In 2012, the family of the late Jim Rogers, established an endowed scholarship honoring his life and service as professional engineer, community volunteer, and former adjunct professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Since its inception, the scholarship has supported the academic endeavors of more than two dozen of the College’s most outstanding students. Recognizing academic achievement and commitment to others as demonstrated by the recipients’ activities and significant contributions to the College and the University, the James W. Rogers Scholarship has been instrumental in the continued enrollment of CECS students in multiple majors within the College.
In establishing the James Rogers Scholarship, Jim’s family desired to memorialize their loved one as a means of honoring his commitment to service. A native Chattanoogan, Jim Rogers became a pilot at the early age of fifteen and served the nation as First Lieutenant in the US Air Force prior to his employment as a professional engineer at Combustion Engineering until his retirement in 1984. For thirteen years, he served the College as an adjunct professor of Mechanical Engineering. With a heart for helping his community, Jim volunteered with Teen Challenge, the Chambliss Children’s Home, and Chattanooga’s Ronald McDonald House, garnering him recognition as recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service. In honoring their father, Jim’s sons specified that the students chosen as James Rogers Scholarship recipients “embody a servant spirit, displaying initiative and service in the best interests of the University, their fellow students, and the local community” in celebration of their father’s accomplishments and commitment to others.
Endowed scholarships and those based on annual gifts are a vital part of the College’s ability to recruit and retain outstanding students. Each spring, the CECS Scholarship Committee, consisting of faculty members, carefully reviews scholarship applications from freshman, transfer, and continuing students and selects the recipients of each of the College’s scholarships.
Through the generosity of alumni, friends of the College, and corporate donors, CECS is better positioned to ensure that the legacies of the donors are perpetuated while also recognizing the importance of enrolling outstanding future engineers, technologists, and computer scientists. For information about how you or your corporate or professional affiliates can help the College’s students in this vital way, contact CECS Development Officer Phil Bonfiglio at Phil-Bonfiglio@utc.edu or (423) 425-5940.
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