Bates College Director of Athletics Jason Fein announced Wednesday the appointment of Chelsi Scott as assistant athletic director, effective June 6th. Scott will oversee student-athlete services and internal operations for the department.
"We are thrilled to welcome Chelsi to Bates," Fein said. "Her work in the area of psychology of sport and physical activity will no doubt be a benefit to our student-athletes in their pursuit of excellence both on and off the field of play. The Bobcats are anxious to welcome her to the family!"
In addition to assisting with all areas of internal operations of the athletic department, Scott will be the primary liaison between the Bates student-athletes and other student support areas of the college, focusing on academic and mental health support, equity and inclusion programming, team culture, student conduct, and career preparation in conjunction with the Center for Purposeful Work.
"Bates was appealing as a liberal arts college in the Northeast that values the same things I do," Scott said. "Being at an institution that values diversity, equity, and inclusion was really important to me."
Scott spent the last four years earning a Ph.D. in Health Education and the Psychology of Physical Activity from the University of Kansas, where she served as the Assistant Director of the KU Positive Coaching Alliance Initiative.
"At the beginning of each semester we would provide leadership training for the club sport athletes at KU, and we would tailor it to whatever they were needing at the time," Scott said. "So sometimes that was working on team conflicts, sometimes that was working on just developing a positive team culture. It was a really cool experience to help the athletes develop these skills."
Prior to Scott's time at KU, she served as a graduate assistant while earning her M.S. in Kinesiology and Recreation with a concentration in Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity at Illinois State University.
She provided hands-on leadership with the Illinois State women's basketball team by helping coordinate and manage practices and games. Scott also mentored and provided informal mental performance skills training to basketball and volleyball players.
"I was able to see the ins and outs of practices and games from a coaching perspective - an experience I didn't have as a former student-athlete," Scott said. "I am grateful I had the opportunity to learn from and develop relationships with the coaches, some of whom are still close friends."
Originally from Portland, Michigan, Scott graduated from Wellesley College in 2016 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in economics. She played four years of varsity basketball at Wellesley and was named a captain her senior season. Scott averaged 13.2 points per game as a senior, tops on the team.
"My hometown was really into basketball and I learned to prioritize athletics first," Scott said. "But at Wellesley, I appreciated that I didn't have to choose. My coaches, the institution, and my peers valued education just as much as athletics. Realizing that I didn't have to compromise was really a unique experience."
Scott says she wants to do a lot of listening about what is needed when she starts at Bates in early June.
"Bates is an institution that advocates for all people, especially the marginalized and historically oppressed communities and I want to continue that, to help amplify those voices and be a safe space for those students," Scott said. "I'm very excited and grateful to Jason and Celine for this opportunity to join the Bobcat community. I know that there's a lot of possibilities. I'm really going to let the student-athletes and coaches lead me. I am eager to listen and hear what they are wanting from this role and see how I can make it happen."
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