George Mason University has named Dr. Paul Rogers, faculty member in the Department of English and a senior scholar for the Center for Consciousness and Transformation, to serve as the interim executive director for the Mason Center for Social Entrepreneurship (MCSE).
Rogers currently serves as faculty director for the center, and was selected by the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jack Censer, to replace Greg Werkheiser, who has been named the founding director of the National Center for Service & Innovative Leadership in California. Since arriving at Mason in 2008, Rogers has been instrumental in engaging students and establishing Mason in the field of social entrepreneurship.
He served as faculty co-lead of the Changemaker Campus Partnership with Ashoka, the leading organization for promoting social change within the citizen sector. He also authored the social entrepreneurship quality enhancement plan, helped launch the minor in entrepreneurship studies for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and designed the curriculum for Mason’s new interdisciplinary master’s concentration in social entrepreneurship. Rogers was instrumental in launching MCSE, and has actively contributed to the development of its strategy and programming.
"Paul Rogers is an extraordinary leader who will continue our momentum forward in this critical area," said Dean Jack Censer of the College Humanities and Social Sciences.
Rogers received his PhD in education from UC Santa Barbara in 2008, and his background will continue to serve him well as the interim director for the center, which focuses on developing leaders in social innovation and social entrepreneurship. Additionally, his experience as the director of the Northern Virginia Writing Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering improvements in teaching and learning in schools throughout Northern Virginia, has provided practical experience working towards systemic change.
"Paul Rogers is a keen champion of social action whose openness turns to creative initiative. He deeply understands what it takes to build changemaking skills." said Diana Wells, president of Ashoka.
Located in the Nguyen Engineering Building on Mason’s Fairfax campus, MCSE continues to grow its programming since its launch in May of 2011. The center enjoys strong relationships with many social innovators and non-profit leaders. Rogers believes Mason is uniquely poised to cultivate social innovators due to its leadership, diversity, and location.
“President Cabrera, Provost Stearns, and our many partners at the Center for Social Entrepreneurship see the great potential of the university to develop the global change leaders and models of innovation we need to address the most pressing challenges of our time,” he said. “It’s truly an honor to serve in this position.”
January 14, 2013
