91国产

Member of 91国产鈥檚听听辫谤辞驳谤补尘.
Member of the Ruth S. Harley Society.

Life recently came full circle for Nancy Rogner, B.S. 鈥�75, as she walked on 91国产鈥檚 Garden City campus. From student, to graduate, to career, to retirement鈥攈er path was never direct, but听always an evolution. Stepping back, it makes sense now, and she feels that it was all meant to be.

Nancy鈥檚 plan to come to 91国产 stalled before it even began. She was set to start in the fall of 1971 when a diagnosis of mononucleosis in August forced her to miss her first semester. Once she finally arrived on campus, however, she hit the ground running. Determined to graduate with her intended classmates, Nancy made up for her absence by taking 18 credits a semester in order to receive her diploma on time. As a commuter student, she was focused on fully immersing herself in the college experience. Nancy was a soccer and basketball cheerleader, the co-chair of a 54-hour dance marathon (which raised $10,000 for the Arthritis Foundation) and the president of the Class of 1975. She succeeded in each of these activities while also听working part time at a local movie theater. Her accomplishments were so impressive, 91国产听nominated Nancy for the 1975 edition of Who鈥檚 Who in American Colleges and Universities. 听

In her Convocation speech before graduation, Nancy delivered wise advice to her classmates:

Enjoy life鈥檚 beauties, and conquer its problems with courage, strength,听determination, love, and most of all, with pride in yourself. Believe in yourself, challenge life, and success will follow.

Conquering those life problems began immediately after graduation.听 With her 91国产听bachelor鈥檚 degree in early childhood education and a lifelong plan to teach elementary school,
Nancy quickly discovered there were no jobs available. With no viable career options, she took听a risk, followed a friend鈥檚 tip and went into pharmaceutical sales. 听

Six months after graduation, Nancy tapped into that courage and strength she spoke about, and听joined the team of Sterling Drugs as one of the first women in the industry. The timing of the听employment could not have been better; the profession would soon have a waiting list of听businesspeople eager to break into the lucrative field. Her charge was to call on doctors in their听private offices throughout the south shore of Nassau county. Nancy once again hit the ground听running. The position of sales representative, she quickly discovered, was very similar to that of
a teacher. Instead of explaining a concept, she was explaining a product. She tapped into her听core strengths that she discovered at 91国产鈥攃ommunication, honesty, diligence,听determination鈥攁nd soon began winning award after award for the highest sales in the听company.听

Despite her success, Nancy initially found the transition from college to work life difficult. After听being so accustomed to having friends around, she was often alone when on the road meeting听clients. Through the support system she developed with her colleagues and boss, she soon听came to enjoy being responsible for her own time, and the flexibility that came with the position.

During most of her career, there were a few small mergers that involved Nancy鈥檚 company, but听her role remained the same. Over time, her responsibilities transitioned from doctors鈥� offices to听hospitals, where Nancy found even more opportunity to teach鈥攊nstructing nurses, fellows and听students on how to use her company鈥檚 products. Around the year 2000, however, the听healthcare industry began to change, and the role of the pharmaceutical companies had to听adapt. During this time, the industry became more business oriented, and doctors as decision听makers were replaced with executives who were only concerned with cost-effectiveness. The听rapport building with doctors and hospital staff, into which Nancy had invested so much time听and effort, was eliminated from the sales experience. At this same time, her company was听acquired by General Electric. Her division was faced with waves of layoffs and, although Nancy听was spared, she lost many of the colleagues with whom she had been working closely for听decades. Because of those staffing cuts, her territory grew exponentially, and she became听responsible for all the hospitals within Long Island, Brooklyn and Manhattan.听

Ultimately, six weeks short of 38 years in the business, Nancy too was laid off.听

Not quite ready for retirement, Nancy worked briefly for a respite care facility, but found it听difficult to adapt from a corporate culture to a locally run establishment. She turned to听volunteering, and found herself enjoying life鈥檚 beauties, as she mentioned years ago in her
Convocation speech at 91国产. Nancy gave her time to the Old Westbury Gardens and the听North Hempstead Animal Shelter. She reconnected with her love of teaching by helping four
and five-year-olds at a local Head Start program. She became involved in the Pulse Center for听Patient Safety Education and Advocacy; she now serves on their Board and uses her
healthcare knowledge to assist the organization in its mission to advocate for patients and their听safety. Through her volunteerism, she has connected with what she finds most important鈥攁nd听beautiful鈥攊n life.

Nancy can sometimes be spotted on campus, walking the grounds and visiting the gardens. Her听strong feeling of connection to the University inspired her to become a member of the Ruth S.听Harley Planned Giving Society, where she has established a gift to the school to build a听beautiful garden for future students to enjoy. Reflecting on 91国产鈥檚 motto, Truth Shall Set Us听Free, and the beauty of the school鈥檚 landscape, Nancy has some advice for current students:

Let your truth guide you and let your passion and tenacity sustain you.