October 2025 Member of the Month
Meet Monica M. Scott, Manager of Community Engagement and Programs at the Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign!
What’s one thing — either industry/work-related or not — you learned in the past month?
In the last month I realized just how quickly time is passing. Sometimes it feels like I’ve wasted too many years trying to get to a specific place in life. Now it’s time to simply live.
What do you value about your membership with AAMG?
I value AAMG for how it aligns with the very specific challenges and concerns of an academic museum. The people I’ve met through AAMG have been incredible resources and thought partners.
Coffee or Tea?
Sweet iced tea
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a civil rights attorney. There are still moments I consider applying to law school. Social justice has always been a huge part of who I am.
What do you enjoy most about being a part of an academic museum?
Due to their proximity with the research and innovation of universities, academic museums have the potential to be incredibly progressive and thoughtful as a default. I enjoy partnerships that push creative and intellectual boundaries. I enjoy working with students and helping expand their critical thinking skills. The diverse and unexpected perspectives in this type of environment provide added purpose around how we think and talk about the cultural belongings we help steward. We don’t do nearly as much as we should; however, the opportunity exists for incredible collaborations and new ways to consider the role of museums in society.
What are your hopes for our industry?
This is such a great question, yet it’s incredibly loaded. I have a lot of hot takes on our industry. I’ll share one. I’d like to see museums focus on capacity. Hire less people and pay existing professionals wages actually commensurate with their experience. If as a museum you can only afford to pay your “master’s degree required” staff $40,000 a year, then you shouldn’t be hiring. Expansion is great but at what expense?
Do you have a favorite joke to share?
“Yes, but this joke isn’t mine. I saw it on social media toward the end of the academic year. Teachers and professors can relate.
Student: Can I do anything to improve my grades?
Teacher: Umm, it’s May!
Student: Okay, MAY I do anything to improve my grades?”
