Farewell to a Wonderful Colleague

Professor Mel Rozen died last week.  His wife, Elaine, passed away just a day earlier.  This is a very sad story.  Mel and Elaine were both only 64 years old.  Mel had just decided to retire so that he and Elaine could spend more time together and with their family.  Mel and Elaine were important members of the Ohio Dominican family … and they will be missed by all.

Mel Rozen was a dedicated teacher, a talented artist and a good man.  I met Mel during my first weeks at Ohio Dominican six years ago.  He stopped by my office to welcome me to the campus.  These visits by faculty and staff were not uncommon for a new president.  But I remember Mel’s visit as being somewhat unique.

Mel didn’t talk about himself.  It took several questions before I learned that he was a professor of art and had been at Ohio Dominican for almost 30 years.  Mel didn’t tell me about his needs or the needs of his department.  He preferred to tell me about the history and beauty of Wehrle Hall.  Mel didn’t give me advice about how to be a good president.  He told me how hard it must be the lead a college and that he would try to help me in any way possible.

What Mel did for almost an hour was tell me about the students at Ohio Dominican.  With a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face, he regaled me with story after story about the wonderful students he had met at Ohio Dominican … met not necessarily taught.  His stories were not about his teaching success but of the success of our students.  He knew about their lives, the challenges they had overcome to receive an Ohio Dominican education, and their talent.  He loved teaching and he truly understood the role of a college professor.

Mel’s other passion was his family.  He was always telling me stories about his son, Seth, and his daughter, Daphne.  He was proud of them and everything they did in their lives brought joy to Mel and Elaine.  Ohio Dominican will not be the same without Mel and Elaine.  Please keep the Rozen family in your thoughts and prayers.

This will be my final blog entry.  As most of you know, I will be leaving Ohio Dominican University in a few weeks to assume the presidency of Anna Maria College in Massachusetts.  I am really not sure who has been reading this blog or if it has been of any interest or help to the readers.  What I do know is that I have enjoyed writing these entries and sharing my perspectives on Ohio Dominican and higher education.  Thank you.