Scott Masterson

Award for Alumni Achievement

During this interview Scott Masterson '77, senior vice president and general manager of Forbes Inc., is a man under fire, literally. While reminiscing about his experiences at Hofstra he is getting updates every 20 minutes about a forest fire burning through the Forbes Ranch in Colorado (no one was hurt).

Knowing how to function in the business world and treat others, whether in the heat of crisis or in normal, everyday functions, is a talent that Scott attributes to the campus life at Hofstra. He says he was "just a kid who thought he knew everything" when he entered the University, but he graduated as an adult with many of life's lessons learned.

"The overall experience of college literally changes your life," said Scott. "Becoming involved in the campus community creates a positive college environment, which adds to the overall experience, and Hofstra does a great job of this."

During his freshman year at Hofstra Scott became involved with Essex House fraternity. What drew him to this group was its involvement on campus and in club sports, as well as the personalities of its members. "The guys in Essex House made up a tight-knit community filled with respect and loyalty," said Mr. Masterson. "Being a part of that community gave me opportunities to meet many people on campus through a lot of different events that we sponsored."

The respect and loyalty that Scott learned as a member of Essex House are values he carries with him always. It is his belief that everyone should take the time out of their day to meet at least one new person. He guarantees that one of the new acquaintances you make over six months will change your life in way or another.

Some of those life-changing people for Scott were Hofstra faculty, and he feels he had numerous opportunities to bond with his professors outside of the classroom. "I learned the most about life when I was able to spend time with my professors outside of the classroom," he said. "When you show the professors that you care about what they are teaching and who they are, they become your friends and teach you more about life than you ever would have expected."

One of Scott's responsibilities as a senior vice president and general manager at Forbes Inc. is overseeing the interns employed by his company. He treats them with respect and friendship - the same way his professors at Hofstra treated him. He hopes that his interns will walk away from Forbes with impressive work experience and some important life lessons.

Other than the intern program, Scott is responsible for a wide range of the company's activities. He recently directed a rebuilding of Forbes' IT infrastructure, he inaugurated two departments human resources and project management, he oversees circulation and manufacturing for all of the company's publications: Forbes, Forbes Asia and ForbesLife. He is also the president of Forbes' American Heritage division.

Scott has been working since 1980 with the Merrill Lynch Turkey Trot in Garden City, New York, which benefits Muscular Dystrophy Association. He has also been a girls' soccer coach for more than 20 years. Through his involvement in these organizations he has met numerous students and been asked on many occasions to write letters of references for them. In fact, he has hired 150 Garden City students as interns at Forbes Inc.