Michael G. Scales, Ed.D.

President, Nyack College/Alliance Theological Seminary

Ed.D., University of Georgia
M.A., Western Kentucky University
B.S., Toccoa Falls College

The founder and president of an award-winning management and marketing firm, Dr. Michael G. Scales was the candidate of choice to become the 12th president of Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary (ATS). The Nyack/ATS Board of Trustees appointed him to the office in February 2006.

Dr. Scales has a proven affinity for the mission, core values, and vision of Nyack College/ATS based on his extended relationship with the college and seminary in roles as Executive Vice President and Vice President for Advancement and Enrollment. After consulting for some 50 college and university presidents, the Gadsden, AL native concluded that Nyack—nationally recognized for its ethnic, socio-economic, and denominational diversity among students and faculty—had the most compelling story in higher education.

Today the institution has a record enrollment of 3,369 students. Undergraduate degrees are offered in thirty-eight majors. Graduate programs at the college include concentrations in education, business administration, counseling, and organizational leadership. The seminary grants a doctor in divinity degree and the master's degree in divinity, biblical literature, and professional studies. Nyack also has received several professional accreditations. 

Since his 2007 inauguration, Dr. Scales has been surrounded by an extraordinary team of administrators, faculty, and staff. To date, a number of notable milestones have been celebrated:  the launch of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and dedication of the Nyack College School of Nursing; an endowed Distinguished Chair of Nursing; approval of the first doctoral program, the Doctor of Ministry; the launch of the criminal justice major; and reaccreditation with two unprecedented commendations from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and from the Association of Theological Schools. Obtaining university status and acquiring a permanent home for the Manhattan campus is also a part of the vision Dr. Scales has for Nyack’s future.

Dr. Scales is a board member of The Christian & Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc. (Shell Point Retirement Community), the largest life care community in Florida. He was elected to the Presidents Council of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a 15-member panel of university presidents and other leaders from Division II schools. On this chief governing body for NCAA Division II athletics, Dr. Scales serves as a Championships Committee Liaison. Other previous leadership positions include his tenure as board secretary for the New York State Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) board of trustees and his role as chair and vice chair of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Commission for Advancing Intercultural Competencies.

Dr. Scales has been married to the former Susan Lynn DeLany for more than three decades. They are the parents of two daughters and two sons and the grandparents of three grandsons.

Nyack College was founded in 1882 in New York City by Dr. A. B. Simpson and today boasts more than 3,300 students on its campuses in Nyack, NY and in Manhattan—gateway to the world’s global community. Extension sites are located in Washington, DC and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Nyack is a Christian liberal arts college and is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as having one of the most diverse student populations in the nation. Alliance Theological Seminary (ATS) was founded in 1960 and is the official seminary of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.