Scott Wallace
OXFORD, Miss. – As assistant dean of students, Scott Wallace has helped the University of Mississippi become recognized as a campus that promotes First Amendment rights.
On June 26, Wallace is stepping down to become dean of student life at Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Georgia. Wallace came to UM in 2003 as an MBA student but soon switched to higher education. He received his master’s degree in 2005.
“I am excited for Dr. Wallace,” said Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs. “He will be missed sorely by his colleagues in Student Affairs and others across campus, but I am confident he will forge great relationships at Georgia Regents and be a change maker for their students.”
During his tenure at UM, Wallace, a Dover, Tennessee native, spent seven-and-a-half years working in the area of student conduct. The last year or so, he’s been adviser to Greek Affairs and the Associated Student Body.
“My time in student conduct really honed my skills regarding conflict resolution,” Wallace said. “Most people think student conduct is a rough area because you’re looked at as the bad guy, but I always saw my role as educational. One of the things I strived to do was always be as fair as possible. The student might not have liked the decision, but I wanted to make sure the student left my office feeling like he or she was treated fairly.”
Working with Greek Affairs and ASB is very challenging, but also very rewarding, Wallace said.
“We are a leadership institution, and these student leaders are tomorrow’s world leaders,” he said. “I have often found myself being amazed at what these student leaders are accomplishing.”
Since 2005, Wallace has also served as the departmental budget officer and departmental policy manager in the Dean of Students Office.
“I advise the Student Traffic Appeals Board, serve as liaison to the campus ministers, chair the M-Book committee and taught the First Year Experience class,” Wallace said.
One of the proudest moments of Wallace’s career was when the university was recognized by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education as a green-light campus. FIRE rates colleges and universities as either red-, yellow- or green-light campuses.
A green light means that the campus policies and practices promote First Amendment rights, such as free speech.
“I worked to get the university’s policy language to a place where the University of Mississippi became the 16th campus in the nation to be rated as a green-light campus,” he said. “We were the third campus in the South, joining University of Virginia and University of Tennessee.”
Wallace and his wife, April, are looking forward to moving to Georgia with their son, Reed Thomas, but he said they will miss the many friendships formed at Ole Miss.
“There are so many wonderful things of which I have been a part over the last nearly nine years,” Wallace said. “I’m still glowing in the wake of the presidential debate, which was nearly six years ago.”