Scott Cook: Motlow Inspired a Passion in me for Learning

November 13, 2019

My time at Motlow State Community College changed my life. I grew up in Lynchburg
and became the first person in my father's family, and one of the first on my mother's side, to graduate college.

Motlow inspired a passion in me for learning, and I fell in love with history, government, psychology, and literature. My experiences on the Moore County campus set me on a path that has afforded me opportunities I could not have dreamed of.

In 2002 I joined the exceptional Motlow faculty as an adjunct instructor, beginning at the Smyrna location when it was at the Tennessee Army National Guard facility. After a short stint as a full-time instructor at Georgia Military College in Columbus, Georgia, I returned to Motlow full time, teaching history alongside my mentor Dr. Donald Cheatham.

“Motlow changed my life’s trajectory for the better. I found my intellectual curiosity and passion at Motlow.”

— Dr. Scott Cook, Motlow Class of 2000

During the next 12 years, I taught a myriad of history, government, literature, and Honors Program courses, earning full professor with tenure. I served as director of the Honors Program for eight years, growing the Program from the Moore County campus to McMinnville and Fayetteville and incorporating Smyrna. I also founded the Big Geek Sophomore Mentorship Program, the Motlow Honors Alumni Association, and the Honors Program Student Advisory Board.

For three consecutive years, a Motlow student won the National Collegiate Honors Council Two-Year Student of the Year. I'm so proud of Rob Keel, Caitlin Tripp, and JuliAnna Dykes Hills for laying the foundation of Motlow's thriving Honors Program.

In March 2018, I left my post at Motlow as professor, Honors Program Director, and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President of Quality Assurance and Performance Funding to come to Madisonville Community College in Madisonville, Kentucky, where I serve as Provost (Chief Academic Officer and Chief Student Officer).

I could never have imagined that these types of opportunities were in my future. Motlow changed my life's trajectory for the better. I found my intellectual curiosity and passion at Motlow. As a student and a proud member of the faculty and administration, I made lifelong friends and colleagues. I even met my wife while I was a student, and we are both proud alumni. I cannot imagine my life without the rewarding experiences that Motlow afforded me during the past 23 years.