Deniece Rogers walked across the stage in June to accept a doctorate of philosophy in educational leadership from DePaul University's College of Education, capping a journey that began a decade earlier and included a GED she earned in 1976. She is 75 years old, lives on the Near North Side, and now holds three degrees from DePaul University.
Rogers's path to DePaul started in 2007 at South Suburban Community College, and by 2008 she had reached DePaul University, according to the Chicago Tribune. That division had existed for 47 years by 2019 and served adult students before it was restructured and renamed the School of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2019, according to The DePaulia. It was there that Rogers earned a bachelor's degree in social justice administration in 2011 and a master's in adult education in 2015, according to the Tribune's report.
Rogers worked a civil service job earning $40,000 a year, per the same account, and her doctoral studies weren't a straight line. The Tribune reports many starts and interruptions in her studies. She eventually pivoted from an Ed.D. to a Ph.D. before finishing.
A Decade in the Making, With Help Along the Way
Rogers continued her studies, according to the Tribune's account. She received support from Ruth Gannon Cook, who helped her organize her academic pursuits, and Edwin Gentry. Both served on Rogers's dissertation committee.
Gannon Cook, now retired and living in Denver, told the Tribune that people should not submit to pain and should hold onto their purpose. Gentry said Rogers did not allow her circumstances to make her give up.
Dissertation Tackles Black Representation in K-12 Curricula
Rogers completed the Educational Leadership PhD program at DePaul University, according to DePaul University.
That timeline echoes a broader national pattern. Research reported by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education found that African American students pursuing doctorates in education take an average of 15.9 years to complete their degree after beginning graduate school, based on National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates data. The same publication has also reported that Black doctoral recipients nationally earned their degrees at a later average age, 36.1 years, than white recipients, at 31.6 years, and that 34.4% of Black doctoral recipients were over 40.
An Outlier Even Among Rare Company
Doctoral degrees remain uncommon at any age. Only about 2.0% of American adults 25 and older hold a doctoral degree, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by Streamlined AI. Among seniors specifically, roughly 31.7% of U.S. adults 65 and older hold any college degree at all, per 2024 Census figures cited by America's Health Rankings — a baseline Rogers's doctorate sails well past.
The Tribune also reported on older students at DePaul. Nationally, the National Center for Education Statistics tracks postsecondary enrollment by age. DePaul University has campuses in Lincoln Park and the Loop. According to the National Center for Education Statistics Trend Generator, postsecondary enrollment is also reported by age.
Rogers's achievement is notable. The question of how senior students access higher education is part of the broader context.
Rogers's postgraduation plans were not detailed in the cited account.
