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Priscilla Scott retires

Priscilla Scott retired in May, 2013 after a 37-year career at UMass Amherst, working 29 years in the Department/School of Computer Science. A retirement celebration was held in her honor on May 8, 2013 at the University Club on campus.

In 1974, Scott began her UMass Amherst career in Entomology and, after a year off for the birth of her daughter in 1975, she spent eight additional years in Entomology. She accepted an administrative staff position in Computer Science in 1984, hired on a DARPA grant awarded to Professors Wendy Lehnert, Edwina Rissland, and Beverly Woolf.

Over the years, she has worked as a grant administrator/accountant for a number of research labs in CS and for over a dozen CS faculty, including Emery Berger, Oliver Brock, Mark Corner, Rod Grupen, Neil Immerman and his wife Susan Landau, Evangelos Kalogerakis, Brian Levine, Sridhar Mahadevan, Kathryn McKinley, Eliot Moss, Robin Popplestone, Hava Siegelmann, Paul Utgoff, Chip Weems, and Beverly Woolf. During her years in Computer Science, she has been through two building changes (Lederle low-rise to the current Computer Science Building), three name changes (COINS to Department of CS to School of CS), and nine department/school chairs.

"I've worked with so many wonderful people here: staff, students, and faculty. It's hardest to leave all of them," notes Scott. "I'm looking forward to traveling, gardening, and spending time with my daughter Melissa and her three beautiful children, Kori, Alex, and Lily."

After spending many weeks at Boston Children's hospital with her granddaughter Lily, Scott would like to volunteer there to give something back to the hospital. Scott also volunteers for Cavalier Rescue USA, an organization that rescues, cares for, and provides adoption services for Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs.

 "For years, Priscilla navigated the stormy proposal writing seasons with me--always professional, calm and organized. I really appreciated her expertise, but most of all, she became a close friend and confidant over the course of hundreds of high stress deadlines," says Professor Rod Grupen. "I learned a lot from her about how to deal with people and keep it all in the proper perspective. Priscilla represents the best of UMass to me."