Story by Margaret Schell

A fter 23 years of teaching at Georgia College & State University, Dr. Scott Dillard, professor of rhetoric and interim chair of the Department of Communication, will retire June 30.

"When I came here my first semester, we started the rhetoric major from the ground floor,” he said. “It was a fun experience.”

Dillard’s journey to teaching began when he earned his B.A. in speech communication from Blackburn College. He also earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in speech communication at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Dillard taught speech at the University of Hawaii, then became a theater professor at Central Michigan University. Later, he taught speech and theatre at Fort Valley State University before coming Georgia College.

Dillard also teaches performance studies. This class is of particular interest to him, as he’s performed in community-based theatres since he was a teen. Dillard even played the father in the Georgia College play “Eurydice,” based on a Greek myth. He’s also done commercial and web-based voiceovers. 

After June 30, he’ll see what he aspires to do beyond Georgia College. He’s already partnered with Milledgeville Baldwin County Allied Arts Inc.

“This endeavor really speaks to my creative side,” he said. “Acting really feeds me in a way that other things don't. Creative outlets enrich everyone in some way.”

Through his teaching years, Dillard believes the key to mentoring students is to listen.

“We support students in a way they need,” he said. “You can't prepackage that. Our students each need something different from us. I listen for what they need, and how I can best serve their needs.”

The students are the best part of teaching for Dillard.  “They're the reason I’m here,” he said. “I tell myself that when I come to work every day. If my first thought isn't about those students, I’ve already failed.”

Senior, rhetoric major Grayton Samples of Cumming, Georgia, aspires to be a pastor. Although he learned a lot in Dillard’s rhetoric class, he knows he’ll apply one important concept when interacting with others.

“Dr. Dillard has a unique ability to connect with anyone, and I admire that quality and want to do that as well,” Samples said.

Samples will miss Dillard’s teaching style the most.

“He meets students where they’re at and provides an environment where we can ask questions and not feel like we’re judged,” he said.  Dillard also connects with many of his former students.


“They’ll contact me if they need something, like a letter of reference or information about something I may know about,” he said.

“Our former students end up doing great things,” Dillard said. “We give them a lot of different skills to apply in a breadth of various fields.”

Many of his former students became successful advertisers, businesspeople, lawyers, pastors, teachers and actors in the film industry. Some even earned their doctoral degrees in rhetoric.”

“They're my little legacies. I just love being with my students — they’re all good young adults,” Dillard said. “I love learning from them and teaching them. They taught me so much about the world.”

Header Images: Dr. Scott Dillard leads students through warmup exercises in the classroom. (Photos: Anna Gay Leavitt) The Department of Communication hosted a retirement party for Dillard on the porch of Terrell Hall. (Photos: Evelina Galova)