Scott Armstrong

While this novel was completed in two years, its writing took me on a trip of 39 years at four universities. Along the way, I filled roles of professor, department chair, head coach, athletic administrator, and sports information director. After retirement from full time, I taught as an adjunct professor and continue to teach online. The Dubious Professor is a work of fiction. The characters and colleges were created by the author. The setting is in southern Ohio but the story weaves its way from Cleveland to Orlando, Florida, with brief stops in eastern Kentucky, southern California, and Reno, Nevada. I have referenced actual identities, places, and schools to give context to the reader. Real issues in higher education and intercollegiate sport are touchpoints in the story. Matters such as enrollment, the college presidency, athletic administration, NCAA membership, and Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) are driving forces in the story’s development; so are faked degrees, forged transcripts, and the height of deception and duplicity. The very rock upon which the academy stands—truth—is tested by a clandestine collection of professionals driven by greed. As a career physical educator, I firmly believe my discipline rightly stands with traditional areas of study in academe. But there is a humorous side to “gym class,” of which we are reminded by the book’s main character. The story takes place in less than a college semester of time; but the background of characters is interspersed over a generation. I earned my B.A. from Malone University (OH), M.Ed. from Ashland University (OH), and Ph.D. from Kent State University (OH). I with my wife, Susan, in Columbus, Ohio.