President of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies Announces Retirement

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Richard L. Rogers
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPEAKERPEDIA

President of the College for Creative Studies Richard L. Rogers has announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2019. Rogers is beginning his 25th year leading CCS.

During Rogers’ tenure, enrollment doubled, and seven new undergraduate degree programs and the college’s first graduate programs were added. CCS’s endowment increased from $6 million to more than $80 million, due in part to a $50 million bequest from Josephine F. Ford.

Rogers’ first major project was the creation of the Walter and Josephine Ford Campus from 1999-2005. Included was the construction of the 102,000-square-foot Walter B. Ford II Building, followed by the Josephine F. Ford Sculpture Garden in collaboration with the Detroit Institute of Arts. The square footage of the college increased from 280,000 square feet to more than 1.5 million.

In 2008, CCS embarked on the $145 million redevelopment of the 760,000-square-foot historic Argonaut Building, which was General Motors Co.’s first research and design center, into the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education. The building houses programs from sixth grade through graduate school. The Taubman Center also is home to Shinola and Design Core Detroit, the economic development office launched by CCS and Business Leaders for Michigan that stewards Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design designation.

During Rogers’ time, CCS made community engagement a core part of its mission and spearheaded outreach efforts.

Rogers serves on numerous boards, including The McGregor Fund, New Detroit Inc., and Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities. He is currently a member of the steering committee and jury for the DIA Plaza and Midtown Cultural Connections project and has served on many ad hoc committees focused on Detroit revitalization.