Talking Stick - July/August 2018 - 39

James A. Hurd Award

Keener Scott
University of Georgia

r. Keener Scott earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology
from the University of North
Carolina Charlotte, and her Master
of Science in Student Personnel from
Western Illinois University. She attended the University of Georgia where she
earned a doctorate in Adult Education,
as well as her certificate in mediation.
Scott began her career in student affairs at Western Illinois University where
she served as the graduate residence hall
director. From there she served as a residence hall director at Indiana University
of Pennsylvania. She worked as the assistant coordinator of college services at
Binghamton University before accepting
the position of assistant director of resident student conduct at the University
of South Carolina.
In 1991, she joined the University
of Georgia as the assistant director of
university housing. Since then, she has
served as the interim co-associate dean
of students for student affairs in the Office of Multicultural Services, the co-director for the James Grimm National
Housing Training Institute (NHTI),
and director of inclusion and equality for the ACUHO-I Executive Board.

She currently holds the positions of associate director for staff development
and student conduct in university
housing, Council for the Advancement
of Standards in Higher Education for
ACUHO-I, and adjunct assistant professor in the Counseling and Human Development Services Department at the
University of Georgia.
She is the recipient of several
awards including the Parthenon Award
for outstanding service and leadership
to ACUHO-I, the President's Award
for outstanding service of a housing
department and to ACUHO-I, the Lee
Anne Seawell Award for Excellence and
Outstanding Service to Students at the
University of Georgia, and the Positive
Impact Award from University Housing
at the University of Georgia.
What is the first memory that jumps
into your mind when you think about
your career in campus housing?
Scary enough, I go back to my time applying for an RA position. In addition
to going through the traditional interviews, we had to do something creative.
Because I am such an introvert, just applying for a position like this was a big
deal. Because I wanted to be like the person who helped me in my adjustment to
college, I was willing to step out there
on that ledge and do what it took to get
the job. I will never tell what my creative
portion of the interview was.
When do you first remember being
aware of ACUHO-I?
While working at the University of Central Missouri my commitment to housing and residence life was solidified. I
searched for professional development
opportunities that would feed this commitment. My supervisor, Dr. Mary Ann
Ryan, talked about her experiences with
ACUHO-I. I was able to go to the conference a year later and was hooked.

Who were your mentors and influencers when you first got started? How did
they assist you?
There are too many people to name who
ushered me into the organization directly and indirectly. As I mentioned earlier,
Dr. Mary Ann Ryan gave me my initial
introduction to the association. My involvement really took flight when I got
involved in NHTI at the University of
Maryland. I became aware of the experience through Dr. Pam Schrieber and her
work at the University of Florida.
When I became a faculty member
through the urging of Dr. Jim Day, my
passion for the experience exploded.
When it was time to bid for the honor of
hosting the institute, I was determined
to be a part of the team led by Dr. Gerry
Kowalski. Winning the bid changed my
life professionally. It connected me with
professionals and showed me I could be
more directly involved in the mission of
the association. I loved it.
What were the major issues in the field
during the time you were on the executive board / most involved with the
association? How do they differ from
what practitioners face today?
There were a number of pressing issues
the board addressed during my time of
membership. We looked at the role P3s
would play in the organization and addressed FLSA's impact on how we do
our work. We defined how the association can best advocate for its constituents and reexamined leadership and
participant involvement practices in the
association. Finally, we addressed the renewed and growing climate of exclusion
Although the organization is actively focused on these issues and has done a lot,
much more work is needed in the area of
equity and inclusion.
In six words, how would you describe
ACUHO-I?
Inclusive, advocates, innovative, renewal, scholarship, and welcoming.

Talking Stick - July/August 2018

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