When Arthur Scott, Ed.D. graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Gettysburg University he know he wanted to work in the field of education. What de didn't realize was that he was on a journey to higher education that would span more than thirty years of his life's work.

Dr. Scott's initial plan upon graduating from Gettysburg was to be a high school teacher. And so he applied to the high school from which he graduated and was subsequently hired. However, after working as a teacher he soon realized that he had another interest which fell outside of the K-12 realm, and that interest was in administering higher education programs. He turned his eye toward Lehigh University's College of Education after searching the east coast for a place to study and enrolled in the early 70's to pursue degrees in the educational administration program. The program, which is no longer offered, was directed by Dr.'s Charles Guditus and Lee Tuscher. Dr. Scott treated his years at Lehigh as a full-time job where he immersed himself in his studies and research, often spending more than 12 hours a day on campus. His dedication, discipline, and persistence paid off when he received an M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Lehigh University.

While taking a class led by Dr. Richard Richardson, the first President of Northampton Community College (NCC), who was an adjunct professor at Lehigh, Dr. Scott was offered a position as the Director of Records at NCC by Dr. Richardson. Dr. Scott accepted the position and has now served the College for the past 31 years. He has held a variety of positions during his time there which include: director of admissions, vice president of student affairs, chief labor negotiator, overseer of college services, provost, and now president. Dr. Scott remains an active community member, not only in the greater Lehigh Valley, but at Lehigh University as well. He has taught as an adjunct professor for the College of Education for a number of years and has also recently served on the COE Advisory Board.

When asked what is most important to him as president he replied "Having a part in moving the institution forward to serve more students and keep education accessible to all. The community colleges were created to open the door of education to all, to keep it affordable. It might be the greatest contribution to education and that is the most important thing to me as president." He went on to share a story about a student who had a dream of becoming a teacher. She was working at a job that she didn't like, and a friend brought her an application for the community college. Now, her dream is being fulfilled because the college has afforded her a way for her to pursue it. "People who thought they could not attain their dream due to a lack of finances have found that they can meet their goals through this college" said Scott. Not only does Dr. Scott realize the importance of an affordable education made available to all within a community, he appreciates the importance of people teaching in higher education. "The beauty of education, its opportunities and challenges, is to make sure you have people in the classrooms that inspire and support our student learners. Our teachers are a great group of individuals who make the difference in the lives of their students. Another of my major goals is to support our faculty and to help them to do their best."