Melody Rose steps into chancellor role

On March 2, Dr. Melody Rose will become the first woman chancellor since the Oregon University System’s first chancellor was selected in 1931.

Rose will be assuming the duties of interim chancellor, replacing the current chancellor, George Pernsteiner, who resigned at the end of January.

“I’m deeply honored to be asked to serve in this capacity, and I look forward to working with this staff and stakeholders,” Rose said.

She’ll fill the spot until the Oregon State Board of Higher Education is able to select a permanent replacement.

Rose was first brought into the OUS as the vice chancellor of academic strategies in August 2012, but at Portland State she is more widely known for her work within the political science department and as the vice provost for Academic Programs and Instruction.

“Some of the things I did at PSU around hybrid learning allowed students to find ways to learn that suit their complicated lives. Access to online education is critical to those populations,” Rose said.

Rose is eager for the OUS to take advantage of the opportunities that online education offers the nontraditional student.

Goals for the OUS would include expanding the nontraditional student’s access to education, she said. “I want to make sure that students have access to those opportunities.”

In 2004, Rose founded the Center for Women, Politics and Policy and National Education for Women’s Leadership Oregon through PSU. Both of these institutions seek to provide young women with leadership training to encourage them to become more involved in seeking public office. She has also written several books and academic articles on the subject of women in politics.

Rose said that her time spent founding the CWPP would “never have come into being if not for a very diverse set of passionate stakeholders.” From that experience, Rose said, she learned a great deal that she will take with her into her position as interim chancellor.

Student success and achievement will be a very important part of Rose’s work as interim chancellor, she said. Modern-day education involves a great many innovative learning platforms, Rose said, that students in her generation didn’t have access to.

Regarding the discussions of education in last week’s State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, Rose said that the president and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan both place great importance on an “education continuum” that the OUS shares.

“Higher education success depends on early learning in K–12 education,” Rose said, adding that providing opportunities for students transitioning to college is among her top priorities.

Pernsteiner, who had held the position of chancellor since 2004, will continue to collect his salary and vacation time until his contract expires in the summer of 2014.