{"id":167178,"date":"2020-12-14T11:03:37","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T16:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=167178"},"modified":"2020-12-14T12:15:44","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T17:15:44","slug":"neag-school-mourns-loss-faculty-emeritus-donor-vincent-rogers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2020\/12\/neag-school-mourns-loss-faculty-emeritus-donor-vincent-rogers\/","title":{"rendered":"Neag School Mourns Loss of Faculty Emeritus, Donor Vincent Rogers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Vincent
Faculty Emeritus Vincent Rogers spent more than 20 years at UConn, and launched funds to support educators and classroom enrichment in Connecticut. (Shawn Kornegay\/Neag School)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vincent Rogers of Storrs, Connecticut, a longtime educator and faculty emeritus at the Neag School of Education, died<\/a> Thursday, Dec. 3, at age 93. He died at home, surrounded by his loving family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe share our deepest condolences with the Rogers family, whose generosity over the years toward the Neag School has made a tangible and meaningful impact on schoolteachers across the state of Connecticut and, in turn, their own students,\u201d says Neag School Dean Gladis Kersaint<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn recent years, the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund<\/a> has, for instance, given us an extraordinary opportunity to fund imaginative efforts led by local elementary and middle school teachers \u2014 from a photojournalism project focused on social justice to robotics education in the classroom,\u201d says Kersaint<\/p>\n

Impacting Educators Through the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rogers<\/a> and his late wife, Chris<\/a>, also a longtime educator, initially established a fund at the Neag School through which elementary school teachers in Mansfield, Connecticut, could apply annually for a $1,000 grant to enrich their classrooms. Over the years, eight grants were made through the original Rogers Educational Innovation Fund to local schools.<\/p>\n

\"Chris
Neag School Professor Emeritus Vincent Rogers, pictured here with his wife, Chris, designating a legacy gift of $125,000 in 2017 to expand the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund in support of innovative projects carried out by teachers in Connecticut. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Rogers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1997, Rogers\u00a0announced a planned bequest<\/a>\u00a0to the Neag School, designating a legacy gift of $125,000 to expand the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund to support innovative projects carried out by Connecticut teachers.\u00a0Elementary and middle school teachers across the state have applied annually for this $5,000 gift for use in the classroom.<\/p>\n

Rogers\u2019 additional gift has been open to elementary and middle-school teachers across the state of Connecticut to \u201csupport research and programs for the collaborative work of classroom teachers and the Neag School of Education,\u201d and award recipients have had the freedom to use the award in any way they see fit.<\/p>\n

\n

We share our deepest condolences with the Rogers family, whose generosity over the years toward the Neag School has made a tangible and meaningful impact on schoolteachers across the state of Connecticut and, in turn, their own students. — Dean Gladis Kersaint<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Since the expansion of the fund, three educators have benefited from the Rogers Fund. This year, Jason Gilmore<\/a> of Guilford, Connecticut, an art teacher at Hartford\u2019s McDonough Middle School, was a recipient of the Rogers Fund with a project titled \u201cThe Mural of Intervention Project.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the proposal for his project, Gilmore outlined his hope of giving middle-school students at McDonough \u2014\u00a0a low-income, 98% free\/reduced lunch school \u2014\u00a0an opportunity to take any difficult situations or feelings that may be part of their day-to-day lives and express them in the form of community murals that will be displayed throughout the school.<\/p>\n

Gilmore says the project will offer \u201ca chance for freedom of expression while improving the school\u2019s climate and community. \u2026 In essence, this award will allow an artistic experience that benefits the whole school.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2019, Neag School alumna and gifted and talented educator for Norwalk (Conn.) Public Schools Jessica Stargardter \u201916 (ED), \u201917 MA<\/a>\u00a0was the recipient of the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund for her project, titled \u201cAn Eye for Change: Real World Investigations through Photojournalism.\u201d The project funding made available to Stargardter\u2019s students various texts and technologies, including disposable film cameras that allowed them to document problems and proposed solutions in their communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents need access to resources that present multiple viewpoints and narratives to become effective, empathetic members of our global society,\u201d she wrote in her proposal. \u201cStudents will gain access to books and technology to research social issues such as racism, sexism, climate change, food insecurity, and so on. Additionally, they will be given the skills to recognize and analyze problems within their community. This authentic learning experience will be framed around the idea of photojournalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dwight
Dwight Sharpe, the inaugural recipient of the Rogers Education Innovation Fund, works with middle school students as part of a science and technology project he initiated. (Caitlin Trinh\/Neag School)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dwight Sharpe<\/a>, a mathematics teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Middletown, was the expanded fund\u2019s inaugural recipient in 2018. Sharpe\u2019s project, entitled \u201cAccessing and Engaging in Mathematics Through Robotics and Computer Programming,\u201d sought \u201cto explore and determine how robotics and computer programming could be embedded into middle school instruction to improve student engagement and achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

To improve all students\u2019 mathematics performance, Sharpe had been collaborating with his grade-level colleagues and curriculum supervisor to provide more personalized instruction to students. While the school\u2019s classroom model had long centered on students sitting at their desks while teachers lectured, Sharpe saw an opportunity to transform that with his robotics and computer programming project.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, the new project was about engagement,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was about integrating something into the classroom that hasn\u2019t been there.\u201d<\/p>\n

A History of Innovation <\/strong><\/h2>\n

At the University of Connecticut, Rogers spent more than two decades teaching and writing about education techniques, led the Neag School\u2019s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and served on its faculty, retiring in 1990.<\/p>\n

Rogers was a world leader in social studies, international education, and the child-centered movement known as\u00a0\u201copen education,\u201d and wrote the definitive book in the field.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cVin was always a hands-on educator and\u00a0dear\u00a0friend, and we miss him profoundly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Neag School Professor Emeritus Gil Dyrli<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cVin chaired our department and was one of the very best department heads I ever knew,\u201d says Neag School professor emeritus Gil Dyrli. \u201cHe led by example through conducting groundbreaking research, securing grants, publishing significant books and articles, presenting keynote addresses at major professional conferences, and sharing his innovative expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cAs I traveled the country throughout my career, representing UConn and doing staff-development programs, a common envious question was, \u2018Do you work with Vin Rogers?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

During his retirement, Rogers was active with numerous projects, from becoming a competent equestrian, having begun riding at the age of 63, to teaching jazz and horse racing courses at the Mansfield Community Center near the UConn Storrs campus to continuing to perform with several local jazz groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cVin was an outstanding trumpet player, and when our son was studying the instrument in high school, Vin often invited him to his home to play duets,\u201d says Dyrli. \u201cOur son will always remember that kindness and personal interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

While at UConn, Rogers concentrated on his innovative work. He connected with a fellow Neag School of Education faculty member, the late A.J. Pappanikou, whose focus was on special education and with whom he partnered to ensure that future educators were getting hands-on experience in urban school settings.<\/p>\n

Together, they coordinated about 20 UConn students to do student teaching in New Haven, Connecticut, giving them an opportunity to view schools beyond suburbia \u2014\u00a0a rare and innovative practice at the time.<\/p>\n

\"Jessica
Alumna Jessica Stargardter \u201916 (ED), \u201917 MA, gifted and talented educator for Norwalk (Conn.) Public Schools, was named the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund recipient in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Stargardter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHis many students have gone on to important positions at state, national, and international levels in public and private education,\u201d says Dyrli. \u201cHis original contributions and seminal ideas continue to be worth exploring, and thanks to the internet and online resources, they are more accessible than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVin was always a hands-on educator and\u00a0dear\u00a0friend, and we miss him profoundly,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Through his generosity to the Neag School, Rogers has been passing that spirit of innovation to yet another generation of students, giving teachers in Connecticut the opportunity to enact innovative projects of their own in elementary and middle-school classrooms across the state.<\/p>\n

According to Heather McDonald, assistant vice president for development at the UConn Foundation, Rogers always had a story to tell. His passion for education was only eclipsed by his love for music and playing his beloved flugelhorn.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe shared many stories highlighting how music and jazz specifically delighted and transformed him,\u201d says McDonald. \u201cHe was incredibly proud of his family and marveled at what a wonderful life he was afforded due to his career in education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could listen to Vin talk about the transformative experiences he had at Cornell (meeting his wife, Chris) and UConn for hours.\u00a0He was a lifelong learner and loved his home in the \u2018treetops\u2019 in Storrs,\u201d recalls McDonald.<\/p>\n

Rogers is survived by his and Chris\u2019 three children and their spouses, Jill and James Coffrin of Burlington, Vermont; Robin and David Smith of Mystic, Connecticut; and Evan and Jackie Rogers of Stamford, Connecticut. They are also survived by six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\u201cVin was an inspiration to all who knew him as someone who lived life to its fullest and pursued his passions relentlessly,\u201d according to his obituary<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learn more about the Rogers\u2019 legacy and the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Vincent Rogers of Storrs, Connecticut, a longtime educator and faculty emeritus at the Neag School of Education, died Thursday, Dec. 3, at age 93. He died at home, surrounded by his loving family. \u201cWe share our deepest condolences with the Rogers family, whose generosity over the years toward the Neag School has made a tangible […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":167186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1855],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1879],"class_list":["post-167178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-neag"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-08 17:56:23","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167178"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167189,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167178\/revisions\/167189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/167186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167178"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=167178"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=167178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}