Finalist Candidate Dr. Michael Rooke to Visit Asnuntuck Community College on May 1

On Thursday, May 1, Dr. Michael Rooke will visit Asnuntuck Community College to meet with faculty, staff, students and community members. Mr. Rooke is a candidate for the president role at Asnuntuck Community College.  During his visit, he will also meet with members of the Board of Regents and BOR president Dr. Gregory Gray. 

Dr. Michael Rooke

View Resume (pdf)
Campus Schedule (pdf)

Biography

Originally from Yorkshire, England, Dr. Rooke earned his baccalaureate degree in applied chemistry from Nottingham Trent University, U.K. in 1991, that included a year in an industrial adhesives company outside London. After graduating, he moved to the U.S. to begin his doctoral studies at Kansas State University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1996 in analytical chemistry, studying high temperature carbon fiber coatings using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

In 1996, Dr. Rooke moved to Connecticut to begin his career in higher education, as an assistant and later associate professor of chemistry at the University of Hartford. In 2003, Dr. Rooke accepted a staff position at Long Island University in educational technology, and was promoted, ultimately serving as director of information technology for the C.W. Post, Rockland and Brentwood campuses.

In 2006, he returned to Connecticut and began his career within the Connecticut Community College system, first at Manchester Community College, as division director for the Business & Technologies division, overseeing the engineering, manufacturing, I.T. and business programs.

Then, in 2009, President Cathryn Addy invited him to move to Tunxis Community College to serve as dean of academic affairs, where he continues to serve today. He is active on many Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system initiatives, including reform of developmental English and mathematics, transfer articulation between the community colleges and the state universities and Charter Oak State College. He also co-chaired the committee to develop a common system academic calendar for all seventeen institutions.

Dr. Rooke has served on local chambers of commerce, has been involved in many activities promoting manufacturing and engineering careers and engaged local high schools in aligning twelfth grade courses with entry level college courses in both English and mathematics, as well as several workforce development initiatives in the community college system.

Dr. Rooke lives in Windsor, Connecticut with his wife and his three young daughters.

View Resume (pdf)
Campus Schedule (pdf)