USI President Ron Rochon leaving school for new job

EVANSVILLE — University of Southern Indiana President Ron Rochon is taking a new position at California State University-Fullerton.

His first day in his new position will be July 22, 2024. The change was announced Wednesday morning by Cal Sate Fullerton in a news release.

In a news release, Rochon said he's excited to work with the university's faculty and staff.

“I look forward to collaborating on strategies that will continue to strengthen Cal State Fullerton’s position as an intellectual and cultural catalyst in Southern California and advance its key role in workforce and economic development for the region," he said.

Rochon, who was selected as USI's president in 2018, sent a message to the USI community Wednesday after the news was released.

Rochon said he had already spoken to USI Board of Trustees chair Christine Keck, and the board will conduct a public meeting to appoint an interim president before he leaves.

"I have every confidence this person will be an excellent choice for the institution as the (board) seeks a permanent fifth president of this great university," he wrote.

Rochon said it's been one of the "greatest honors" of his life to serve as USI's provost and president.

"USI is uniquely a special place with wonderful and special people that I will carry with me every day going forward," he said. "Thank you for allowing me to respectfully serve this great community together with you. I will forever be a Screaming Eagle and wish continued success for each of you."

Rochon is only the fourth president in USI's history, and the university's first Black president.

When he was selected, he told the Courier & Press being the first Black president spoke boldly of the American dream.

"I think it speaks boldly about Indiana," he said. "I think it speaks boldly about the University of Southern Indiana."

He had previously served as provost from 2010 until his promotion, and supervised the deans of USI's four colleges.

Before coming to USI, Rochon was inaugural dean of the School of Education and associate vice president for teacher education and a professor at Buffalo State University in New York.

The Division I decision

Rochon will leave a university that is now a Division I school, but the one in he took over in 2018 was Division II. Among his legacy as president, one of the biggest moments is that shift, which officially came about in 2022.

It was a time of mixed reaction, with it impacting not only the school's athletics, but its finances, as well.

USI officials said in 2022 the athletic budget would need to double, from $6.6 million to $12 million annually. There's also a reclassification fee, which would cost around $1.7 million. A proposed student fee was also put into place, starting at $60 per semester in 2022-23 and going up to $238 a semester by the end of the four-year transition period.

But Rochon said the move was another step to bring greater pride and hope in the community.

"We want students opening their acceptance letters and saying, 'Mom, dad, look. I'm going to USI,'" he said.

The move did prompt concern from USI faculty who were concerned that campus problems would worsen with the change, not get better.

In a university survey of more than 2,000 people, 60% of faculty said they were against the DI move. Students, administrators and retirees voted no, as well.

Rochon replacing former president mired in controversy

Rochon will take over for interim president Slyvia A. Alva, who has served in the role since August 2023.

But Alva replaced longtime president Framroze Virjee, who stepped down not long after multiple students accused him of inappropriately touching them.

According to internal university records obtained by the Los Angeles Times around May 2023, a student first reported an accusation against Virjee in August 2019, saying he kissed their forehead and hugged them: contact that made her "feel very uncomfortable."

Two other reports stemmed from a campus tour Virjee gave in November 2021, when a student said he repeatedly touched her and tried to hug her, despite her objections. Another student accused Virjee of touching her arm and rubbing her back without her consent in a way the student and a witness described as "unacceptable."

According to the Times, campus employees submitted the reports, which were then relayed to the campus' Title IX officer. The official then reportedly sent emails to all three students, telling them how they could file a formal complaint with the chancellor's office.

The official reportedly met with one student who declined to move forward with an investigation. The other two students never replied to the email, the Times reported.

Virjee said he didn't hear about the accusations until the Times asked for the records. He denied doing anything wrong and called the reports "inaccurate descriptions." He announced he would retire in July 2023.

According to Transparent California, an online database of public official salaries in the state, Virjee made a little more than $487,000 in compensation in 2022. That's about $70,000 more than Rochon collected from USI in 2023.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: USI President Ron Rochon leaving school for new job