Soon-to-be Dr. Landis heads to King to teach athletic training

By Meredith Sexton
Editor-in-Chief

After six years at Bryan, Scott Landis, assistant professor of Exercise and Health Sscott-landiscience is leaving to accept a job at King University (Bristol, Tennessee).

King University offered a significant pay raise, as well as a position in Landis’ specialization, athletic training. There, Landis will be the full-time clinical coordinator of athletic training education, teaching classes like modality and clinical issues and practice.

When Landis received the offer, he proposed a counter-offer to Bryan, which included a pay raise and partial repayment of student loans. However unlikely Landis thought this might be, he said he still wanted to give them a chance. Bryan declined the counter-offer, leading Landis to accept the position at King University.

“It’s not that I was dying to get away from Bryan, but the offer from King was really unbeatable,” he said.

As a licensed, certified athletic trainer, Landis will be able to do more of what he is passionate about at King, and will be able to teach in a program similar to the one that he attended during his college experience.

“Yes. Last year’s events contributed to this decision,” Landis said, “I lost a lot of close friends, but I still could have stayed at Bryan and been okay. Really, the move is because of the position. I will be doing what I was really trained for.”

Landis is currently pursuing his doctorate in athletic training and plans to complete that program at the end of this semester.

According to Vice President of Academics Kevin Clauson, Bryan College is seeking to add two new full-time professors to the EHS department.

They are well into the interview process and have narrowed it down to three candidates to replace Landis. Clauson plans to make the final decision within the next two weeks.

According to Dave Perron, chair of the EHS department, the second professor is technically to replace Dana Wilson, who left Bryan last year. Wilson’s specialties included community health, which has been more difficult to replace. They are currently considering one candidate and have given her an offer, but are waiting on a response.

Perron said this candidate is their top choice, but they will pursue other options if she declines the offer.

“I literally pray, ‘Lord bring the ones you want to come.’ As long as that happens, we will be in good hands,” Perron said.