Oral Histories

Interview of Robert A. Rogers

UCLA chief accounting officer.
Subtitle:
UCLA's Accounting Officer
Series:
Interviews not in a series, part one
Topic:
UCLA and University of California History
UCLA Administration
Biographical Note:
UCLA chief accounting officer.
Interviewer:
Mink, James V.
Interviewee:
Rogers, Robert A.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by James V. Mink, University Archivist and Director, Oral History Program, UCLA; B.A., M.A., history, UCLA; B.L.S., librarianship, UC Berkeley; Certificate in Archival Administration and Preservation, American University, Washington, D.C.
Length:
13.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Abstract:
Education at UCLA; hired as UCLA assistant cashier; move to accounting office; accounting effort for war; Los Alamos atomic project; accounting officer for UCLA; Philip M. Douglas; Olaf Lundberg; chain of command from campus accounting officer to universitywide controller to board of regents; rivalry between accounting and business offices; Raymond B. Allen and opening of UCLA hospital; Rogers becomes chief accounting officer at UCLA; reorganizing office; increase in UCLA physical facilities; Allen versus Clark Kerr; space allocation issues at UCLA; parking; uniform accounting procedures in United States universities; Franklin D. Murphy and the UCLA Foundation; retained-life-interest gifts; examples of different kinds of defalcations; the UCLA overseas program; Hawaii projects; Philippines project: accounting aspects; developmental project in Indonesia; Gadjah Mada University; in Kenya as guest of government; project under Walter Goldschmidt; two projects at University of Khartoum, Sudan; Egypt; exchange program between University of California and University of Chile; Brazilian university officials at UCLA; asked by Murphy to revise financing plan for William Andrews Clark Memorial Library; Henry J. Bruman Educational Foundation and retained-life-interest gift; building fund of UCLA Faculty Center; managers of the Faculty Center; the food service and other amenities; naming of the center's rooms; Constantine Panunzio hired to restructure faculty retirement system; Panunzio creates National Committee for Emeriti and conducts national census with assistance from Rogers; Rogers organizes mutual health insurance program; Stafford L. Warren and the emeriti center; friendship with Dean McHenry; the Master Plan for Higher Education and the University of California; setting up the Irvine and Santa Cruz campuses; advising McHenry on administration of planning and analysis; Rogers serves as assistant chancellor for planning analysis at University of California, Santa Cruz; planning issues at Santa Cruz; Rogers organizes the Forest History Society's financial records and retirement terms; Rogers turns down presidency of Meals for Millions, becomes treasurer; Meals for Millions moves from Santa Monica to Davis; discussing continuing effort to upgrade UCLA's educational status; transferring agriculture department to Davis and Riverside campuses; Rogers helps students from Soochow University and forms Friends of Soochow University with Professor Edward L. Rada; beginnings of UCLA's cultural programs; Committee on Fine Arts Productions; range of offerings; Rogers discusses highlights of his fifty-one year career at UCLA; UCLA breaks away from Berkeley decision making; alumni and student body support growth and development of campus; decision to have UCLA medical center on campus; UCLA assists in war effort; submarine warfare project; Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory; UCLA mounting technical assistance projects overseas; development of recreational facilities and expansion of cultural program; expansion of library; present status of UCLA.