Gilbert L. Rochon

Gilbert L. Rochon
6th President of Tuskegee University
In office November 1, 2010 – October 21, 2013
Personal details
Born	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Spouse	Patricia Saul Rochon
Children	2
Relatives	Stephen W. Rochon (brother)
Education	Xavier University of Louisiana Yale School of Medicine Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD)
Occupation	Academic, educator

Gilbert L. Rochon is an American former academic and educator who served as the sixth president of Tuskegee University from November 1, 2010, to October 21, 2013.

Biography

Early life and family

Rochon was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised with his two younger brothers, Stephen and Gregory, by their mother, Ursula Rochon, in the home of their grandfather, Emile Carrere. Stephen Rochon became the second African-American admiral in U.S. Coast Guard history and was later appointed director of the Executive Residence and chief usher of the White House under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Education

After attending segregated Catholic parochial schools in New Orleans, Rochon studied at seminaries of the Society of the Divine Word in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and Epworth, Iowa. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, a Master of Public Health in health services administration from Yale University School of Medicine, and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in urban and regional planning, focusing on remote sensing of drought-related famine conditions in Sudan.

Career

Rochon is an academic and researcher. He served as president of Tuskegee University from 2010 to 2013. Prior to his presidency at Tuskegee, he held positions at Purdue University (2002–2010), the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Risk Management Research Laboratory (2000–2002) and as director/chair of urban studies and public policy at Dillard University (1982–2000). His research has focused primarily on the applications of real-time earth-observing satellite remote sensing data and geographic information systems (GIS) data products.

During his tenure at Tuskegee University, the endowment increased to over $122 million. Tuskegee was ranked No. 1 in research expenditures among baccalaureate colleges in the US by Washington Monthly.

Rochon has also held positions and appointments at several other institutions, including Purdue University, Dillard University, Mae Fah Luang University, Indiana University School of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Miami University of Ohio, and Tulane University. He has also worked with NASA, the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Defense. He is a senior member of IEEE, a member of the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS), and of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP).

He serves on the President's Council at the University of New Orleans, the board of directors of Eastern National, the advisory board of the Center of Excellence for Remote Sensing Education and Research at Elizabeth City State University, the Advisory Board of the Curtis Robinson Men's Health Institute, and the Research Committee of the Cobb Institute – National Medical Association.

Personal life

Rochon is married to Patricia Saul Rochon, former chair of Mass Communications at Dillard University and clinical assistant professor of digital media at Purdue University. They have a daughter and a son. He is Catholic.

Selected publications

• Rochon, Gilbert L.; Thiam, Thierno (7 February 2013). "Democracy & Education: Evolution of the Tuskegee University Governance Model". In Harkavy, Ira; Bergan, Sjur; van't Land, Hilligje (eds.). Council of Europe Reimaging Democratic Societies: A New Era of Personal and Social Responsibility. Council of Europe. ISBN 978-92-871-7537-3.
• Rochon, Gilbert L. (September 2010). "Remote Sensing for Disaster Response". In Barney Warf; Piotr Jankowski; Barry Solomon; et al. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Geography. Sage Publications. ISBN 9781412956970.