Jim and Janice Rohlf have been connected to Stony Brook University for a combined 78 years, and they have been supporting students and programs for almost 40 years. Now, motivated by the New York state match and Simons Infinity Investment opportunities, they have established the F. James Rohlf Chair in Morphometrics — an area of study that is especially meaningful to Jim.
Jim and Janice will be the first to tell you that they both came from humble beginnings, which inspired them to give back to the university where they met and still call home.
Janice Rohlf MA ’80, MSW ’89 grew up in Pennsylvania with limited financial resources. By the time she was a senior in high school, she was on her own, she said. Her guidance counselor encouraged her to go to college, giving her the $10 she needed to apply to East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. “That $10 changed my life,” Janice said. She later earned her master’s degree in political science at Stony Brook.
Jim Rohlf grew up in San Diego, majored in zoology and minored in chemistry and math at San Diego State, then earned his PhD in enotomology — with an emphasis in mathematics — at the University of Kansas. He headed back to California as an assistant professor of biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and after a few years, he returned to Kansas as an associate professor of statistical biology.
Then along came Stony Brook, where he was recruited to help build the new Department of Ecology and Evolution. “For me, I just sort of went along and followed opportunities that looked interesting to me,” said Jim. “The chance to help build a new department at Stony Brook in 1968 seemed very appealing.” Jim retired in 2014 as a distinguished professor emeritus in ecology and evolution, and he is currently a research professor in anthropology.
A mutual friend thought Jim and Janice would be great together, and they have been married for 26 years, continuing to support Stony Brook in different ways.
Throughout her tenure, Janice donated funds from each paycheck for political science and social welfare programs — and as her salary increased, so did her contributions. “Growing up, even though we didn’t have much, my family always helped out others who were less fortunate,” said Janice.
Jim credits his philanthropy to Janice. “I had never really thought about giving back. I just saved my money and invested it,” said Jim. “When Janice told me she would give through her paycheck, I realized I could also give back to the university.”
Over the years, the Rohlfs have supported both undergraduate and graduate students within the ecology and evolution, anthropology and social welfare departments. In 2006, on Jim’s 70th birthday, the Rohlfs established the Rohlf Medal for Excellence in Morphometric Methods and Applications at Stony Brook. The award is presented every two years to distinguished researchers for their work on the development of new morphometric methods or for their applications in the biomedical sciences. They also established the F. James Rohlf Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Anthropology to support graduate students beyond the four years that they can be supported by teaching assistantships. Most recently, Jim and Janice established the endowed chair in morphometrics because they want to increase the strength and interest in the field.
Read the full story of the Rohlfs’ remarkable journey at SB Matters.
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