Introducing Next

Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, is poised — literally — to take the lead as the new president.

BY MICHAEL CANDELARIA

Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, took the stage at Lee Chapel with an air of confidence amid rousing applause. It was Nov. 21, 2019, as part of Roellke’s official introduction on the Stetson DeLand campus.

Standing tall, Roellke spoke about his vision and strategic priorities, commenting they are “best created collaboratively and not by a single appointed leader.”

Perhaps true. Yet, all eyes were on him. And, most assuredly, they’ll remain that way for Roellke, who was Dean of the College from 2008 to 2018 and is a professor of education at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. He also carries the title of Dean of the College Emeritus at Vassar. Roellke will take over as Stetson’s 10th president July 1, following his unanimous selection by the Stetson Board of Trustees to replace Wendy B. Libby, PhD, who is retiring. On this November morning, Roellke didn’t flinch. Following words of congratulations for Libby and her husband, Richard M. Libby, PhD, for all they have accomplished at Stetson since 2009, Roellke laid out six priorities for Stetson in DeLand, as well as its College of Law in Gulfport and satellite center in Tampa.

• “We will strive to broaden and deepen Stetson’s rigorous personalized and experiential education in the liberal arts and sciences, in music, in business and in law.”

• “We will strive to make a Stetson education more accessible, affordable and attainable, and we will do everything we can to promote student retention and success.”

• “We will strive to strengthen Stetson’s financial base so that this form of education can be preserved for generations that follow, and so that Stetson can weather marketplace and economic fluctuations, and to enable Stetson to innovate and to embrace new curricular priorities.” • “Despite our geographic challenges, we will strive to continue to build One Stetson across our multiple campuses — a community that is steadfast in its commitment to diversity and inclusion, a community that acknowledges the contributions made by all who work at and support Stetson to make our complex organization thrive.”

• “We will stay laser-focused on how students learn and how best to help them learn — providing rich and challenging experiences both within and outside the classroom.”

• “We will be proactive, not reactive, in the rapidly changing higher education landscape and will not shy away from challenges — challenges that inevitably will come.”

For good measure, Roellke added: “Stetson has accomplished many of these things, and I know all of you are rightfully expecting your new president to build on this very positive momentum.” There was no hesitation. By all accounts, don’t expect any from this self-described lifelong educator who will bring “an outstanding record of energetic leadership in higher education and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities Stetson University faces,” according to Joe Cooper ’79, MBA ’82, who chaired the Presidential Search Committee and is chair of the Board of Trustees.

Roellke had spent 21 years as a professor and administrator at Vassar College. In 2008, Roellke was appointed Dean of the College

As part of his campus introduction in November, President-elect Christopher Roellke, PhD, met with members of the Stetson community during a reception in Palm Court. Here, Roellke shares a laugh with student Emma Faircloth, a member of the Concert Choir.

Photos: Stetson University/ Ciara Ocasio

at Vassar, providing leadership for a wide range of services, including academic and career advising, international study, accessibility and educational opportunity, multicultural services, campus activities, student employment, religious and spiritual life, campus dining, and campus safety and security. He was a Fulbright Scholar in 2014 and founded Vassar’s Urban Education Initiative.

After completing two full terms of exemplary service, from 2008 to 2018, Roellke was named Dean of the College Emeritus at Vassar. In addition, he is past president for the Association of Education Finance and Policy and was a visiting scholar at Yale Law School, conducting research on school finance litigation.

Roellke earned an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University in American government, and a master’s degree and doctorate from Cornell University in social and philosophical foundations of education. His teaching and research have focused on the politics and economics of education, teacher education and faculty development, curricular innovation, and American higher education.

Prior to entering the doctoral program at Cornell, he was an award-winning secondary school history and social studies teacher in rural, suburban and urban settings.

Coincidentally (or not), Roellke was born in the same city as university namesake John B. Stetson: Orange, New Jersey.

Roellke is married to Kim Greenberg Roellke, a veterinarian who was born and raised in New York City. She was in private practice while also serving as the consulting veterinarian for the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and participating on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Vassar. Also, for the past 10 years, she has been a trustee on the Poughkeepsie Day School Board and is its vice president. There are three daughters: Emma, a first-year medical student at New York University’s Long Island School of Medicine; Julia, a first-year science education fellow, sustainability coordinator and basketball coach at Green Farms Academy in Westport, Connecticut; and Olivia, a high school sophomore who loves horses, dirt bikes, power tools and all forms of music. Now, it’s on to Stetson. During his introductory speech in November, just after confiding that on one of his secret visits to campus he took a selfie with the larger-than-life bronze statue of John B. Stetson, Roellke offered these promising words: “Most importantly, I have learned that Stetson University is a place where I want to be, a place where my family can happily relocate, a place where I am committed to leading our students, our faculty, our staff, our alumni, our board of trustees — ALL of our communities — with passion, with positive energy, with creativity, and with a collaborative spirit as we strive to prepare our students for an increasingly diverse and rapidly changing world.”