Dr. Edward J. Rollins, class of 1968, was the BSS distinguished alumnus for 2014. Dr. Rollins is currently holding several positions: senior advisor, Teneo Strategy; senior presidential fellow, Hofstra University Center for the Study of the American Presidency; and senior political analyst, Fox News. His accomplishments are staggering.
Dr. Edward J. Rollins has served four U.S. presidents. He played key roles in the Reagan administration, and in 1984, he managed President Ronald Reagan's re-election campaign, winning 49 of 50 states. He was the first non-member of Congress to serve as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and the as the chief political advisor to the House Republican leadership. He also served four years as the senior advisor to the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Before his Washington service, Rollins was the chief of staff and the assistant to the speaker of the California Assembly. He was inducted into the American Association of Political Consultants Hall of Fame in 2011.
His memoir, Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms, published in 1996, made the New York Times best-seller list. Rollins was a 2010 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and in 2012, the CSU Board of Trustees awarded Rollins with an honorary
Story adapted from and photo courtesy of CSU, Chico Public Affairs and Publications