The University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) has received a gift of $2.5 million to establish the Pris Rogers Professorship in Strategic Communications in the Department of Communication and Media. The professorship honors the career of Dr. Priscilla (Pris) S. Rogers (Ph.D. 1986), associate professor emerita of management communication in U-M's Stephen M. Ross School of Business, and will further enhance the department's study and teaching of mass media’s influence and impact on every aspect of modern life, individually and collectively, personally and professionally. 

The gift was made in Rogers' memory by her life partner of 33 years, Dr. Gunter (G.D.) Dufey, professor emeritus of corporate strategy, international business and finance at the Steven M. Ross School of Business. Fueled by deep intellectual curiosity, Rogers' research, most notably analyzing actual written and spoken corporate "texts-in-use," addressed how business communication contributes to the process of getting work done and affects and improves workplace relationships. Rogers actively pursued her research in the field until her death in May 2023, contributing a chapter to Janis Forman's 2022 book, Business Communication Profession: Essays on the Journeys of Leading Teacher-Scholars. She was an equally enthusiastic and esteemed teacher and mentor, and the founder and director of the MBA Writing Program and the Business Communication Program at Ross.

"I am thrilled that Dr. Dufey chose to honor Pris Rogers' considerable legacy at Michigan and in the study of business communication within LSA," said Jan Van den Bulck, the new chair of the Department of Communication and Media. "What sets us apart is our focus on a theoretical and historical study of the media through the lens of the social sciences and the humanities. This new position provides an interesting opportunity to broaden our understanding of the multifaceted impact of communication and media in the twenty-first century."

Dr. Dufey passed away in May 2024, less than a year after Pris's death. His academic interests centered on international money and capital markets, and the financial policy of multinational corporations, focusing on issues of corporate governance, risk management, and the international expansion strategy of business enterprises. He was a prolific researcher, a master teacher of complex financial topics, and a pioneer in the study of Asia-Pacific financial markets.

Rogers (center front in yellow shirt) and Dufey (far right) cheer on the Wolverines at an alumni watch party.

Rogers and Dufey lived in Singapore for part of each year, where they were members of a close-knit community of U-M alumni and faculty. They demonstrated a deep commitment to the international University of Michigan alumni community, especially to students from Asia studying at the University of Michigan. Both will be greatly missed in their second home. 

"I was in his international finance 101 course in my first year…He always took an interest in us international students," said Eric Tan (MBA 1985), who was a student at Ross when he first met Professor Dufey. The two kept in touch and became lifelong friends when Dufey and Rogers made a second home in Singapore. "Pris and G.D.…nurtured an extended family of countless Wolverines across Asia, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan."

Another former student and friend in Singapore, Steve Dean (MBA/M.A. 1987) said, "The respect Professor Gunter commanded across many different circles was exceptional, his capabilities as a scholar were formidable and his support for students is legendary. But beyond that, in the quiet moments, when few were looking, he made a practice of giving gifts small and graceful—sharing acts of kindness, words of wisdom, and indeed, showing love in practice. We will miss him—and will look to take forward the lessons he has given us within and well beyond the classroom." 

The Pris Rogers Professorship was the capstone of nearly fifty years of sustained philanthropy to the University of Michigan. Together they supported the Ross School of Business, Ford School of Public Policy, College of LSA, Office of Financial Aid, the University of Michigan Alumni Association, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

"The college is deeply grateful for Dr. Dufey’s and Dr. Rogers' generosity," said Tim McKay, interim dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. "Both were highly esteemed University of Michigan faculty, and we are honored to continue to advance knowledge of strategic communications in Pris Rogers’ name in LSA."

 

 

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