Collection inventory

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The Virgil M. Rogers Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Tim Carter
Date: 2016

Revision history:

Biography

Virgil M. Rogers (1898-1990) was the Dean of the Syracuse University School of Education from 1953 to 1963.

Born in Moore, South Carolina, Virgil M. Rogers earned his bachelor’s degree at Wofford College in 1921, near his hometown. Upon graduation, he moved west and worked as a high school teacher in Delta, Colorado for several years. Rogers earned his master’s degree from Western State College of Colorado and his doctorate from Teachers College of Columbia University. He began his career in school administration, working as a superintendent in several different cities before joining Syracuse University. He served as superintendent in Gunnison, Colorado from 1929 to 1934; Boulder, Colorado from 1934 to 1940; River Forest, Illinois from 1940 to 1945; and finally Battle Creek, Michigan from 1945 to 1953.

Rogers was part of a team of educators selected to assist with the reorganization of the German school system after World War II and was a group leader in the White House Conference on Children and Youth in 1950. He served as President of the American Association of School Administrators from 1952 to 1953 and in 1953 was hired as Dean of the School of Education at Syracuse University.

During his time as dean, Rogers fought to increase federal aid for public schools and universities and frequently lectured about educational policy and reform. He was also involved in several significant historical events related to the field of education. In 1957, Rogers testified as an expert witness on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the Cooper v. Aaron trial concerning the Little Rock Nine. In 1959, he helped lead a group of educators studying Russian schools. Based on his experiences in Russia, Rogers wrote a series of articles and speeches arguing for education reform in the United States.

Rogers retired as Dean of the School of Education in 1963 and was hired to lead a national study project on the effect of automation on education. In 1964, Rogers testified again as an expert witness in a trial concerning the Becker Amendment, arguing against the amendment’s desire to allow prayer and Bible reading in public school classrooms.

Scope and Content Note

The Virgil M. Rogers Papers comprise materials related to his involvement with the Becker Amendment as well as his involvement in the Cooper v. Aaron trial. The Papers also include an article he wrote about his experience observing Russian schools, personal materials, and professional materials from when he was a school superintendent and Dean of the School of Education at Syracuse University.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

The Archives hold both a clipping file and portrait file for Virgil M. Rogers.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Rogers, Virgil M.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- School of Education.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Virgil M. Rogers Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

David Andrews donated the Virgil M. Rogers Papers to the Archives in 2016.

Processing Information

Materials were rehoused in acid-free folders.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Table of Contents

Papers

Inventory