Global Philanthropist Edward Scott Earns Honorary Doctorate at Florida Tech Commencement
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Local business executive and philanthropist
Edward W. Scott Jr. received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from President Anthony J. Catanese at Florida Institute of Technology’s spring commencement on May 7.
“Mr. Scott is a pillar of the community who has enriched our university and our world with his time and resources. And, as an internationally recognized activist for humanitarian causes, he is an extremely worthy recipient of this honor,” said Catanese.
An active supporter of several philanthropic initiatives, Scott has been a member of the Florida Tech Board of Trustees since 2003 and was the major funder of the Scott Center for Autism Treatment.
Scott founded BEA Systems in 1995, which grew to become the 12th largest software company in the world and was acquired in early 2008 by Oracle Corp. Before his high-tech career, he spent 17 years as an executive in the United States government, including 10 years at the U.S. Department of Justice where he served seven attorneys general. During the Carter administration, his last government assignment was as assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Most recently Scott has become especially concerned about the causes and cures of global poverty. Along with Bill Gates and George Soros, he is a co-founder of DATA, an advocacy organization dedicated to building public and political awareness about development problems in Africa. Bono, the lead singer of the rock band U2, is a principal spokesperson for DATA, now known as ONE.
Scott and wife Cheryl reside in Merritt Island, Fla.
About 1,080 students were eligible to walk across the stage to receive their Florida Tech associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at the May Commencement. This was the largest commencement in at least 30 years.
