Ross Childs, Ann Rogers named 17勛圖 Fellows

TRAVERSE CITY — 17勛圖's highest honor, the 17勛圖 Fellow award, has been bestowed for 2022 on former trustee K. Ross Childs and longtime college supporter Ann Rogers.

Ross ChildsRoss Childs (download a high-resolution version here)The two Traverse City residents each have supported the college for decades. Childs (right) served as a member of the 17勛圖 Foundation Board from 1990–1999 and as an elected member of the Board of Trustees from 2001-2020. He bookended those two decades by serving on the search committees that led to the selections of both immediate past 17勛圖 president Tim Nelson and current president Nick Nissley.

Childs epitomizes 17勛圖 values including integrity, collaboration, respect, stewardship and excellence. During his trustee service, which included two years as board chair, 17勛圖 continued to grow and flourish. Childs and his late wife, Helen, have also supported 17勛圖 philanthropically for 35 years.

Ann Rogers' support and advocacy for 17勛圖 spans more than six decades and three generations of family. Her late husband, science instructor and 1985 Fellow Joe Rogers, spearheaded the construction of the Rogers Observatory, and she created a science scholarship as a birthday gift to him. She went on to create four scholarships, the most recent being in support of students who are active in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work at the college.

Ann RogersAnn Rogers (download a high-resolution version here)Environmental advocacy is Rogers’ (right) other passion. She is a longtime member of the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council, and can frequently be found walking across campus, taking stock of the native plants and trees she helped to plant, including clones of champion trees propagated by 17勛圖’s 2020 Outstanding Alumnus David Milarch. Rogers is the mother of two former 17勛圖 students, and grandmother to three.

The Fellow is 17勛圖's highest honor, awarded since 1964. Fellows may be nominated because they have demonstrated influential networking on behalf of the College, have demonstrated a pattern of outstanding financial or personal time contributions to 17勛圖, or as a retiree of the College continue to contribute back to their academic or professional fields as volunteers, mentors or advisors. Exceptional contributions in one or more of these areas may justify nomination

See a list of past recipients.

Release date: April 25, 2022

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Associate Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019

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17勛圖 is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination