University Chaplain Rev. Scotty McLennan will leave Tufts in January to take on a new position at Stanford University. On the precipice of a career change that will end his 16-year tenure at Tufts, the author, educator, and clergyman expressed reluctance to leave his Boston life behind, but said that he could not pass up the opportunities afforded to him by his new position.
McLennan, who was first approached by Stanford officials last spring, said that he was attracted to the University because of the large size of its student body. At approximately 12,000 undergraduates, the school has over twice as many students as Tufts, and the position also involves working with graduate students. McLennan also said he was intrigued by the idea of working in the California area.
"There's something about what's happening in Silicon Valley that's kind of a microcosm of what's going on in America... the rich and poor are being pulled apart and we are losing the middle class," he said. "This is a chance to look at those issues through a religious perspective."
McLennan's new title is Dean for Religious Life, which means that he will be the leader of the religious community as well as the minister of Stanford's non-denominational church. Unlike Tufts, Stanford has regular Sunday services in a church that is centrally located on its campus, and McLennan says that he is looking forward to speaking to the school's entire religious population each week.
Although he sees many advantages in the new position, McLennan says that he will miss Tufts' friendly and informal atmosphere. "I've gotten tremendous support in my work as University Chaplain from all parts of the community. It's been a wonderful place to work on issues of religion, spirituality, and ethics," he said. "It's just been a love affair for me."
The love affair has not been one-sided, as McLennan has earned praise from students, faculty, staff, and administrators during his career at Tufts. "He is very warm and reaches out to people, and he has been an integral part of the community," University President John DiBiaggio said. "His quiet demeanor and ability to communicate have caused people to look at religious activities when they might not have done otherwise."
No attempt has been made as of yet to find a replacement for McLennan. DiBiaggio projected that an interim structure will be set up for the spring semester while a search is conducted.
Since arriving at Tufts in 1984, McLennan has served as a religious leader, teacher, and counselor at the school. He holds degrees from Yale University, the Harvard Divinity School, and the Harvard Law School, and was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister in 1975. While at Yale, he shared a room with future Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau, who later based Revered Scotty Sloan, one of his characters, on McLennan.
McLennan, always outspoken on issues of human rights, never shied away from controversial topics affecting student life at the University. When the Tufts Christian Fellowship was de-recognized for its refusal to grant a leadership position to a homosexual student, McLennan publicly defended the group's right to pick its members, even though he disagreed with its interpretation of the bible that discriminated against homosexuals.
During his years at Tufts, McLennan has emphasized the themes of ethics, interfaith harmony and combining religious and secular life. Among his major accomplishments was the production of his book Finding your religion: When the faith you grew up with has lost its meaning, which was published last December.
McLennan's experience in both law and religion made him stand-out as a candidate for the position of Dean for Religious Life, according to a June 28 Stanford press release. "Rev. McLennan combines a nonsectarian view of the campus ministry with a wide-ranging interest in ethical issues that should serve Stanford well. His background informed his ministry at Tufts in interesting ways and we expect that it will do the same at Stanford," said Stanford President Gerhard Casper.
DiBiaggio called the move a promotion for McLennan. "We're delighted for him because the appointment he's accepted is a prestigious one," he said. "In essence, it's a tribute to us as well that one of our own has been chosen for the position."
