Pamela Scott-Johnson

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Office: The Great Hall at Shadow Lawn 211

Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Ph.D., began her tenure as provost/senior vice president for academic affairs and professor of psychology on Aug. 9, 2021. Her appointment follows a comprehensive national search process.

Before joining Monmouth, Scott-Johnson served as the dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at California State University, Los Angeles, since 2016. She led the largest college at the university, including more than 150 faculty members in 12 departments serving nearly 6,000 undergraduate and 500 graduate students. Recognized as one of the nation’s most innovative institutions of higher education, the university earned a #1 ranking for upward mobility from The New York Times. During her tenure at Cal State LA, Scott-Johnson focused on establishing beneficial corporate and community partnerships.

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

Prior to beginning her work in 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, where she was an expert on taste and smell.

She is a dedicated scholar who believes the role of administrators is to empower the educational enterprise through student-centered curricula and faculty-oriented research and pedagogy.

Scott-Johnson has published widely in professional journals and has been principal investigator for a large number of research and program development grants, totaling more than $5 million. Her research interests include eating disorders, body image and sensory systems, as well as preparing more minority students for the psychology pipeline.

She has also participated in funded research examining factors that contribute to the success of women in STEM fields and the academy. Her professional affiliations include serving on the board of directors of the American Psychological Association, and as a member of the Council of College of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities. She is an alumna of Higher Education Resource Services (HERS), and the American Psychological Association Leadership Institute for Women.

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

Education

Ph.D., Princeton University

M.A., Princeton University

B.A., Spelman College

Publications

Scott-Johnson, P.E., & Ye, H (2019). Big data project: Empower communities through open data portals. 2019 Moore Sloan Data Science Environment Summit, Santa Fe, NM.

Scott-Johnson, P.E., & Ye, H. (2019). Impacting Los Angeles through big data. Annual Meeting of the Council of College of Arts and Sciences Deans, Atlanta, GA.

Scott-Johnson, P.E., & Ye, H. (2019). Building capacity for structural inclusion. Annual Meeting of the Council of College of Arts and Sciences Deans, Atlanta, GA.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. & Ye, H. (2018). Annual All Hands Meeting. West Big Data Innovation Hub.

Boise, ID

Scott-Johnson, P.E., Stalvey, J.R.D., Muscate, B.T. (2018). Data driven decision-making and university impact. Council of College of Arts and Sciences Dean (CCAS) Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.

Scott-Johnson, P.E., (2017). Metro/Urban Institutions How to Make Good Work Last. Council of College of Arts and Sciences Dean (CCAS) Annual Conference, Denver, CO.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2017). Managing Change. California State University System New Deans’ Orientation, Los Angeles, CA.

Scott-Johnson, P.E., Alao, S., Brown, L., & Akassi, M. (2016). “I Am Because We Are”: Modeling collaboration to increase academic self-efficacy for underserved and underrepresented students. Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU), General Education and Assessment: From My Work to Our Work, New Orleans, LA.

Brown McNair, T., Bensimon, E.M., Prystowsky, R.J., Scott-Johnson, P.E., & Esters, L.L. Designing equity-minded campus action plans to improve student learning and success independence (2016). Annual Meeting of the Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU): Land of Opportunity—But for Whom? How Higher Education Can Lead On Equity, Inclusive Excellence, and Democratic Renewal, Washington, DC.

Horner-Devine, C., Griffin, G., Martinez-Finley, E., Nunez, A., Scott-Johnson, P., & Yen, J. Creating connections and community in support of diverse neuroscientists (2015). Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2014). Infusing diversity in science curriculum. Invited panel, Division 6.

American Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.

Burgman, R., Briggs, L., Easton, C., Miller, R., & Scott-Johnson, P. (2014). Re-inventing higher education. Quality, E-Quality, and Opportunity: How Educational Innovations Will Make or Brake America’s Global Future. Washington, DC.

Cariaga‐Lo, L.D., Scott-Johnson, P.E., Spence, C.N., & Lee-Robinson, P. (2012). Building collaborative research networks for diverse scholars in the humanities and social sciences.

Modeling Equity, Engaging Difference: New Frameworks for Diversity &Learning, American Association of Colleges and Universities, Baltimore, MD.

Mugo, N.W., Gray, L., & Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2012). Use of assessment strategies to guide career paths of temporary cash assistance recipients. The National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) Baltimore, MD.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2012). Strengthening our science: Enhancing the status of psychology as a STEM discipline for undergraduates. The American Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. Invited panel.

Dess, N. & Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2012). Is physics a STEM discipline? Psychology’s ongoing search for identity. The American Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL.

Scott-Johnson, P.E., Mugo, N.W., & Adeyinke, A. (2011). A career development approach to understanding TCA customers. The National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) Vail, CO.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2010). Joining up for a new beginning in identifying and empowering Maryland’s talent pool through assessment and evaluation. The National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) Los Angeles, CA.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. & Hodges, A. (2010). The importance of undergraduate biological psychology and sensory systems. Society for the Teaching of Psychology Online e-Workshop, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA.

Lathan-Dye, M, Nanda, J.P., Scott-Johnson, P.E., Geiger, T, & Bronner, Y. (2010). Banter and BMI: Is teasing a African American high school juniors associated with weight status? American Public Health Association, Denver, CO.

Johnson, C., Scott-Johnson, P.E., Thompson, J., Hedgspeth, C., Gray, L., Harding, R., Lee, G., Stadler, K., & Hugo, M. (2010). Joining up for a new beginning in identifying and empowering Maryland’s talent pool through assessment and evaluation. National Association of Welfare Research and Statistics, September 24-29, 2010, Los Angeles, CA.

Turner-Musa, J., Scott-Johnson, P.E., Perrino, C., Smith, R., & Bowen-Reid, T. (2010). Expanding the Pipeline: Transformative Research Experiences For Underrepresented Students. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AS TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICE: Developing

Leaders and Solutions for a Better Society, 13th National Conference, Weber State University, Ogden, UT.

Ndege, M.W., Nanda, J.P., & Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2009). Exploring the relationship between service learning and community engagement among students in an urban, Historically Black University. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Philadelphia, PA.

Scott-Johnson, P.E., Hainlain, L., Ghee, M., & Wilson, V. (2009). Undergraduate origins of Leadership Alliance doctoral scholars. 3rd Annual Conference on Understanding Interventions That Broaden Participation in Research Careers, Bethesda, MD.

Ndege, M., Scott-Johnson, P.E., Perrino, C.S., Gordon, S., & Browne, D.C. (2009). Individuals’ high positive attitudes foster more service learning hours. American Psychological Association

Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada.

Scott-Johnson, P.E., Wammba, Y., Schmitt, B., & Macko, K. (2008). Impact of undergraduate research on mentoring, research efficacy, and attitudes. Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2008). Using the Internet for behavioral and social scientific research. Invited talk for Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, FL.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2007). Fight everyday to keep mediocrity at bay. Invited presentation during the Annual Meeting of Association of Head of Departments of Psychology (AHDP), Atlanta, GA.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2007). Demonstration Site Presentation: MSU Service Learning. American Association of Colleges and Universities, Bringing Theory to Practice, New Orleans, LA

Napolitano, J.J., Scott-Johnson, P.E., & Young, J.R. (2006). Leading by example: The role of chairs and deans. 2006 F21 National Assembly: Coming Together to Strengthen Student Learning, Chicago, IL.

Scott-Johnson, P.E. (2006). Maryland Health Disparities Centers of Excellence. 3rd Annual Statewide

Minority Health Disparities Conference. “A State Agency Action Agenda For Ending Health Disparities,” Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Minority Health and Health Disparities, Baltimore, MD. (Invited panel.)