Rick Rogers Psychologists listen. They delve daily into the lives of others, asking questions and listening to the responses. They are unaccustomed to the spotlight. So what happens when the tables are turned, reflecting the microscope? “I’m used to asking questions rather than being asked,” said Rick Rogers, associate professor of Psychology and director of the Counseling Center. As Rogers sits down in his less-than-tidy office – messages strewn about his desk, two-foot high stacks of papers clutter the corner – he turns on one of the two alarm clocks in the room. Non-descript sounds spread from the speakers, filling the room with a heightened sense of tranquility, drowning out the few words that have leaked through the wall from the counseling appointment next door. The Psychologist, who still runs a private practice in Claremont, starts his day around 5:30 a.m. Three to four days a week – on mornings when he doesn’t have to be to ULV until around 8:30 – he rides the Thompson Creek Trail to help stay in shape and to prepare his mind for the day. “It’s for stress relief,” he said. “It’s so I don’t feel so guilty. I like to eat. It helps me manage my weight.” His passion for riding his bike began “way back.” Born in Flushing, N.Y., where he has little memory of riding except suffering a fall, Rogers moved to Arizona when he was 11, and the love affair began. “That’s when I really enjoyed taking off on my bike and exploring,” he said. “Now, I’ve found the Thompson Creek Trail. I’m going to get on it. It’s a nice way to start off the morning.” Admitting to being outside and closer to nature as large draws of riding the trail, he’s been riding it 3 to 4 times a week since 1991. On other days when he has to be to ULV earlier, he’ll walk the family dog Gracie around the neighborhood. Rogers grew up with dogs. Raised primarily in apartments, he always had smaller dogs. So it was natural for him and his wife to get one together once they got married. In the last 26 years, they’ve had three family dogs. “They’ve been really important parts of our family for all of us,” he said. The Rogers family lost the dog before Gracie to a heart attack suffered while hiking in the foothills. “That was really hard for the entire family.” So they got Gracie six months later, when finally secure enough to begin getting attached to another dog. Obviously a family man, Rogers spends much of his time with his wife and two young adult daughters (24 and 27), who are living at home. The week culminates on Friday night, when the Rogers family ventures to Los Jarritos off Garey to enjoy a family dinner. Occasionally, boyfriends or other friends will join. In addition, he’ll go on walks with his wife and Gracie on the weekend. “It will be a family time,” he said. “I enjoy going on a date with my wife,” he said, also talking about the “Saturday night dates” in which he and his wife, to whom he has been married for 31 years, he proudly states, go to a movie or on some sort of date. “It’s important to keep us close together.” He also recalls fondly the many family summer vacations spent in Carpenteria. “Having a summer vacation usually involving a beach,” he said. “If not Carpenteria, usually a West Coast or East Coach beach.” One of his daughters also coaches cross country and track, so Rogers and his wife will go out and support her, another chance for family time. His other daughter’s boyfriend plays rugby, so they’ll venture to those matches as well. In fact, sports remain a big part of the Rogers household, and University of Arizona basketball is at the epicenter. “That’s probably my favorite of all sports,” said Rogers, who got his Ph.D. from U of A. And Rogers not only likes collegiate basketball, he prefers the rest of collegiate sports to professional as well. “I’m usually more likely to watch college football than NFL,” he said, “unless it’s Super Bowl Sunday.” As a professor, Rogers also reads voraciously, as they all do. He particularly enjoys Tony Hillerman, the Native American spy novelist, in addition to Robert Ludlum, both authors he doesn’t generally get to read until a vacation. “I have one of (Ludlum’s) books on my bed-stand waiting for me to pick it up, Spring Break possibly.” Despite all his hobbies, Rogers still manages to maintain his private practice, seeing patients two nights a week and on Friday. “It’s important for me in terms of my career balance,” he said. “I like working with clients. (Without), I’d really miss it. I wouldn’t be a happy camper.” THE PROFESSOR As a professor, Rogers emphasizes the importance of humor in the classroom. “Appreciate my humor and share their humor,” he said. “That’s an important part of the teacher-student relationship.” He also appreciates those students who don’t feel comfortable sharing in the classroom. “I have a soft spot in my heart for those shy students,” he said, “and I delight when I can draw them out.” Most likely, the soft spot stems from the fact that he can identify with those students. “I’m not one that discloses a lot of myself in the classroom,” he said. “It is a role-shift for you to come in and interview me.” RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:rogersr@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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