Dr. Don Raleigh, RSU's new president, speaks during a welcoming event June 4 in the DCTC Ballroom.
Rogers State University’s new President Dr. Don Raleigh and RSU’s new First Lady Angela Releigh were all smiles as the pair met with university students, faculty, and staff, as well as community members, legislators, and the public this week at a trio of welcoming events.
The first of these “meet and greet” events was held Wednesday, June 4, in the ballroom of the Dr. Carolyn Taylor Center on RSU’s Claremore campus.
Following a brief introduction by RSU Vice President for Development Steve Valencia, Dr. Raleigh addressed the crowd.
“I can’t express to you how excited I am – how honored and humbled I am that all you showed up today to welcome myself and my wife, Angela, to the Hill,” Raleigh said. “We both plan to be very visible, very engaged with the students on campus. You’ll be seeing us a lot. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the search process.”
Raleigh looks forward to continuing the legacy of excellence at RSU established by his predecessors.
“Like those who came before me, I want the same thing that they wanted – for Rogers State University to grow,” he said. “We’re going to work hard. I’ve already said one of our operating paradigms is ‘Every Hillcat, Every Day,’ because it’s not just about our students, it’s also about our faculty, it’s about our staff, it’s about our alumni. They’re all Hillcats, and it’s important how we interconnect, how do we take care of each other, how do we reach out to our K-12s and work with our partners.
“We’re going to do all we can to create pathways and remove hurdles for students, as well as create as many opportunities as possible to work with our partners in a way that would benefit them, benefit us, and most importantly, benefit our students,” he said. “We’re going to take care of our students, and that’s going to be part of our tradition – innovation and excellence.
“Again, thanks to everyone who’s already made us feel very welcome – we’re so honored to be here, and I look forward to continuing these conversations today and in the future,” he said.
Raleigh also spoke at two other events on Thursday, the first of which was the RSU Bartlesville Scholarship Fundraising Breakfast at The Center (Bartlesville Community Center), and the second, at the Pryor Campus of Rogers State University.
He is the RSU’s third president since it was accredited as a four-year university in 2000, following Dr. Joe Wiley (1999-2008) and Dr. Larry Rice (2008-2024).
Following Rice’s retirement, Vice President for Administration and Finance Dr. Mark Rasor served as interim president until Raleigh assumed office June 2.
Learn more about President Raleigh.