New Provost Named At Monmouth University

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth University has named Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president of academic affairs and professor of psychology. Scott-Johnson comes to Monmouth from California State University, Los Angeles, where she was the dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences for five years.

At Cal State LA, Scott-Johnson led the largest college at the university, with more than 150 faculty members in 12 departments serving nearly 6,000 undergraduate and 500 graduate students. During her tenure at Cal State LA, Scott-Johnson focused on establishing instrumental corporate and community partnerships.

Scott-Johnson has published widely in professional journals and has been a principal investigator for many research and program development grants.

“I am delighted that Dr. Scott-Johnson will lead our strategic efforts to invest in academic excellence,” Monmouth University President Patrick F. Leahy said in a statement.

“Her vision and experience will help us develop new, high-quality, market-relevant undergraduate and graduate programs that meet the needs of a rapidly changing student body. Her commitment to teaching and research excellence will be critical as we transition from a top-tier regional institution to a national university with a growing portfolio of doctoral programs.”

Before joining Cal State LA, Scott-Johnson spent nearly 15 years at Morgan State University serving as an interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, a chair of the department of psychology, a professor of psychology, and the founding director of the psychometrics graduate program. Previously, she spent 10 years as a faculty member at Spelman College in Atlanta.

Before transitioning to higher education three decades ago, Scott-Johnson worked for nearly nine years in the corporate sector as a senior research scientist for Kraft General Foods.

“I look forward to partnering with faculty to advance Monmouth’s tradition of excellence in teaching and engaging our students to become co-creators of knowledge,” Scott-Johnson said in a statement. “Together, we will design an exciting and innovative curriculum that helps all of our students have clarity about how their skills, their gifts, and their talents fit into the new economy.”

Scott-Johnson has New Jersey ties, having earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology and neuroscience from Princeton University. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College, where she was inducted into Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology.

Scott-Johnson succeeds Rekha Datta, Ph.D., who served as interim provost and senior vice president of academic affairs for two years. Datta will return to the faculty as a tenured professor of political science and the Freed Endowed Chair in Social Sciences.