KINGSTON, R.I. – June 17, 2020 – The University of Rhode Island College of Business has named Sean Edmund Rogers to the newly created post of executive director of inclusive excellence to provide oversight for equity, diversity and inclusion programming and objectives for the College.
Rogers, the Spachman Professor of Human Resources and Labor Relations and an associate professor of management, will collaborate with the University’s Office of Community, Equity, and Diversity and its chief diversity officer, Mary Grace Almandrez, to address issues of diversity in recruitment and retention, student success, and curriculum development. Rogers begins his duties immediately.
“During this turbulent time, it is imperative to start an active campaign to achieve our goals to embrace diversity and social justice and to reject prejudice and intolerance,” said Maling Ebrahimpour, dean of the College of Business. “When we hired Rogers as a professor two years ago, one of our main topics of discussion during his interview was how to more effectively engage the faculty, staff, and students in the College in bringing true awareness and understanding of equality and diversity among ourselves and all of those that we work with inside and outside of the University. It’s my pleasure now to say he has taken the lead in this important effort.”
“By making inclusive excellence a strategic priority, Dean Ebrahimpour and the College of Business unequivocally demonstrate a commitment to celebrating the richness of all students, faculty, staff, alumni and other stakeholders,” said Rogers. “It’s a win-win for our entire college community and I’m excited and honored to serve.”
Along with partnering with diversity leaders across campus, Rogers will serve on the College’s leadership team bringing considerations of equity, diversity and inclusion into the College’s strategic planning, academic programs, initiatives, stakeholder relationships and day-to-day operations.
His duties will include: conducting annual “climate, culture and experience” surveys for College of Business students, faculty and staff; tracking year-over-year student, faculty and staff representation and outcomes across underrepresented minority populations; organizing equity, diversity and inclusion workshops and events for students, faculty and staff; working with chairs of faculty searches to maximize equity and diversity within the applicant pool; and working with senior faculty to establish and maintain a career mentoring program aimed at creating positive experiences for new faculty and enhancing their success.
Before joining the College of Business, Rogers held faculty and administrative appointments at Cornell University, New Mexico State University, and the University of New Mexico. Rogers previously worked in corporate positions with UPS, US Airways, America West Airlines, ATA Airlines, and AirTran Airways. An Army combat veteran, he serves as a Medical Service Corps officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
Rogers holds a Ph.D. in industrial relations and human resources from Rutgers University, a Master of Studies in Law from Wake Forest University School of Law, a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and bachelor of science and master’s in business administration degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is also a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and a Society of Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional.
Rogers, who teaches courses in management and labor relations, focuses his research on employment discrimination, labor unions and collective bargaining, and volunteerism. He was also recently named director of URI’s Master of Science in Healthcare Management program, offered through URI Online. The program, which opened in January, is geared toward current and future health care professionals, preparing them to integrate leadership and knowledge of health care systems to enhance the management of patient care and quality of health organizations.
The URI College of Business serves more than 2,100 undergraduates and almost 300 graduate students. It is AACSB accredited, the global gold standard of academic business school accreditation, and offers 10 undergraduate majors, eight graduate programs, and three Ph.D. specializations.