Spelman College Announces Alumna Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Ph.D., as Provost

ATLANTA, June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Spelman College announced today the appointment of Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Ph.D., C'82, as the College's new provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Scott-Johnson, who currently serves as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey, will join Spelman on August 1, 2023.

"We are pleased to welcome alumna and former faculty member Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Ph.D., back to Spelman College. She will play a central role in advancing the College's teaching, research, learning and overall mission," said Helene Gayle, president of Spelman College. "Dr. Scott-Johnson's familiarity with the College and passion for its mission, along with her stellar administrative experience at a range of complex higher education institutions, scholarly record in the sciences, coupled with a strong appreciation for the liberal arts, and fundraising skills make her the right choice for this role.

As the chief academic officer, the provost has responsibility for ensuring the highest integrity and standards for academic excellence, in support of academic affairs, faculty life, and student learning. As the chief adviser to the president and the faculty on academic affairs, Dr. Scott-Johnson will collaborate with faculty on the formulation and implementation of educational policies, oversee and enhance academic programs and the scholarly work of the College.

"I am thrilled to be returning to my alma mater as a member of the leadership team to help shape and enhance the academic landscape through which women of Spelman develop as change agents," said Dr. Scott-Johnson. "Spelman has been and will continue to be a special place for women of African descent and how they impact the world. I look forward to guiding additional pathways for advancing faculty, at all levels, and delivering innovation in student success from retention to graduation. I am excited by the opportunity to work with President Gayle on her strategic vision for the College."

Before joining Monmouth, Dr. Scott-Johnson served as the dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at California State University, Los Angeles, the largest college in the university. She spent nearly 15 years at Morgan State University, Baltimore, serving in many roles including interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, chair of the department of psychology, professor of psychology, and founding director of the psychometrics graduate program. Before joining Morgan State, she spent 10 years as a faculty member at Spelman College, where she earned tenure. Dr. Scott-Johnson worked for nearly nine years in the corporate sector as a senior research scientist for Kraft General Foods. She has published widely in professional journals and has been principal investigator for a large number of research and program development grants. Her professional affiliations include serving on the board of directors of the American Psychological Association, and as a member of the Council of College of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities. She is an alumna of Higher Education Resource Services (HERS), and the American Psychological Association Leadership Institute for Women.

Dr. Scott-Johnson earned master's and doctoral degrees in psychology and neuroscience from Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, and a bachelor's degree (magna cum laude) in psychology from Spelman College, where she was inducted into Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology. Read Dr. Scott-Johnson's full bio.

Since September 2021, Dolores Bradley Brennan, Ph.D., has served as the interim provost. "Dr. Bradley Brennan has provided outstanding leadership to the Provost Office and to the College," said Dr. Gayle. "We look forward to her remaining in the leadership of the Provost Office and continuing to contribute to advancing our academic mission."

About Spelman College 
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, the College's picturesque campus is home to 2,100 students. Spelman is the country's leading producer of Black women who complete PhDs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The College's status is confirmed by the U.S. News & World Report, which ranked Spelman No. 51 among all liberal arts colleges, No. 19 for undergraduate teaching, No. 5 for social mobility among liberal arts colleges, and No. 1 for the 16th year among historically Black colleges and universities. The Wall Street Journal has ranked the College No. 3, nationally, in terms of student satisfaction. Recent initiatives include a designation by the Department of Defense as a Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, a Gender and Sexuality Studies Institute, the first endowed queer studies chair at an HBCU, and a program to increase the number of Black women PhDs in economics. New majors have been added, including documentary filmmaking and photography, and collaborations have been established with MIT's Media Lab, the Broad Institute and the Army Research Lab for artificial intelligence and machine learning.

SOURCE Spelman College