Scott Nolan

Biography

Scott N. Nolan is a Professor of Practice in American Politics. His courses focus on courts and law, LGBTQ people and issues in politics, and research methods.  

He earned his B.A. in Political Science with Pre-Law Concentration from the University of New Orleans in 2007, his M.A. in 2013, and his Ph.D. in 2019.  

From 2001 to 2015, while earning his degrees, he worked full-time as a paralegal and then office manager doing complex civil litigation, trial and appellate work in the legal fields of tortious and personal injury, family law (divorce, alimony, child custody and support cases), corporate law (formation and transactional work), residential and corporate real estate transactions and foreclosures, immigration matters, Qui Tam actions arising under the U.S. False Claims Act, and especially medical malpractice and healthcare law. 

Since 2002, while earning his degrees, he worked part-time as a federally contracted Weather Observer [Aviation Meteorologist] for the U.S. National Weather Service and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration at New Orleans International Airport.

From 2013 to 2018 he was a Teaching Fellow at the University of New Orleans where he taught courses in American Politics including LGBTQ Politics and Methods of Political Research. At UNO he was a finalist for the campus-wide UNO Advocate Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2016-17 and 2017-18. He won the UNO Leadership Award for Service [for Pre-Law Advising] for 2017-18.  

He began at Tulane as a part-time Adjunct Professor (2015-2018), then worked as a full-time Visiting Professor (2018-2020), and is now a full-time Professor of Practice (2020+).  
 
At Tulane he has been nominated for the campus-wide Weiss Presidential Medal for Undergraduate Teaching twice (for 2018-19 and 2019-20). He won the Tulane Student Government Award for Student Mentoring in 2019. He won the Tulane Mortar Board Society's annual award for Excellence in Teaching for 2020-2021. He won the School of Liberal Arts’ April Brayfield Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award for 2021-2022. Further, he was also selected as a Duren Professor for 2022-2023. 

He serves as a Tulane First-Year Faculty Fellow - a small but diverse group of faculty that engage with prospective (high school) students and first-semester freshman about academic life at Tulane and in New Orleans via special events with the Offices of Admission and First Year Experience.  

He serves on the NTC Honor Board of Newcomb Tulane College. He was the Faculty Member Panelist of the Year for 2021-2022.  

He serves as a Faculty Advisor for the Tulane Mock Trial Club, a club that focus on courtroom / trial simulations and competitions.  

He serves as the Faculty Advisor for Phi Alpha Delta, Tulane’s co-ed pre-law fraternity, which allows him to mentor students interested in attending law school. 
 
He also serves as the Faculty Advisor for Pi Sigma Alpha, Tulane’s Political Science Honor Society.