While Professor Scott Van Nice has taught at several institutes of higher learning, Northern Kentucky University (NKU) has a special place in his heart.
“I’ve been teaching for about ten years,” he said. “I’ve taught at other colleges, but NKU is one of my favorites as it provided me many opportunities to earn a law degree. I continue to be grateful to the university.”
Professor Van Nice, who is Deaf, teaches Digital Forensics, an elective in the online Master of Legal Studies program at NKU’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law. He is also in his 21st year of working full time at Procter & Gamble, where he is the information technology director.
“At Procter & Gamble, everything I do is rooted in law and technology, so it’s incredibly easy for me to reach back and pull a specific experience based on a chapter, a legal case or even an article, and then discuss in class,” he said.
Teaching is a mutually beneficial experience for Professor Van Nice, who graduated with a Doctor of Law from NKU in 2008.
“The best part about teaching is the ability to help students expand their thinking just a bit,” he said. “Likewise, the students have a positive impact on me, as their opinions or unique life experiences have caused me to expand my own thinking. We are all teaching each other how to become better humans.”
Back on Track
Professor Van Nice is from Chevy Chase, Maryland. After high school, he enrolled in a pre-med program at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
“Due to many poor choices and too much emphasis on having a popular social life, I had three years’ worth of poor grades. As a result, the university provided me two options — drop out or select a different major.
“I was given a new outlook on maturity when, at the advice of many mentors, I selected information technology as a major. From there, I worked extremely hard to make sure I would never make the same mistakes again.”
After graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a 3.5 GPA in 2001, Professor Van Nice started at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati as a computer forensics and electronic discovery manager the following year.
“My main concern was making sure that I could find a career that would allow me to wake up each morning and be eager to see what would happen,” he said.
Before earning a law degree, Professor Van Nice considered a return to college to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
“Law school was a result of an off-hand conversation with my father,” he said. “When he learned I was considering an MBA after a few years at Procter & Gamble, he suggested law school. He further proposed that there would be many opportunities to combine law with my IT degree and that I could enroll in a part-time program.
“Then, with the time afforded to me in the part-time program while working full-time, I could evaluate the landscape. His advice was prescient because, at that moment, time was a luxury I could afford.”
Professor Van Nice began teaching at the University of Cincinnati in 2010. He has been with NKU’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law for the last six-plus years and the University of the Cumberlands for the last five years.
“Online education has been incredible,” he said. “My favorite part is the Accessibility Checker, which guides you into ensuring all your electronic content is truly accessible. As a Deaf person, that is an incredible tool, and it’s a game-changer.”
Making a Case
With his real-world field experience, Professor Van Nice sees technology’s importance in legal studies daily.
“If you do not embrace technology, you will not do well in the legal landscape,” he said. “A perfect example is the recent Alex Jones defamation case where the defendant’s lawyers, by accident, sent the plaintiffs a digital copy of the defendant’s entire cell phone with every text message he sent for the past two years.
“Then, when the defendant’s lawyers were informed, they still did not take any steps to identify it as privileged or protected. You cannot make up stuff like this.”
Professor Van Nice also said that technology is so pervasive that it is negligent not to think about the inherent value of data being continually collected.
“Consider that the Roomba is going from room to room cleaning up,” he said. “What data is the Roomba learning about you, your activities and your daily routine? What about smartwatches? And so on.”
In his free time, Professor Van Nice enjoys reading and running 42-50 miles weekly. He hopes to continue teaching for the remainder of his career.
“I don’t consider teaching a burden — it’s an honor and a privilege,” he said. “I enjoy sharing my experiences in the corporate environment and helping students see how the lessons they learn are skill-based and practical.
“In some cases, I’ve also been able to help steer them in finding the right career path. The students are the next generation, and we have to ensure they are equipped with the skills so they can succeed before they inherit the earth.”
Learn more about NKU’s online Master of Legal Studies program.
