Scott Ward, Ph.D

Bio

Scott Ward is in his 18th year with the KU athletics department and is the Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development. In this, Ward works with KU LEADS as the director of Jayhawk Peak Performance which helps with sport psychology aspects for all KU athletes. He also is involved in the coordination of various support services for student-athletes including directly mentoring the men’s basketball and volleyball programs.

Prior to his current position, Ward spent 14 years in the KU academic support program, working mainly with men’s basketball and volleyball. In summer 2009, he was promoted to associate athletics director for academic and career counseling. On the academic side, during Ward’s stint with men’s basketball, Kansas had 35 Academic All-Big 12 selections, which is more than any other conference school. Included were first-team Academic All-Americans Cole Aldrich (2010) and Tyrel Reed (2011). Aldrich was named the Academic All-American of the Year in 2010. Additionally, KU men’s basketball was acknowledged in June 2015 with the NCAA’s Public Recognition Award for achieving scores among the top-10 percent of all NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams, a streak of nine-consecutive years honored.

Prior to assuming his initial position in the athletics department in the summer of 2003, Ward was a faculty member in the School of Education at the University of Kansas. He has received multiple teaching awards as an instructor in the Health, Sport and Exercise Science departments. Ward is very proud to have earned three degrees from KU: a B.S.Ed. in education with an emphasis in exercise science in 1991, an M.S.Ed. in education with an emphasis in athletic administration and sport psychology in 1993, and a Ph.D. in education with an emphasis in sport psychology and support in counseling psychology in 1996. A native of Kingman, Kansas, Ward and his wife Robin find Lawrence a great place to keep in touch with old friends and college chums.