Awards

Honorary Degree - 2017

L.H.D

Doctor of Humane Letters

IU Northwest Commencement

Gary, Indiana

Presenter: Michael A. McRobbie

School of Education Distinguished Alumni Award - 1999

About Earline Rogers

Earline Rogers received a B.S. and M.S. in Education from IU Bloomintong in 1957 and 1971 respectively. A native of Gary, Indiana, Rogers spent 38 years teaching in the Gary public school system. She was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 1990 and retired in 2016. Before serving in the Senate, she was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives for eight years.

Rogers spent her career advocating for improvements in the education system and has authored and carried numerous pieces of legislation in support of education. They include the Indiana Seal of Biliteracy program; the A-Plus education reform package; anti-bullying reforms; JoJo's Law for transportation safety; and Heather's Law, which requires the Department of Education to develop models for Indiana schools to educate students about dating violence.

Rogers has been a leader in creating and sustaining the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority and helped create a pathway allowing for casino gaming in Indiana. Her support for health-related legislation and efforts to bring an academic medical center hospital to Gary have been instrumental in the growth of the IU School of Medicine-Northwest-Gary.

Indiana University awarded Rogers with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at its spring commencement ceremony at IU Northwest in 2017 for her outstanding achievement in the arts and humanities, and for her commitment to community engagement and public service.