Scott Slarks was promoted to the role of Assistant Athletic Director of Communications in June 2019 and is the main media contact for Men’s Basketball, Volleyball, Track and Field and Cross Country. He originally joined the ORU athletics staff in October 2016 as the Director of Media Relations. He's been honored for his graphic design and layout work, earning national
awards from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), including seven “Best in the Nation” honors for game day programs, media guides and game notes, including the 2018 volleyball media guide and 2019 baseball game notes.
Under his direction, the Golden Eagles have seen growth on social media of more than 20 percent on their main athletics accounts. Thanks to the NCAA Sweet 16 run in 2020-21, ORU men's basketball took off garnering a 369 percent increase in followers on Twitter and Instagram. He also ushered in a new digital platform partnering with SIDEARM Sports for a revamped website and mobile app and guided the creation of the ORU Sports Network (ORUSN), featuring free, student-directed video streams of all home athletic events.
Prior to joining ORU, Slarks was the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications at NCAA Division II Rogers State where he oversaw the publicity efforts and media operations for RSU’s 12 intercollegiate programs. In 2015-16, his work with the Hillcats earned recognition as the Heartland Conference Scott Puryear Sports Information Director of the Year by his peers in the league.
Slarks increased his presence on the national level serving as the SID liaison to the Heartland Conference Athletic Directors Committee, assisted the Game Day Environment committee for the league, and was the SID chair for women’s basketball.
A native of Owatonna, Minnesota, Slarks joined RSU after serving as the Sports Communications and Marketing Coordinator at Park University since August 2012. While previously working on his master’s degree, Slarks served as the Sports Information Graduate Assistant for two years at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he was the primary media contact for six of the Cougars’ 16 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. He also provided play-by-play and color commentary for more than 100 men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and women’s basketball contests helping to create a digital streaming platform for SIUE.
Prior to his work at SIUE, Slarks served as the Interim Director of Sports Information at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. He was in charge of media relations efforts for all of the Majors' 18 NCAA Division III programs, which included the writing of all game and feature stories and producing various printed material, including posters, schedule cards, and media guides.
Slarks got his start in athletic communications serving as a student assistant for four years in the Sports Information Department as an undergraduate at Gustavus Adolphus College under director Tim Kennedy. He also was president and a two-year member of the Golden Gusties' club volleyball team.
Slarks is a 2009 Cum Laude graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business management, and later earned a Master of Science degree in kinesiology (sport management) with a perfect 4.0 grade point average from SIUE in 2012.
He is a member of CoSIDA.
