ADVANCING THE MISSION
Chancellor Philip Rogers reflects on his first year, looks ahead
Dr. Philip Rogers, who returned to East Carolina University a year ago, will be formally installed as ECU’s 12th chancellor on March 24.
The ceremony — scheduled during Founders Week — is the formal charging of a new institutional leader by the State of North Carolina through its representatives, the president of the University of North Carolina System, the UNC Board of Governors and the ECU Board of Trustees.
Ahead of the celebration, we asked Rogers to share his thoughts on the past year, what it means to be back at ECU, and what’s in store for the future.
Rogers visits the School of Dental Medicine. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
During your first year, you held a series of Pirate Perspectives sessions to hear from staff, faculty members and students at ECU. What did you learn?
There is no question that one of the resounding themes is that the people on this campus are proud to be Pirates — and they’ve reported to me consistently across these sessions that our Pirate pride is often embedded in both our motto — “servire” — and our mission statement — to be a national model for student success, public service and regional transformation. That connection between a service mentality and the impact we have through our mission is a core driver of who we are and why we’ve thrived for 115 years — and it’s why we’ll continue to thrive in the future. That mission and motto is lived out through our people. We have dedicated, passionate, smart, kind and service-minded people — including our faculty, staff and students — who all contribute in meaningful ways to our success.
While there is much to be proud of and celebrate, we must also be cognizant of our challenges — now and into the future. Our challenges are not unlike other institutions across this country. Higher education is changing by the day and we have to adapt with it — and with change comes opportunities to grow and reinvent the many ways we deliver on our mission. Whether we are addressing better ways to deliver on the value of a higher education degree and ensure a strong return on investment to our constituents or navigating top of mind issues like mental health, budgets or changing demographics, it is clear to me that our stakeholders stand ready to address anything in our path as a collective, collaborative team.
Campus looks a lot different today than it did a year ago as COVID cases have continued to decline. What has excited you about campus life?
In many ways, campus life is the heartbeat of ECU — and it takes the entire community to ensure we are a thriving and engaged enterprise. One of my favorite moments of the last year was attending in-person classes on the first day of the fall semester. It was a joy to see our students light up to reconnect with their friends and to witness our world-class faculty deliver high-quality instruction in the classroom. We’ve returned to many of the great traditions that energize our campus — such as homecoming, research award ceremonies, sporting events and performing arts — and I’m eager to continue that trend as we see the pandemic begin to fade.
On day one I indicated that it was rare for me to sit behind the desk as a campus leader — my passion is to be out and among our campus community meeting and getting to know the people who are so integral to our collective success. Pirate Perspective sessions have been vital to that engagement, but the informal opportunities to connect with members of the ECU family have been rewarding and valuable as well. Visiting with faculty on the mall, talking with students in the student center and cheering on our sports teams with fans in the stands are just a few examples of the excitement that has come back to campus life over the last year. I look forward to continuing this upward trajectory in 2022 and beyond.
What has surprised you the most about being chancellor?
Fortunately, I returned to a community and institution that I know well and having that institutional knowledge has been tremendously helpful in terms of navigating the learning curve in this new role. That said — one should never underestimate the overwhelmingly generous expressions of support, kindness and guidance that all of Pirate Nation has shown our family. This has been a transitional life moment for all of us and I’ve been especially grateful that the ECU community has been so intentional about integrating and welcoming my children, wife and me into the fabric of this university with such genuine intent.
That was not necessarily a surprise, though, because ECU is just that kind of place. It is an organization that invests in people and authentic relationships — and we have felt that personal ECU touch on a regular basis over the last year. Thank you for wrapping your arms around us in the most amazing ways over the last year. We are proud to be home. We are proud to be serving alongside you during this monumental moment in our institution’s history.
Drs. Rebekah and Philip Rogers with their sons, Grayson and Dean. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
What has it meant to you and your family on returning to Greenville?
Greenville and eastern North Carolina were a special place to live, learn and grow as a child. I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend my childhood in this city and region — and I’m especially excited to raise my own two boys in this community. Some of my best memories were on the athletics fields of Greenville — including winning a Little League state championship and participating in a variety of other local youth camps and activities.
We were also fortunate to live in a community that prioritized a wide array of cultural and art offerings. I can remember attending performances in Wright Auditorium and learning from some of ECU’s top faculty at community events over the years. ECU and the city must be inextricably linked — and I was a beneficiary of that relationship as a young child in this community. In many ways, returning to Greenville has provided me with the rare opportunity to embrace the spirit of our motto — “servire” — and to give back to the community and region that literally formed the foundation for my own life’s journey.
And the same is true for my wife, Rebekah. She is a proud, two-time ECU graduate and it is the honor of a lifetime for Rebekah to return to her alma mater to serve in this capacity. Our boys are true, passionate and unrelenting Pirate fans and that puts a smile on their parents’ faces every single day. It is a joy to be home and we’re grateful to be part of the Greenville and ECU family.
Do you have a mantra each day?
I don’t have a formal mantra, but I can say with confidence that it is an absolute imperative for me to begin every day reflecting on how I will advance ECU’s mission of student success, public service and regional transformation. That is why we are here — and I believe it’s important to constantly keep that focus at the forefront of all I do. Every decision; every meeting; everything we do — that is the driving force and that is where I focus each and every day.
What will year two as chancellor look like?
It’s been a big year for ECU. We’ve focused on stabilization and unification — and we’ve seen many successes along the way. The state budget included important investments for our institution and our people; we finalized a joint operating agreement to create ECU Health; cut the ribbon on the new Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building; announced the launch of the public phase of a $500 million comprehensive campaign to bolster academics, research, athletics, health care, and more; hired a new provost and solidified the senior leadership team; secured a winning football season; and the list goes on. We should be very proud of our many accomplishments and work hard in Year Two to keep the momentum going.
The next year will involve the development of a new funding formula for public higher education in North Carolina, the design and launch of a refreshed strategic plan, the continued commitment to a robust academic and research enterprise that prioritizes innovation, and a keen eye on the ever-evolving future that we must continue to stay one step ahead of on a daily basis. The future is bright and I’m excited about where it will take us.
What are ECU’s next areas of growth?
As we look to the future, it is important to have a keen understanding that higher education itself is changing the narrative around where our focus and energy should be aimed — which is toward a value-based, return on investment, and demonstration of a relentless pursuit of student success. History tells us that challenges and trials are part of university life, and we’ve had our fair share, but our performance in student success over the last decade has never wavered. That is our mission. And we have the data to back it up every step of the way.
ECU’s four-year and five-year graduation rates have improved more than 10 percentage points over the last decade. ECU is defying systemwide patterns with respect to low-income completions. We have also increased our undergraduate degree efficiency and awarded more than 68,000 degrees and certificates over the last decade. Student success is an evergreen commitment at ECU, and we have a compelling narrative of progress across several key metrics over the last decade. This is missional excellence. It is a testament to our talented faculty and staff — and to our hardworking students.
And this space is where we will continue to focus our time and attention in terms of desired growth and success. We will work intentionally to address the demographic changes impacting enrollment across the country. When students arrive on our campus, we will move mountains to ensure they are successful, and those key metrics mentioned above grow and thrive. This effort will involve an intentional focus on adult learners and on ensuring our digital offerings compete with the best in the industry. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I have spent the last several years watching all these complex trends play out in higher education across the country. We’re not the only community or university grappling with this. But we will be the place that gets it right — the place that others look to for a model of how to grow and thrive while staying committed to the core mission.
Chancellor Philip Rogers listens with students in an ECU Community School classroom. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)