Fielding Graduate University Appoints Provost Katrina Rogers, PhD, as President

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Board of Trustees of Fielding Graduate University is pleased to announce the appointment of the university's provost, Katrina Rogers, PhD, as acting president beginning July 21, 2013. Rogers replaces Richard Meyers, PhD, who announced his decision last November to retire, after 51 years in academia, and 37 years as president for five higher education institutions.

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In the educational and nonprofit sectors, Rogers has held many positions including as executive, consultant, board member, and teacher.  She led the European campus for Thunderbird School of Global Management in Geneva, Switzerland, for a nearly decade, working with international organizations such as the Red Cross, the World Trade Organization, and the European Union as well as companies such as Renault, Nestle, Club Med, Levi-Strauss, and Disneyland Paris.

Rogers is a leader in the field of conservation, most notably with the Grand Canyon Trust and the Arboretum, both located in Arizona.  She led conservation projects in rural communities, lobbied Congress for stronger environmental legislation, and participated in restoration work in the US, China, and Costa Rica.  In the course of her work, Rogers raised more than $20 million in grants and donations for conservation efforts throughout the country.

Rogers has served as board president for the Environmental Fund of Arizona and currently serves as a trustee for the Public Dialogue Consortium and the Toda Institute for Global Policy and Peace Research. She was a Fulbright scholar for two years in Germany at the University of Tubingen and received the prestigious Bundeskanzler Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Rogers first came to Fielding Graduate University in 2005 as the director of the Institute for Social Innovation, which provides leadership training and graduate level consulting projects primarily for nonprofit groups around the country. She was also the associate dean of Fielding's School of Human and Organizational Development. In 2011, Rogers was appointed provost, and has been instrumental in leading a number of important initiatives, including facilitating the faculty's curricular renewal process, the development of Fielding's strategic plan, and the advancement of digital initiatives in the doctoral learning environment.  She has also served on numerous committees steering the academic enterprise at the university and has been an active supporter of social justice and diversity, including sustainability and LGBTQ issues. Rogers has doctorates in political science and history from Northern Arizona University. She has a bachelor's degree in history, graduating magna cum laude from Albertus Magnus College.

"I am honored to take on this important role and to serve Fielding in a new capacity as we move into our 40th anniversary," Rogers said. "Fielding pioneered blended learning predicated on an understanding of learning that is mentor-based and relational at its core.  I look forward to working closely with faculty, students, alumni, staff and our various communities as we continue to build upon Fielding's niche as a leading graduate institution that is accessible, affordable and relevant in today's society."

Board of Trustees Chair Russ Goodman commented, "During her already impressive career, Katrina has distinguished herself as an effective leader and a positive agent of change.  As a respected advocate for the importance of graduate learning as an integral part of a flourishing society, Katrina embodies the core tenets of Fielding – scholarship, academic excellence, and service to the community.  These attributes, coupled with her unique understanding of and role in Fielding's culture, make her the ideal person to lead the university and continue to advance its goals and commitment to higher learning.  We are extremely pleased that she has accepted this role."

Fielding Graduate University is an accredited nonprofit leader in blended graduate education, combining face-to-face and online learning. Our curriculum offers quality degrees and courses for professionals living and working anywhere in the world. Fielding's faculty members represent a breadth of scholarship and practice in the fields of educational leadership, human and organizational development, and clinical and media psychology. Maintaining Fielding's reputation for quality programs, faculty are mentors and guides to self-directed students who use their skills to become powerful, and socially-responsible leaders in their communities, workplaces, and society.

SOURCE Fielding Graduate University