Four Questions with Auburn's Scott Francis!

I love crossing paths with folks I met years ago, and Scott Francis is one of those people. We first met when Scott reached out about some alumni events we were trying at Syracuse University, a decade (read: lifetime) ago, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to catch up with Scott. He's a terrific supporter of our Alumless podcasts and an all-around great human.

"Four Questions" continues with Scott! 

Looks like you recently wrapped up #TigerGivingDay! How did it go and what was your/your team's role in the day? Any lessons learned that other members of the CMAC community might appreciate? 

It went great! By the time the dust settled, all 45 of our Giving Day projects reached their funding goal. Our Auburn Clubs and Black Alumni Council reached their goals with the BAC reaching 158% of goal. The Alumni Engagement team serves as a resource and champions of the efforts that day. Those of us who work with volunteers or a group hosting a TGD project work to activate those groups as ambassadors on social media in the lead up to the day and of course, on the Big Day!

Over the years, I have learned that encouraging volunteers to be creative in the 10 days leading up to the big day has been effective. Teasing it in the lead up affects the behind-the-screens algorithm, so that on the day of they reach more eyeballs and hearts. 

Your career path in higher education is such an interesting one ... from housing/res life to alumni clubs and affiliate groups and now including more work in stewarding gifts. What's your advice to those just getting into higher ed about charting a career path? 

I tell people now that across my career, whether it’s in student affairs/housing, alumni work, coaching youth sports, or anything else: It’s always been about BELONGING and creating a sense of belonging for others. In grad school, if you told me I would have spent 12 years as a housing professional, I would have thought you’d bumped your head. But I found a place and a space that was ALL ABOUT community and belonging (shoutout to the Murphree Area!) and fell in love with that feeling. 

My $.02 worth of advice: As you chart your path, don’t fall too in love with your first ideas of what you think you want to do. Early on, follow your heart and what moves you. Seek the experience that you’re looking to obtain and give much less weight to titles and hierarchies. What you love and what you’re great at will emerge and guide your next chapters.

We love that you include your CliftonStrengths themes in your LinkedIn profile. Did any of them surprise you? Do you recommend members of your team do that assessment, and how is it helpful to your daily work?

Not many surprises. I’ve been a WOO for as long as I can remember. What was shocking was that our team took the assessment in 2020, seven months into the pandemic stay-at-home orders, and WOO had fallen from number 1 or 2 to out of my top 10. Obviously several things changed in that 18-month period, but in the most recent assessments, I’m back to a familiar Top 5. 

I always recommend teams take some sort of assessment as part of a shared experience and team building effort. It is a low risk, professionally facilitated way to get folks to disclose how they feel about their working relationships and in the end, understand how to better approach one another and work better together. 

What’s an app you’re using on your phone or tablet that you either a) can’t function without or b) think others need to know about or c) both! 

I think the “WheresTheBus” app has been a lifesaver the past two years. With two kids taking the bus each morning, it lets us know how many minutes away it is or if it’s not running at all that day. This process every weekday morning really does drive the direction of the day. 

For sports fans, I recommend “The Athletic.” It is a fantastic app filled with content from sports writers across the country. You create your profile and tell the app what teams/sports you are interested in and you get notifications and driven to stories about those teams. Every once in a while, you get something not on your list, but if you read it, you’ll be sent more stories that are similar. I love this app because I love sports, but I also imagine a world where our advancement and alumni teams had a similar app where our alumni could indicate what their interests are and by reading or clicking on other things, we learn more about them and are able to create better digital and in person experiences with more curated and informed invites. That’s way more than you wanted here. 😊 (Editor's note: It's EXACTLY what we hoped for here!)

Not sure about you, but I'd never heard of "WheresTheBus" until catching up with Scott. Saving that one, which will come in handy someday! 

We love catching up with members of the CMAC Community. Keep an eye out ... you never know when we'll pop up in your LinkedIn messages with four questions for YOU!