Dr. Rick Scott (left) receives the Schuman Award from NCHC President Barry Falk.
The University of Central Arkansas dean of the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College is the first recipient of the National Collegiate Honors Council’s (NCHC) Sam Schuman Award for Excellence at a Four Year Institution.
Dr. Richard “Rick” Scott received the award at NCHC’s 50th anniversary gathering in Chicago on Nov. 13. Given in honor of the late Dr. Sam Schuman, a longtime and beloved leader in honors education, NCHC’s award recognizes Dr. Scott as an accomplished scholar, professor and administrator. Dr. Scott has served as the dean of the Schedler Honors College since 2003.
“Every morning, for more than three decades, I wake up grateful to work with bright students and faculty to better ourselves as citizens and scholars,” said Dr. Scott. “To that bounty my colleagues have now added this award—I owe the collegiate honors community more than I can ever repay for gracing my life with meaning and purpose.”
In the area of honors education and educational theory, Dr. Scott has been invited to give many presentations around the country on pedagogy and curriculum development and has published writings on the direction of collegiate honors education nationally. He led efforts to begin what has become ongoing research by NCHC that is expanding the understanding of collegiate honors education in the United States.
“Dr. Scott’s stewardship to the Schedler Honors College has inspired the lives of students who have become leaders not only in their fields but also in their communities and nation,” said Dr. Stacey Smith-Foley, UCA Foundation Board member and Schedler Honors College alumna.
He has also published numerous articles and has presented dozens of papers at national conferences on poverty and hunger. Working with the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr. Scott helped devise the official index of hunger and food insecurity now used by the federal government.
Dr. Scott has served on the Board of Directors of NCHC for three years and was elected to a four-year cycle of executive service that culminated in his presidency of NCHC in 2013. Dr. Scott served as NCHC’s 2012 Conference Chair, helping to organize that year’s national meeting in Boston. Dr. Scott has served on NCHC’s Finance Committee, as well as the Assessment and Evaluation Committee. He is currently co-chair of the Research Committee.
Dr. Scott has also served as secretary-treasurer of the Southern Regional Honors Council (SRHC) for three years and chaired the SRHC Conference in Little Rock in 2011.
Established in 1982, the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College at UCA has become one of the most full-featured in the nation and is a leader in providing enhanced educational opportunities in a living and learning environment designed to develop citizen-scholars. Admitted through a highly competitive application process, Schedler Honors Scholars benefit from an interdisciplinary studies curriculum that emphasizes scholarship, leadership and citizenship preparing them for active involvement in civic life that draws upon research skills acquired at UCA.
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