The first African-American to serve as U.S. secretary of education and a retired Indiana legislator who spent her career advocating for education are among seven people who will receive honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees at IU commencement ceremonies in 2017.
“This year’s IU honorary degree recipients represent some of the smartest, most accomplished and most admired individuals in their respective fields,” IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. “Each, in his or her own way, has served as a leading advocate for the vital role that excellent scholarship and research plays in fostering opportunities for personal and professional growth, strengthening our society and improving the quality of life in our communities.”
One honorary degree will be conferred at the undergraduate ceremony at IU Bloomington on May 6 to Roderick Paige, who served as President George W. Bush’s secretary of education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, moved from classroom teacher to college dean and school superintendent to be the first African-American to serve as the nation’s education chief.
The son of a school principal and a librarian, Paige grounded his professional career on the belief that education equalizes opportunity.
Paige spearheaded the historic No Child Left Behind Act, which set new accountability standards nationwide. As dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University, he created the Center for Excellence in Urban Education. He was also the first African-American superintendent of the Houston Independent School District.
Paige received his master’s and doctoral degrees in physical education from IU’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, now named the School of Public Health Bloomington. In 2013, he was awarded IU’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
Earline Rogers, a native of Gary, will be awarded an honorary degree at the IU Northwest commencement ceremony. It will take place May 11.
Rogers spent 38 years teaching in the Gary public school system. She was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 1990 and retired in 2016. Before serving in the Senate, she was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives for eight years.
Rogers spent her career advocating for better education and has authored and carried numerous pieces of legislation in support of education. They include the Indiana Seal of Biliteracy program; the A-Plus education reform package; anti-bullying reforms; JoJo’s Law for transportation safety; and Heather’s Law, which requires the Department of Education to develop models for Indiana schools to educate students about dating violence.
She has been a leader in creating and sustaining the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority and helped create a pathway allowing for casino gaming in Indiana. Her support for health-related legislation and efforts to bring an academic medical center hospital to Gary have been instrumental in the growth of the IU School of Medicine-Northwest-Gary.
