Coming Home By Brian Keenan
n 2018, Scott Green '84 was the chief operating officer at global law leader Hogan Lovells when the thirdgeneration Vandal saw an opportunity. His U of I accounting degree had taken him a long way from the hardwood courts of Memorial Gym he'd grown up playing on in Moscow. After three post-graduation years with Boise Cascade, Green had headed east for a Master of Business Administration from Harvard and a 30-year ascension in the banking and legal sectors. But an opening for U of I’s presidency caught his attention. Green had volunteered with the U of I Foundation, Alumni Association and College of Business and Economics Advisory boards over the years. He contributed to scholarship funds. He came back for football games and maintained a family cabin near Harrison. He was passionate about seeing his alma mater succeed. As he weighed applying for the top spot, a conversation with mentor
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HERE WE HAVE IDAHO | FALL 2019
and friend Bill Lee — a one-time colleague from law What was your favorite firm WilmerHale class or academic and a senior fellow experience? Favorite What’s a of Harvard’s professor and why? story you tell governing board — the most about put the options in Bob Clark was my your college perspective. Principles of Accounting experience? “His response professor and kind of a legend was, ‘Scott, do you at the university. He’s one A lot of my want to go and turn of the reasons I stayed with growth as around another accounting and got my degree a person came law firm and help in it. from my fraternity, lawyers make more Kappa Sigma, money,” Green where I learned said. “Or would you to live and work rather look back 10 with other people. years from now and I learned study hall have helped educate What spot on campus do habits. I learned 100,000 kids?’” you identify with? good manners at The answer the dinner table. was obvious for Memorial Gym — my They taught me the future 19th grandfather’s office. things that sound president of the “Doc” Green was the athletic simple, but those University of Idaho. director for many years. When social skills become “How do you I was really small he’d leave important later respond to that?” he me in the gym and I’d shoot in life. I owe my said. “I hung up the basketballs. When I got older fraternity brothers a phone and was all he’d put me to work. lot for that. in, whether I got the job or not.” He did, setting the stage for an emotional return to the Gem State. To guide his administrative efforts, Green established working groups to discuss issues and offer recommendations. He also laid out three critical priorities for Green envisions a comprehensive the year ahead. effort to support the student experience at every stage, from enrollment to
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Supporting Student Success