Mariela Patron
News Editor
Rick Rogers, director of the counseling center, will resign, effective June 30. This brings change to the counseling center, as it will now be reporting to the division of student affairs instead of the psychology department.
Rogers has resigned from his position after 14 years and will become a full time professor in the psychology department, starting fall 2013.
“The great relationship with the psychology department will continue,” said Loretta Rahmani, dean of student affairs.
Rahmani, who will now have the counseling center under her supervision, calls the changes “reorganization.”
The move has received full support from the psychology department, said Jonathan Reed, dean of the college of arts and sciences.
“Its primary mission is not academic, but serving student needs,” Reed said.
Having it under student affairs is a better fit since its primary providers are support staff, not psychology faculty.
The move will be a permanent one, Rahmani said. The counseling center budget will remain the same and will be transferred to student affairs.
“Whatever resources were accounted for will continue,” Rahmani said.
There are also plans to physically move the counseling center out of the psychology department, although Rahmani and Reed do not have a set place yet. Because of a space crunch and particularly a shortage of classroom space in the University of La Verne to find more classroom space, they are reluctant to release the name of any prospective new locations.
Gloria Henley, administrative assistant of the counseling center, has worked with Rick Rogers since 2006.
“I have no complaints whatsoever, he’s a wonderful boss,” she said. Henley hopes the new director will be as kind and respectful as Rogers.
“Rogers’ leadership of the counseling center has been exemplary,” Reed said.
Rahmani and Reed said they are both looking forward to Rogers being part of ULV’s full-time teaching faculty.
Mariela Patron can be reached at mariela.patron@laverne.edu.
