By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A former President at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph has died.
James J. Scanlon served as the third President of the University from 2001 to 2008. He died at his home in California earlier this week.
In an email to campus current President Elizabeth Kennedy expressed her sadness about the death of Scanlon. Kennedy says during Scanlon's tenure he helped shape the mission of applied learning and says his greatest accomplishment was designating Missouri Western as a University in 2005.
Upon his retirement in 2008, Scanlon and his wife Lauren established the Blake K. Scanlon Applied Learning scholarship, named after their son, to help provide grants to Missouri Western students presenting referred papers, posters, or exhibiting juried works in international and national professional venues.
Two awards for staff are named in honor of Scanlon, the James J Scanlon Awards for Service to the Community, as well as a Residence Hall being renamed to honor his legacy at Missouri Western.
Kennedy says Scanlon will be remembered for his warmth, empathy, and his integrity and will be deeply missed by the University community.
Memorial arrangements are pending.