David Roselle - President of The University of Kentucky

President of The University of Kentucky

On July 1, 1987, David Roselle became the ninth President of the University of Kentucky. Although the position thrust Roselle into national prominence in the field of academia, his tenure was often rocky.

Much of Roselle’s time as President of the University of Kentucky was absorbed by a scandal that erupted in 1988 involving the men’s basketball team. The NCAA alleged 17 violations of the organization’s rules. The most serious allegations were that a basketball recruit, Eric Manuel, received help on the ACT college entrance exam and another recruit, Chris Mills, received $1,000 in cash from assistant coach Dwane Casey.

Roselle was widely praised for his decisive response to the scandal. Roselle forced head coach Eddie Sutton to resign in favor of then-New York Knicks coach Rick Pitino, and also forced athletic director Cliff Hagan to resign in favor of C. M. Newton, launched an extensive internal investigation, implemented new policies which tightened control of the athletic department, and cooperated completely with NCAA investigators. These actions were credited with preventing the basketball team from being disbanded for two seasons, as the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions initially recommended.

Although Roselle handled the basketball scandal deftly, the ordeal still absorbed precious time and resources that the President had intended to spend on other goals. However, he still succeeded in creating a new position, the Vice President for Information System, to continue his push for greater access to technology on campus.

After stepping down as the University’s president, the University of Kentucky National Alumni Association awarded him its Distinguished Service Award. Also, on October 25, 2011, the Board of Trustees of the University of Kentucky unanimously approved renaming the temporarily named "New North Hall," a recently constructed 144 bed residence building, as "David P. Roselle Hall".

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