a Salary Bump Angered the Campus Community," The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 11, 2022. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/11/stephen-f-austin-president/
24. Knox, Liam (2022-06-17). "President Who Resigned Receives $800,000 in Severance Pay". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
25. Editorial: "A Pall of Secrecy Surrounds SFA's Deal With Gordon," June 18–19, 2022, The Daily Sentinel Opinion Section, Page 6B, Retrieved June 19, 2022. https://www.dailysentinel.com/opinion/article_2862835b-6bf6-582f-9334-503e8e0e107e.html
26. https://franklin.cce.cornell.edu/staff/scott-gordon
27. https://www.mymalonetelegram.com/top_stories/franklin-county-legislators-meet-new-director-of-cornell-cooperative-extension/article_42d3ebee-56c2-584e-92ce-9e61aa4ededd.html

• 1967 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American botanists
• 21st-century American botanists
• State University of New York at Cortland alumni
• University of Tennessee alumni
• University of Indianapolis faculty
• Stephen F. Austin State University faculty