Sherman and Victoria Roser.
Sherman Roser’s journey to St. Cloud State University was unplanned, but he is extraordinarily grateful to have first arrived at the University in the 1970’s.
A native of Philadelphia, Roser obtained an accounting degree at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania before going on to getting an MBA degree from Old Dominion University and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska.
While finishing up his schooling at Nebraska, Roser was introduced to St. Cloud State and started to explore the possibility of moving to Central Minnesota to teach at the University.
Once he interviewed for a job within the Herberger Business School, Roser couldn’t find a reason why he wouldn’t want to move to St. Cloud and be a part of St. Cloud State.
“After spending many moons in the Philadelphia and Eastern Seaboard area, it might have been more natural for me to have gone back there,” said Roser, who still lives in the St. Cloud area. “But the decision to stay in the central part of the country and in Minnesota was the thing to do.
Sherman and Victoria Roser.
“After I graduated, I moved to St. Cloud. As I began to teach at St. Cloud State, it was a total enjoyment. I was able to teach and apply principals of management and watch people grow. It was just a natural affinity to be at St. Cloud State. It was a dream come true to be there.”
Dedication to giving back
While working at St. Cloud State from 1979 until he retired around 1998, Roser took great pride in helping students take a next step in their lives and careers. Both inside and outside of the classroom.
“It’s been about 22 years since I retired, but what’s most important was that teaching at St. Cloud State was a remarkably rewarding experience. I saw students blossom and grow,” Roser said. “What teaching is all about is being able to help someone and let them excel in both school and life.”
That enjoyment and pride has resulted in Roser continuing to give back to the University in many ways, including a pair of endowed scholarships to assist future generations going through their schooling.
The first scholarship Roser established was in honor of his late son Drew, who tragically passed away when he was 26 years old. The second scholarship honors the memory of his late wife Victoria and himself. Both scholarships are aimed to helping students, especially within the business school, as they continue to try and thrive early on in their lives.
“When people apply for a scholarship, they obviously need the money and the financial assistance. Vicky and I, as well as Drew, thought that education is important,” Roser said. “We wanted to help provide students opportunities to be in an environment where they can be challenged and learn and develop their own sense of accomplishments.
“Hopefully, it will allow students to blossom and grow and go out into the world to make a difference. To see young people grow, that’s incredibly rewarding and you can’t put a price tag on that.”
Roser is grateful to be a part of the St. Cloud State community and to help give back to students as he now stands outside of the classroom. And he hopes others will strongly consider also helping make a difference in students’ lives in any way possible.
“I think it’s better to give than receive. Our family received help from a number of different sources, whether it was family, teachers or others. We received that encouragement,” Roser said. “The scholarships are there to encourage those who are interested in education for the purpose of not just bettering themselves to graduate and get a job, but for something called a quality of life.
“I think it’s a part of just being a human being in trying to bless, encourage or help someone else that can use assistance. Maybe down the road, they will be in a position to return the favor to someone else. To me, that’s very rewarding to be a part of that chain.”
