Investiture scheduled for former Sonoma State provost

Dr. Ruben Arminana, president emeritus of Sonoma State, will be featured speaker

Little Rock, AR (04/26/2017) — Members of the public as well as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock community, alumni and friends of the university are invited to celebrate the appointment of UA Little Rock Chancellor Andrew Rogerson, former provost of Sonoma State University.

Rogerson's investiture is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 11, at the Jack Stephens Center on the UA Little Rock campus, with a public reception immediately following the ceremony. A special gallery showing of Rogerson's landscape paintings is set to run from May 9 through May 31 at Gallery I in the university's Fine Arts Building.

The investiture ceremony formally recognizes and celebrates Rogerson's appointment to UA Little Rock's highest leadership position.

University of Arkansas System President Donald R. Bobbitt and the UA Board of Trustees, as well as university faculty, staff, students, and alumni, are hosting the event. Attendees can RSVP by sending an email to investiture@ualr.edu.

Since joining UA Little Rock on Sept. 1, 2016, Rogerson has focused on collaboration with the central Arkansas community.

"I feel very strongly about the role that a metropolitan university like UA Little Rock should play within a community, a system, and a state, even regionally and nationally," Rogerson said.

In particular, Rogerson has focused on affordability and accessibility of higher education to benefit the residents, businesses, government, and communities of the region. He is also focused on increasing student enrollment and graduation rates.

Less than a year into his time as chancellor, Rogerson has already put those priorities into motion by developing partnerships with local high schools and community colleges to create a seamless and affordable pathway to the university.

The Trojan Pathway agreement with the Little Rock School District and a similar agreement in nearby Jacksonville provide models for future collaboration.

Rogerson, who earned a Ph.D. in protozoan ecology, has decades of previous experience, including, most recently, as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Sonoma State University. As a native of Glasgow, Scotland, he is the first internationally born chancellor of the university.

Dr. Ruben Armiñana, president emeritus of Sonoma State, will be the featured speaker at the May 11 ceremony.

More information about the celebration is available online at http://ualr.at/investiture.

About UA Little Rock

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a metropolitan research university in the heart of Arkansas that provides quality education through flexible learning and unparalleled internship opportunities. The university prepares its 11,000 students to be innovators and responsible leaders in their fields.

UA Little Rock is a driving force in central Arkansas's thriving cultural community and a major component of the city and state's growing profile as a regional leader in research, technology, economic development, and job creation.

Note to media: Head shots of Rogerson and featured speaker Armiñana are available in the online media kit (http://ualr.edu/chancellor/investiture/media-kit/), as are downloadable versions of the new UA Little Rock logo.

###