Professor Scott Asadorian lectures his BUS-265 course. Photo
by James McIntosh.
College of Business Alumnus returns to URI after years as a professional
Not every professor at the University of Rhode Island can say they have both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from the university where they teach. Scott Asadorian, a lecturer in the College of Business, can.
Asadorian, graduated with his Bachelor of Science and received his Master of Business Administration from URI in 1991, and also recently took a one-year assignment as a lecturer in marketing. He said one of his greatest values being an approachable instructor.
Asadorian prefers to be referred to as a lecturer by his students. He tells everyone to call him by his first name, Scott, and encourages them to ditch the “professor” title.
“I want the students to know my background is somebody from business,” said Asadorian.
“As a lecturer, I feel that I am a teacher.”
Savannah Martin, a junior supply chain management major, said the passion Asadorian has for teaching in his Marketing Principles class is what makes his classes so enjoyable and different.
“I am currently in a three-hour lecture and it always flies by,” said Martin. “You can tell he truly has a passion for teaching and wants students to succeed.”
Previously, Asadorian spent 23 years as the Chief Operating Officer at the Rhode Island Blood Center.
“As the Chief Operating Officer over there, my work included overseeing all nonmedical operations of the organization including the marketing, planning, customer outreach and the development of the community-based programs where we would go out and educate different organizations about the importance of donating blood,” Asadorian said.
Asadorian said he wanted to teach for a long time. After deciding to make a major change in his career and leave the Blood Center, his conversations with Dr. Christy Ashley of URI’s marketing department convinced him to take the one year teaching assignment.
Currently, Ashley sees his experience with the Blood Center as a benefit to URI students.
“He is an excellent strategist, and I am pleased that the College of Business is associated with him in two ways: as a successful alumnus who wants to give back, and as an engaged instructor who is taking action to make a difference in the lives of our students,” said Ashley.
Before his time at both the Blood Center and URI as a lecturer, Asadorian worked for Vector Health Systems after graduating and it boosted him to get the job as COO.
“I was looking for my first job and a friend of mine had a friend who worked at Vector Health Systems,” said Asadorian. “So I went for an interview there and ended up getting this great job as the executive vice president’s assistant.”
Asadorian’s many years in the professional world have prepared him well to teach college kids about the field. Along with his one-year teaching assignment at URI, he has found time to help Rhode Island businesses with his consulting firm Endurance Strategy.
“I have enjoyed spending time with owners of companies and helping them work out their problems, just like I enjoy my time with students,” Asadorian said.
While he does not know where his future will go next, Asadorian is very grateful for having his one-year stint at URI.
“I look to continue all of the different things that I have been doing and really getting more people involved,” said Asadorian. “But you have to take it one day at a time.”