With the fall 2010 semester, Dr. Jesse W. Rogers, President of Midwestern State University, enters his 10th year as the university’s president and his 44th year of service to Midwestern State University (MSU).
Dr. Rogers grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and earned a Ph. D. in physical chemistry at TCU in 1967. He began his teaching career in the fall of 1967 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Midwestern University (MSU’s former name) in Wichita Falls, Texas. Two years later, he became Chairman of the Chemistry Department.
In 1968 he was awarded a research grant from the Robert A. Welch Foundation of Houston in the field of organic and inorganic electrochemistry. He would receive Welch grants for the next 17 years. His students worked along side him on the projects, and these are among his favorite memories of his days as a professor. In May of 1972, recognizing both the quality of his research and his teaching effectiveness, the university named him Hardin Professor, the school’s highest academic honor, awarded yearly to a member of the faculty. He advanced to the position of full Professor in 1975.
His time in the lab and classroom lessened in 1977 when he became Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), the chief academic officer of the university. In 1980 he was made Interim President and served in that capacity for one year. In 1981 he resumed his duties as Vice President of Academic Affairs and continued to conduct research, teach, and write scholarly articles. He would remain the university’s VPAA for the next 21 years. The MSU Board of Regents appointed him Interim President in August 2001, and in November 2001 he was named President.
Over his 44-year career in higher education, President Rogers has served in a variety of positions regionally and nationally and in the State of Texas. Currently he sits on the Executive Committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and also serves as a Commissioner of SACS, an eleven-state regional accrediting body. He serves as well on the Presidents’ Council of the Council of Public Liberal Arts universities (COPLAC) and on the University Presidents and Chancellors Global Competitiveness Committee. In April of 2008, he was voted to succeed Dr. Mark Yudolf, former President of UT-Austin, as chairman of the Texas Council of University Presidents and Chancellors. Dr. Rogers became the first president of a non-systems university to serve as the organization’s chair. His service to higher education of Texas over the past 30 years also includes numerous appointments to advisory committees of the legislature and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, including, most recently, appointment as chair of the Study Committee for Legislative Special Items. In
2005 he was invited to join the membership of the Philosophical Society of Texas.
Dr. Rogers also has been active in the Wichita Falls community during his years at Midwestern. He has worked closely with Shepard Air Force Base, served on the board of the Wichita Falls Board of Commerce and Industry, the United Way, the Erle and Emma White Hospice Endowment Board, the Priddy Foundation Board of Trustees, the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center of Wichita Falls, the State Bar Grievance Committee for District 14, and the Wichita Falls Symphony, among others.
He actively participates in the President’s Council of Lone Star Conference (LSC), the Division II athletic conference in which MSU sports teams compete. In 2005 and 2006 he served as Chair of the LSC’s Executive Committee and currently sits on the organization’s committee on Summer Financial Aid for Student-Athletes.
He and his wife, Dr. Karen Rogers, have two adult daughters, Carie and Laura, and a four-year-old granddaughter they adore.
Updated Fall of 2010
