Ronald William Roskens (December 11, 1932 – February 27, 2022) was an American academic. He was the president of the

University of Nebraska System The University of Nebraska system is the public university system in the U.S. state of Nebraska. Founded in 1869 with one campus in Lincoln, the system has four university campuses and operates a two-year technical agriculture college and a hi ...

from 1977 to 1989. Roskens was a member and past National President of

Sigma Tau Gamma Sigma Tau Gamma (), commonly known as Sig Tau, is a United States college social fraternity founded on June 28, 1920, at the University of Central Missouri (then known as Central Missouri State Teachers College). The fraternity was founded as a re ...

. He served as Administrator of

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

from 1990 to 1992. Ronald W. and Lois G. Roskens Hall, finished in Fall 2011, located on the campus of

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...

, is named after the Roskens.

Early life and education

Roskens was born to father William Roskens and mother Delores Roskens on a farm near Spencer, Iowa in 1932. In 1950, he graduated from Spencer High School. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1953, where he received a B.A. He taught for one year at the high school in Milburn, Iowa before going to University of Iowa to receive his M.A. in 1955.

Career

From 1956 to 1959, Roskens was the Assistant Dean of Men at University of Iowa. In 1959, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and moved to Kent, Ohio where he became the Dean of Men at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

in 1959. Roskens worked there for the next thirteen years. He was Professor of Educational Administration and Executive Vice President for Administration at the time of the 1970

Kent State shootings The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre,"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years bef ...

. Roskens became Chancellor of the

(UNO) in 1972, a position he held until 1977, when he became president of the

University of Nebraska system The University of Nebraska system is the public university system in the U.S. state of Nebraska. Founded in 1869 with one campus in Lincoln, the system has four university campuses and operates a two-year technical agriculture college and a hi ...

for the next twelve years. UNO honored Roskens with the Order of the Tower award, the university's highest non-academic award, at the spring 2009 commencement ceremony. He served as Administrator of

from 1990 to 1992 during the presidential administration of George H. W. Bush. Most USAID employees consider him the worst USAID Administrator of all time.

Personal life

After dating for two years, Roskens married Lois Lister on August 22, 1954. They had four children: Elizabeth, Barbara, William and Brenda. After retiring, Roskens and his wife lived in Bennington, Nebraska. He died on February 27, 2022, at the age of 89.

References

External links

Ronald Roskens Speeches
UNO Libraries' Archives and Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Roskens, Ronald 1932 births 2022 deaths People from Spencer, Iowa Iowa Republicans Kent State University faculty Presidents of the University of Nebraska System University of Iowa alumni University of Northern Iowa alumni