Mr. UT drives in style

You’re walking down the street on a sunny day with your little sister. A bright blue car passes, decked out with flags fluttering proudly in the breeze. A University of Toledo shield blazes against the Tower Blue car door. Your sister looks up, questions already forming in her head. She asks, “Did you see that cool car? What did those stickers say? What’s UT?”

That’s exactly what Christopher Scott, an undergraduate admissions counselor, wanted to encourage when he bought his 2015 Ford Mustang convertible.

“One of the things with this role was to understand that to be successful, you have to be different in a way,” Scott said. “It creates a different conversation, one that you might not usually have. It’s a tactic to get interest from students who are in high school, but also students who are probably not even thinking about college.”

Scott graduated from East Technical High School in Cleveland. He was inspired to attend UT because a few of his friends did.

“I didn’t grow up in one of the best parts of Cleveland. I graduated from high school and my scores were ok but they weren’t the best,” Scott said. “UT gave me an opportunity to see whether or not I could be successful.”

Last year, Scott graduated from UT with a bachelor of science and re-enrolled as a student to work on his master’s degree in education.

“I came here for the pharmacy program and found it was something I wasn’t truly passionate about,” Scott said. “It’s something I talk about when I’m doing my speaking tour and talking to students about truly figuring out what their passions are.”

As UT helped him discover, Scott’s passion is helping students “figure out what they want to do themselves, career-wise, and helping them to get to the next level.”

He discovered this passion his sophomore year at UT when he became involved with student outreach and the Office of New Student Orientation Programs. Realizing he enjoyed the work, Scott found a position in undergraduate admissions where he covers the Cuyahoga County area he’s from.

“My ultimate goal is to be a superintendent of a school district or either be an executive leader on the campus some day,” Scott said.

Scott’s pride in UT is clear to see on more than just his car: it’s clear to see when he talks about the university. Before he graduated last year, Scott even proposed to his girlfriend in Savage Arena.

“A lot of my pride comes from getting the opportunity to grow at the University of Toledo and make something of myself,” Scott said.

Traveling across the state in his UT-themed car, Scott brings Toledo to the students. A portion of his job in undergraduate admissions involves promoting UT by speaking at high schools. It was his motivational speaking that earned him a new moniker.

“I had parents who would come up to me and say they really enjoyed my presentation,” Scott said. “They said, ‘We’re going to call you Mr. UT.’ It was a way for them to remember me. It was simple, easy, and really popped.”

Scott picked up the nickname, and it stuck. “Mr. UT” is on his nametag, his car and in his personality.

“Part of my role is promoting the University of Toledo, but most importantly promoting higher education in general,” Scott said. “I enjoy being able to help that student get across that bridge and decide what school they want to go to and making them feel comfortable in saying the University of Toledo is right for them.”

Scott said potential students have noticed his vehicle at gas stations and approached him to discuss their future at UT. He even installed a holder for his iPad in the convertible for such occasions so he can check on a student’s admission status himself instead of having to call in.

“We live in a culture today where students are very visual; they like different and the car is something that students can easily identify with,” Scott said. “My favorite part of my job, to be honest, is just knowing that at the end of each day I’m making a positive impact on a student’s life.”