Publication Date

May 30, 2019

Perspectives Section

Member Spotlight, Perspectives Daily

Geographic

  • United States

Thematic

Political

Constantinos E. Scaros

Constantinos E. Scaros is a professor of history and political science on the faculties of Colorado Technical University, Lebanon Valley College, and St. Petersburg College. He is co-founder and executive director of human resources of the Early Childhood Education Training Academy and currently serves as senior adviser to the board of directors of the Plato Academy Schools. He is the author of several books, most recently Stop Calling Them “Immigrants,” and a newspaper columnist. He has also served as a newspaper editor, and he is an attorney in retired status. He and his family split time between Newmanstown, Pennsylvania, and Tarpon Springs, Florida. He has been an AHA member since 2015.

Website: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-text&rh=p_27:Constantinos+E.+Scaros&s=relevancerank&text=Constantinos+E.+Scaros&ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1

Alma maters: BA (political science), Fordham University, 1986; JD (law), New York Law School, 1991; MA (history), American Military University, 2009; PhD (history), University of New England, 2016

Fields of interest: America, presidential

Describe your career path. What led you to where you are today?

After graduating from law school in 1991, I simultaneously embarked on a career in law and higher education. Within a few years, I realized I much preferred being a professor and administrator, and I eventually relinquished my law practice. After also serving as in-house legal counsel at one institution where I served as a dean, I focused my career almost entirely on education, and I also began writing some books. I also started writing for a newspaper, and eventually became its executive editor. I decided to return to school in 2001 to take a few graduate courses in history, eventually turning it into a master’s degree. Then I pursued a PhD in history, which I was awarded in 2016. I have many academic and scholarly interests, but history remains at the top of the list, and so that is what made me decide to earn a second doctorate (in addition to the juris doctorate I already held).

After marrying and moving from the New York metropolitan area to central Pennsylvania, I began conducting legal trainings for early childhood educators, all the while continuing to write and teach on the college level. In 2013, my wife and I co-founded the Early Childhood Education Training Academy (ECETA), where I serve as executive director. In late 2018, I accepted an assignment as senior adviser to the board of directors of the Plato Academy, a group of high-functioning charter schools based in western Florida.

What do you like the most about where you live and work?

My family and I split our time between Florida and central Pennsylvania. What I love most about Florida is the warm weather, the beaches, and the relaxed lifestyle. What I love most about Pennsylvania is the true “neighborly” quality of the residents.

I enjoy my career because it allows me to incorporate so many aspects of my life’s experience and personal qualities, such as leadership, management, problem-solving, and knowledge of numerous academic fields.

What projects are you currently working on?

I am currently seeking a publisher for my doctoral dissertation, which focuses on the impact of debates on presidential elections. I hope to have the book published by early 2020, just in time for the next presidential election. I am also considering writing a self-improvement book for the Democratic Party, as I wrote for the Republican Party in 2015.

Have your interests evolved since graduation? If so, how?

I am not sure if my I interests have necessarily evolved, but my having worked as a professor, administrator, writer, manager, and leader, I learned that I am not a ladder climber, and I can be happy doing different things, and changing positions among them. For instance, I can be a college president one year, a professor the next, an adviser the next, etc.

What do you value most about the history discipline?

What I value most is a commitment to evenhanded recording of information, without injecting a particular agenda or motive.

Why is membership in the AHA important to you?

I think that one learns more by being around people with similar intellectual pursuits, and also benefits the whole by contributing to them.

AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our talented and eclectic membership, Perspectives Daily features a regular AHA Member Spotlight series.

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Matthew Keough
Matthew Keough

American Historical Association