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An Activist and a Pastor

The DuPage County branch of the NAACP honored Elmhurst College Chaplain Rev. Scott Matheney at its 53rd Annual Banquet.

The Reverend H. Scott Matheney, Elmhurst College Chaplain, was honored with the Audley Award of Leadership Excellence at the 53rd Annual Banquet of the DuPage County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on February 22.

The NAACP Banquet program reads in part, “As we look at [Rev. Matheney’s] tenure, we see, on one hand, an activist with a broad, positive impact on a campus-wide scale; and on the other hand, a pastor who has influenced individual students to be socially conscious and religiously mature citizens.”

The Audley Award, presented annually, is named in honor of former DuPage County NAACP President Claude Audley. It was Audley who initiated a 1966 fair housing ordinance to the Wheaton City Council that eventually led to the passing of fair housing ordinances in 30 nearby towns and cities. The award recognizes a West Suburban citizen who “personifies passion, energy, and unyielding tenacity for fairness, quality, advances, and breakthroughs in civil rights.”

“It is an honor," Rev. Matheney said, "to be recognized and to be associated with the legacy of social justice and racial equality that the Audley Award represents. As a lifetime NAACP member, it was especially significant for me to receive this award while celebrating the organization’s 100th anniversary.”

Rev. Matheney has served as Chaplain at Elmhurst College since 1997. He arrived at the College with a distinguished background, having served years as Presbyterian and United Church of Christ Chaplain at Columbia University in New York City.

Since taking his position at Elmhurst College, Rev. Matheney has had a significant impact on the programs and direction of the chaplaincy. He played a key role in the establishment of the NAACP Chapter at Elmhurst, has provided significant outreach to the Muslim community on campus, and spearheaded the College’s annual Holocaust Education Project as well as Habitat for Humanity projects around the world.

Rev. Matheney instituted the Religious Lecture Series at the College, exploring different faith traditions (the Bernardin Lecture, al-Ghazali Lecture, and Heschel Lecture) while always encouraging students to expand their intellectual horizons. A graduate of Whitworth College and Princeton Theological Seminary, Rev. Matheney also has extensive international experience as a visiting scholar and teacher.