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ItÕs been a year since Dorothy Rogers moved from Massachusetts to New Jersey,
and although she misses Boston life, sheÕs beginning to appreciate the things
that make the Garden State unique. "I like Jersey diners and the surly waitresses,"
joked Rogers, who became assistant dean of Humanities and Social Sciences in
September. "They really make you love to hate Õem."
And although she will remain a Red Sox fan at heart, Rogers is settling into her community in Bloomfield and her community on campus. Familiar with Montclair State from teaching a few classes here the previous semester, Rogers was ready to become part of the administration of the UniversityÕs largest college. "I really like being involved in academe," she said. "I believe in the ideals of higher education."
Rogers is responsible for the CollegeÕs daily academic operations, including course scheduling, faculty teaching loads and adjunct faculty hires. With 180 full-time faculty and many talented part-time faculty, itÕs a good thing Rogers is a doer. "I thrive on getting things done, even the tedious work like scheduling," she explained. "IÕm very project-oriented." Two projects Rogers has been working on are creating greater visibility for interdisciplinary program and creating a new faculty orientation. For the first time this year, the College is offering its own sessions as part of the UniversityÕs New Faculty Orientation program. She also has continued distributing the faculty updates started by interim assistant dean Joe Attanasio and has them posted on the College Web site. "It keeps the faculty more in touch with what their colleagues are doing in other departments," she said. Rogers describes CHSS faculty as dedicated to both scholarship and teaching. "And they are very much devoted to the students," she said.
Rogers enjoys teaching, but for now, her upcoming work as co-editor on a dictionary project for Thoemmes Press and as editor of a special issue of Hypathia focussing on 19th-century women will take up a lot of her time. And for those few free moments, Rogers enjoys taking in a Broadway show with her husband, Ira, a Montclair architect. And last summer the couple enjoyed taking in a Jackals game at Yogi Berra Stadium. But you wonÕt catch her at Yankee Stadium. Unless, of course, theyÕre playing the Sox.