David Roselle to step down as UD president

President David Roselle tells trustees, “I am very very bullish on the University of Delaware, and the truth is that, if it was possible to do so, I would eagerly trade my service as president for the past 16 years for the opportunity to begin over again.”

6:39 p.m., May 23, 2006--UD President David P. Roselle announced that he will step down as president on or around May 1, 2007, a date 17 years to the day after he became the University's 25th president in 1990.

Roselle, who is also professor of mathematical sciences at the University, made the announcement at the spring semiannual meeting of the University's Board of Trustees on May 23 at the Trabant University Center.

"It has been my privilege to lead this University for more than 16 years," Roselle said. "Our achievements would not have been possible without the unflagging support of our Board of Trustees and the consistently high level of assistance I have received from the administrators, faculty and staff across the campus. The energy and the attitude of optimism on this campus have made it a wonderful and exciting place to be."

"The University of Delaware is a very different place than it was when David Roselle became president," Howard E. Cosgrove, chairman of the University's Board of Trustees, said. "He has transformed the University from a good-quality regional public university into a national leader, with excellent faculty, successful students, superior research and public service and a physical campus that serves as a model for other institutions across the country.

"We are all indebted to him for all that he has accomplished here," he said, adding that he would be announcing the search committee for the next president soon.

Speaking to the Board of Trustees, Roselle called leading the University "a great privilege" and said, "Louise and I owe special thanks to many, far too many to mention at this meeting. Today it will suffice to observe that this administration has been productive, successful and stable. The willingness of our long-term Vice Presidents and other administrators, staff and faculty to set and embrace goals for the University and to work so hard, so long and so successfully toward their realization is without question the most important and most appreciated compliment of my entire career. I stand on the shoulders of my colleagues, and I am deeply grateful to them."

He noted that during his tenure, more than 70,000 degrees will have been awarded, accounting for about 50 percent of all living alumni.

"I am not done," Roselle told the board. "Indeed, I am happy to have a very great job for an additional year. I pledge best effort to serve well the needs of our University community during the coming year."

At the conclusion of his remarks, Roselle received a standing ovation from the members of the Board of Trustees and the audience.

Under Roselle's leadership, the University of Delaware has achieved many major milestones, including the highly successful completion of the University's first capital fund-raising effort, known as the Campaign for Delaware. The campaign far exceeded its original goal of $225 million, raising more than $431 million.

Accomplishments during Roselle's tenure, include:

an endowment in excess of $1.2 billion, compared to $326 million in 1990;
an increase in average SAT scores of entering freshman from 1121 in 1991 to 1206 in 2005, and an increase in student aid from $19 million in 1991 to $56 million in 2005;
75 percent increase in full-time graduate students and a 160 percent increase in financial aid to graduate students;
an increase in the percentage of graduates who have taken advantage of study abroad from 11.8 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2005, and a dramatic change in scholarship support for study abroad from nothing in 1990 to $400,000 in 2005;
greater diversity on the campus among students, faculty and staff;
an increase in scholarship support for men's and women's varsity athletics from $1.3 million in 1990 to $5.8 million in 2005;
an increase in the number of endowed faculty positions from 21 in 1997 to 106 today;
the addition of major new buildings across the campus, including the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center, Allen Laboratory, Gore Hall, new sorority houses, Trabant University Center, Lerner Hall, Studio Arts Building, P.S. du Pont Hall, the Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware, George Read Hall, three parking decks and the soon-to-be-completed Center for the Arts, as well as Arsht Hall in Wilmington, the Paradee Center in Dover and the Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown;
renovations of almost all campus buildings, including Mitchell Hall, Memorial Hall, Bayard Sharp Hall, Mechanical Hall and Jastak-Burgess Hall;
completely integrating technology into the University's infrastructure so that all campus buildings are wired for computer access, with many offering wireless support when appropriate;
an award-winning use of technology across the campus to facilitate everything from course registration to human resources management, all in a way that is user-friendly;
a transformed University of Delaware Library, with thousands of resources now available to the University community online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
the acquisition of the Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art, which is among the world's largest and most complete holdings of works by 20th-Century African American artists; and
an award-winning effort to address the problem of alcohol-abuse on campus, including nine years of support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

A 1961 graduate of West Chester University, Roselle received his Ph.D. in mathematics in 1965 from Duke University. He served on the faculties of the University of Maryland, Louisiana State University and Virginia Polytechnic and State University, where he also held several administrative posts, including that of provost. He became president of the University of Kentucky in 1987, serving for nearly three years there before coming to UD.

Roselle briefs reporters at a news conference before the Board of Trustees meeting.

Roselle's professional activities include membership in the Mathematical Association of America, which he served as secretary from 1975-84. He also served as associate editor of the American Mathematical Monthly. Additionally, he is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and the American Mathematical Society. He also referees several journals, including Mathematical Reviews.

He is past president of the Southeastern University Research Association Council of Presidents and of the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications.

Roselle also serves as a trustee of the Winterthur Museum, the Christiana Care Corp. and the Public Policy Institute of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, and he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Wilmington Grand Opera House, the Wilmington Trust Co., OCLC Inc. and VTLS Inc.

In 1976, West Chester University awarded him its Distinguished Alumnus Award and in 1994 an honorary Doctor of Law degree. In 1978, Virginia Tech awarded him a certificate for teaching excellence, and, in 1984, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics presented him its Certificate of Appreciation.

In 1989, the Association for Management of Information Technology in Higher Education presented him the CAUSE Recognition Award for Institutional Leadership. In 1990, the University of Kentucky National Alumni Association gave him its Distinguished Service Award, citing him for his wisdom in guiding the institution through difficult times. In 1999, Soka University in Tokyo awarded him an honorary doctorate.

In 2004, Roselle received the Presidents Leadership Award from the Education Development Center's Center for College Health and Safety in recognition of his efforts to rein in alcohol abuse on campus, and that year he also was awarded the Dr. James Tilton Distinguished Service Award from the University and Whist Club in Wilmington.

The American Council on Education presented Roselle with its Council of Fellows Mentor's Award for higher education leadership development in 2005.

In May 2001, the University's Faculty Senate passed a resolution recognizing Roselle for his "outstanding leadership in advancing the mission of the University," and in November 2005, the Senate passed a resolution praising Roselle for his accomplishments over the previous 15 years, from strengthening the University's infrastructure and financial resources to supporting excellence in scholarship and research with higher faculty salaries and an increased number of endowed professorships.

Roselle, who is 66, and his wife, Louise, have a son, a daughter, four grandsons and a granddaughter.

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson and Duane Perry

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