Alumni Association honors Dr. Jamie Rogers with student-nominated 2025 Golden Apple Award
By Carrie McGinnis | Apr 2, 2025
Rogers named this year’s ¹Ï×ÓTV State University Alumni Association Distinguished Professor
MURRAY, Ky. – ¹Ï×ÓTV State University President Dr. Bob Jackson, '85, Director of Alumni Relations Carrie McGinnis, '20, Jones College of Science Engineering and Technology Dean Dr. Claire Fuller, family members, colleagues and friends surprised Dr. Jamie Rogers, School of Engineering director and professor, with the 2025 Golden Apple Award during one of his classes in March as this year's ¹Ï×ÓTV State University Alumni Association (¹Ï×ÓTVAA) Distinguished Professor.
The student-nominated award is the highest honor the ¹Ï×ÓTVAA presents to a member of the faculty each year. Ana Werner, a sophomore mechanical engineering/physics major, nominated Rogers for this year's award, and he was selected by a committee made up of members of the ¹Ï×ÓTVAA Board of Governors, in addition to the 2024 recipient, longtime nursing professor Dr. Mike Perlow.
Rogers has been with ¹Ï×ÓTV State University for nearly 23 years. He first began as a professor teaching mechanical engineering in 2002. He then added the titles of Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) co-director in 2013 and engineering program coordinator in 2016. He has served as the director of the School of Engineering since July 2022.
In her nomination letter, Werner said of Rogers, "He is the kind of professor who truly wants all of his students to succeed, and it shows in everything he does. From my very first college tour, he made such a big impact on me and was one of the main reasons I chose to attend ¹Ï×ÓTV State. He’s not just a professor—he’s someone I can turn to whenever I need guidance, whether it’s for academic help or just some encouragement. As the director of the School of Engineering, he creates a supportive and engaging environment where students feel at home. There’s no one else I would want as both a professor and a director. His dedication to his students and his passion for our success are unmatched."
As part of a longstanding tradition, Rogers will serve as the mace-bearer during commencement exercises in May, leading the academic procession and placing the mace in its holder on stage. The mace, which symbolizes order and authority, was designed and hand-crafted by ¹Ï×ÓTV State’s department of industrial education in 1968.