Julius Samuel Scott Jr. (1925 – 2019) was an American Methodist minister, sociologist, community leader, teacher, and academic administrator. He served as presidents of Paine College (1975–1982; and 1988–1994) and Wiley College (1996–1998).

Early life and education

Julius Samuel Scott, Jr. was born on February 26, 1925, in Houston, Texas to parents Julius S. Scott, Sr., and Bertha Bell Scott. His father, Julius Sr. (1885–1976) was a Methodist minister and served as the ninth president of Wiley College. Scott Jr. attended Wiley College, where he graduated with degrees in sociology and religion. He continued his studies at

Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary (G-ETS) is a private seminary and graduate school of theology related to the United Methodist Church. It is located in Evanston, Illinois, on the campus of Northwestern University. The seminary offers a ...

, and

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

before earning a PhD in 1968 in

social ethics Macroethics (from the Greek prefix "makros-" meaning "large" and "ethos" meaning character) is a term coined in the late 20th century to distinguish large-scale ethics from individual ethics, or microethics. It is a type of applied ethics. Macroeth ...

at Boston University. He was interested in learning about

non-violent protest Nonviolent resistance (NVR), or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, const ...

, and study the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi; he moved to India for three years to work as a teacher and missionary in Hyderabad, India. Scott also held 14 honorary degrees.

Career

He worked as a professor of sociology at Wiley College, Boston University, Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University), and Spelman College. He served as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Texas Southern University, and Brown University. In 1970, Scott was named executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (now the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change) in Atlanta. Scott served as president of Paine College from 1975 until 1982, and was asked to serve a second term from 1988 until 1994 because of his positive impact with rebuilding relations between Paine College and the white community in Augusta, Georgia. Scott was one of the many founders of

Africa University Africa University is a "private, Pan-African and United Methodist-related institution." It has over 1,200 students from 36 African countries. It is located 17 km northwest of Mutare, Zimbabwe. It grants bachelor's, master's and PhD degre ...

, a private Methodist institution in Zimbabwe which opened in 1992. Africa University opened with 40 students, and by 2019 the school had over 1,500 students. Starting in 1996, Scott served as president of Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, a role he held until 1996. Additionally he served as a board member at the United Negro College Fund, the

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Washington D.C.. It is an organization of private American colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, it has over 1,000 independent hig ...

, and the University Senate of the United Methodist Church.

Death and legacy

He died on August 1, 2009 in Hilton Head Island. He was survived by his wife Ianthia "Ann" L. Harrell, and their three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott Jr., Julius Samuel 1925 births 2019 deaths Academics from Houston African-American Methodist clergy American chaplains American sociologists Boston University alumni Boston University faculty Clark Atlanta University faculty Spelman College faculty Wiley University alumni Wiley University faculty Presidents of Paine College