KINGSTON, R.I. – Feb. 27, 2023 – The University of Rhode Island has named Sean Edmund Rogers dean of its College of Business and Alfred J. Verrecchia-Hasbro Inc. Leadership Chair in Business following a competitive national search. Rogers, who joined the URI community nearly five years ago, brings proven higher education leadership experience to the deanship, including having served as a member of the executive leadership teams of both the University and the business school. He also is an experienced instructor, graduate program director, and labor relations and management scholar who possesses more than two decades of combined corporate and military professional work experience. His appointment is effective June 4, 2023.
Currently, Rogers serves as vice president for community, equity, and diversity at URI, leading the University’s diversity strategy and ensuring that URI fosters an inclusive environment for students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders. As vice president, he manages the University’s community, equity, and diversity division and its four diversity-enhancing centers: the Multicultural Student Services Center, Gender and Sexuality Center, Women’s Center, and Military and Veteran Education Center.
Rogers’ considerable leadership experience at URI also includes roles as executive director of inclusive excellence, interim director of the Charles T. Schmidt Jr. Labor Research Center, and director of the healthcare management graduate programs, all within the College of Business
“Sean has been an integral member of our URI community for nearly a half-decade,” said Barbra Wolfe, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “He is a trusted colleague and leader who has effectively directed our work to foster a more inclusive campus environment. As a program director, he has led significant enrollment growth and program enhancements, and he is a constant champion for student success. As an award-winning scholar and experienced instructor, he is well positioned to lead our business school into its second century of excellence.”
As the business school’s inaugural executive director of inclusive excellence, Rogers led the development and implementation of the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy and provided DEI expertise and guidance across a wide range of college operations. His work helped substantially increase Ph.D. program diversity among historically underrepresented populations. As interim director of the Schmidt Center, he led a strategic assessment which served as the basis for change and enhancements in academic programs, reputation, and performance.
As director of the healthcare management graduate programs, Rogers helped drive enrollment growth of more than 400% over just 18 months. His team worked to remove barriers to admission, optimize course structure to better serve working-professional students, increase student support, and enhance the student experience.
“URI’s College of Business is uniquely positioned to become one of the best public flagship business schools in the Northeast and a major player in business education nationally and internationally,” Rogers said. “In many ways, I believe we already have many of the qualities that place us in these categories. We are at a critically important juncture in our college’s history, and I look forward with excitement to the opportunity to help shape our long-term future. I am eager to serve as we proudly march into our second century of impact on Rhode Island, the nation, and the world.”
Prior to joining URI, Rogers held faculty appointments at Cornell University, New Mexico State University, and the University of New Mexico. At New Mexico State, he served as director of the management Ph.D. program. He joined URI in 2018 as associate professor of management and now holds two faculty appointments—professor of management and Spachman Professor of Human Resources and Labor Relations.
Rogers served eight years in the U.S. Army Reserve and currently is a health care administration officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation business administration and an MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a master’s degree in human resource development from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Ph.D. in industrial relations and human resources from Rutgers University, and Master of Studies in Law from Wake Forest University.