WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Former Grizzly Basketball player and current University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) Associate Vice President for Development Scott Roberts will give the keynote address at the Missouri State University-West Plains 2012 commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19, at the West Plains Civic Center arena.
Roberts said he will discuss seizing opportunities, embracing change and giving back during his presentation. Everyone is invited to attend the event.
“Mr. Roberts is an outstanding example of someone from Missouri who attended Missouri State University-West Plains and used that experience to start a successful career,” Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett said. “He is a role model, not just for student-athletes but for all students.”
A native of Carthage, Mo., Roberts directs all academic and unit based fundraising for UNLV and oversees a staff of 21. Prior to moving to Las Vegas in 2010, he served as director of university development at Pittsburg State University (PSU) in Pittsburg, Kan. There, he was credited with increasing private fundraising from $9 million in 2004 to more than $20 million in 2010, as well as with successfully completing a $120 million campaign. These efforts were recognized when PSU was awarded the 2010 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)-WealthEngine Award for Excellence in Fundraising, which recognizes overall performance and overall improvement in educational fundraising.
Roberts’ experience as a professional fundraiser began in 2002 when he served as a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America. This came on the heels of a brief, but distinctive, career as a professional basketball player in Sweden and Germany.
He is a member of CASE and the Association of Governing Boards. He also served on the Pittsburg Noon Rotary Executive Board and was a member of the Ozark Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Pittsburg Young Professionals, YMCA, Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce and Joplin Chamber of Commerce.
Roberts received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo., in 1998 and an Associate of Arts in General Studies degree from Missouri State-West Plains in 1996. He was a member of the Grizzly Basketball team from 1994-96 and was a key contributor to the team’s 26-7 and 19-14 season records, respectively, during his two-year career on the court in West Plains.
Roberts is currently enrolled in the Master’s in Public Administration program at the UNLV Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and is expected to graduate in 2013.
He and his wife, Barb, a former Grizzly Volleyball team member, live in Las Vegas with their two daughters, six-year-old Marley and four-year-old Audrey.
For more information about commencement activities, contact the Missouri State-West Plains academic affairs office, 417-255-7272. For more information about Missouri State-West Plains, visit http://wp.missouristate.edu.