Scott Paynton has been appointed dean of Cal State Fullerton’s College of Communications, effective Feb. 22, 2016.
In his most recent role as associate dean of the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Humboldt State University, Paynton helped adopt affordable learning solutions and open educational resources to ensure student access to free and inexpensive learning materials. He also worked with a team of faculty, students and administrators on a CSU STEM Collaborative grant to establish interdisciplinary place-based learning communities for freshmen students, connecting general education courses across colleges around particular themes.
Paynton specialized in organizational communication and leadership. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Cal State San Bernardino, a master’s degree in human communication studies from Cal State Chico, and a doctorate in communication from Southern Illinois University.
Paynton succeeds Irene Matz, who has served as acting dean since June 2014 and previously served as the college’s associate dean for several years beginning in January 2009.