TROY — Troy University has scheduled summer commencement for Friday, Aug. 5, with Dr. Jim Rogers, former executive director of the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as the keynote speaker.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. at Sartain Hall on the Troy Campus. Approximately 290 students from 23 U.S. states and 10 foreign nations are scheduled to receive diplomas.

“ Troy University is honored to have Dr. Jim Rogers give our commencement address,” Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., chancellor, said. “He has been a leader in higher education for more than two decades whose insights on the state of higher education in our nation will benefit our graduates.”

Dr. Rogers was named Executive Director of SACS in 1985 after a 15-year career as president of Brenau College in Gainesville, GA. Dr. Rogers directed activities involving the ongoing accreditation of the approximately 800 degree-granting member and candidate institutions of the Commission on Colleges, including Troy University. He retired as Executive Director of SACS on July 23.

Prior to becoming the president of Brenau, Dr. Rogers held various teaching and administrative positions, including that of Director of Student Personnel at Pensacola Junior College and Dean of Student Affairs at Armstrong State College in Savannah .

A native of Cleveland, MS., he graduated from high school and went on to Delta State University in his hometown to earn a B.S. degree in biology. From 1956 to 1960, he served in the U.S. Navy as a pilot and flight instructor, attaining the rank of lieutenant. After his naval service, Dr. Rogers returned to graduate school at Florida State University where he received a doctorate in administration and higher education.

Dr. Rogers has written for various publications and has spoken at college commencements, high school graduations, honors day convocations, and association functions. Dr. Rogers and his wife Pat, an interior decorator, reside near Lake Lanier in Gainesville .