Dr. Ronald S. Rochon

Dr. Ronald S. Rochon

Term of Office 2018 – 2024 

Dr. Ronald S. Rochon became President in July 2018, after serving as Provost since 2010, and served in that role for 6 years before leaving the University in July 2024.

In his first four years as President, he successfully secured over $250 million in state funding for capital projects and operations from his first two biennial budget presentations to the Indiana Legislature. An additional $195 million was appropriated to USI for the 2023-2025 biennium, including the largest single capital appropriation for the University as of 2024. Also, during this time, the University experienced increased growth in the Indiana Commission for Higher Education’s performance funding metrics of overall degree completion, at-risk degree completion, STEM degree completion, student persistence and on-time graduation.   

During his tenure, the University implemented its third Strategic Plan: Accelerating Impact – which included goals for improving student success, fostering impactful engagement, elevating the visibility and reputation of the University and strengthening its financial viability. In 2021, his leadership attracted the attention of an NCAA Division I conference which led the University to reclassify from Division II to Division I athletics. Rochon intentionally guided the University to be a catalyst for change, creating a talented, educated citizenry that met the leadership, entrepreneurial and workforce needs of society. 

Rochon was appointed to Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb’s Workforce Cabinet for a two-year term in 2020 and to the Midwest Higher Education Compact in 2021. An active civic leader, Rochon served on the boards of WNIN Public Broadcasting, Deaconess Health Systems and the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, among others. In the broader higher education community, he served on the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference Board of Presidents and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Board of Directors. He was appointed AASCU Chair-Elect for 2023 before serving a one-year term as Chair that began in 2024. Nationally, he served as a Board Director for the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and was appointed Chair for a two-year term beginning in 2023. 

Education

Dr. Rochon earned a bachelor's degree animal science at Tuskegee University and master’s in animal science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and doctoral degrees in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His doctoral work was in educational policy studies, with an emphasis in educational history and policy analysis. 

Professional Background 

Dr. Rochon came to USI from Buffalo State in Buffalo, New York, where he served as the inaugural Dean of the School of Education, Associate Vice President for Teacher Education and Professor. He was Director and Co-Founder of the Research Center for Cultural Diversity and Community Renewal at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, as well as Interim Associate Dean and Director of the School of Education. He also served as Chair of the Board of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (Washington, DC). His professional teaching career has included work at Texas A&M University, Washington State University and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.