BY DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
In naming Rodney Rogers as the 12th president of Bowling Green State University Friday, the Board of Trustees signaled approval of the institution’s direction.
Rogers is a familiar figure who came to BGSU in 2006 as dean of the College of Business, moved up to provost and on Jan. 1 took over as interim president when Mary Ellen Mazey surprised the university by announcing her retirement.
Rogers is also the first president with a BGSU degree. He received his Masters of Business Administration from BGSU.
Megan Newlove, who chairs of the board, said: “When the board started looking at what we wanted in our next president, we realized we had just what we wanted right here.”
Kyle Johnson, the undergraduate trustee on the board, said he’s heard several people on campus say they hoped Rogers was named as president.
Asked about this being Rogers first presidency, Newlove expressed confidence in him. “We’ve seen him grow in each role. We have confidence he’ll grow in this role.” Rogers, 59, received a five-year contract with a salary of $245,500.
In a press conference after the meeting, Rogers said he was building on the great foundation laid down by Mazey and those who came before her.
A public university has a particular charge to serve the public good. They do that by having programs that are relevant and focus on societal issues, he said. The university’s work on clean water, forensic science and the opioid crisis as examples of that.
In an interview following his remarks said he will take every opportunity he can to advocate for the value of higher education. “There’s a lot of value to the work our faculty do. We need to articulate to the public why that was a great investment.”
That research is more and more integrally related to the teaching. It is not enough simply to lecture, he said. The goal is to engage students in “focused, discovery-based inquiry.”
A public university also must make sure that education is affordable that means the university must operate is efficiently as possible. “We need to have strong academic programs that help people have strong careers,” he said. “We can change lives that way.”
Rogers said that his greatest fear is that in the transition BGSU will lose its momentum. “My goal is to make sure we have energy, that we are driving this university forward.”
Newlove stated: “Rodney Rogers brings a wide range of talents and accomplishments to the position. Under his leadership of academic affairs, enrollment has risen. The students we recruit are the most academically prepared in our history. Student retention has improved. Graduation rates are up. He’s overseen the creation of critical new programs, launched our eCampus and Honors College, and improved relations with our faculty.”
In an interview with BG Independent News in January Rogers said he was interested in the presidency. “That said, my number one job is to make sure that I focus on keeping the momentum of the institution going forward.”
In the interview, Rogers touched on the importance of continuing to make progress on the university’s Master Plan, which is changing the face of campus. That includes creating a new home for the College of Business, the Maurer Center, by renovating Hanna Hall and building an addition that will more than double its size. Trustees Friday approved the final funding of the $44.5 million project at the meeting.
He also cited the need to maintain the momentum of the $200 million capital campaign. Those private dollars, he said, are increasingly important to the university.
The Maurer Center financing calls for $16 million in private funding, the rest will be financed by the university.
At Friday’s meeting, the trustees also approved the naming of part of the newly renovated Unniversity Hall the Hoskins Grand Foyer, for 1977 graduate Michael Hoskins.
Hoskins said on the advice of former trustee Mike Marsh, he met with Rogers shortly after Rogers arrived on campus. He credited Rogers with convincing him to become more involved with his alma mater. Hoskins has donated $1 million to BGSU, including for the new business college, University Hall, and the Hoskins Global Scholars Fund.
Rogers, who grew up in Kenton, received a BA degree in music from Ohio Northern where, a baritone, he studied vocal music. Trustee Steve Daley told the board that in 1978 when he was in the Lima Boys Choir, Rogers served as the ensemble’s substitute director.
Rogers worked for 10 years as a certified public accountant before receiving his doctorate from Case Western Reserve. Rogers came to BGSU from Portland State University’s School of Business.
Rogers is married to Dr. Sandra Earle, a pharmacist who teaches at the University of Findlay. They have twin sons, Isaac, a sophomore studying economics at BGSU, and Spencer, who studies optical engineering at the University of Rochester in New York.
