CLARION – Roger Oxendale, recipient of the Clarion University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006, outlined his climb from “average” college student to CEO of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, during a return visit to campus.
Oxendale presented “An Average Clarion University Business Student to Chief Executive Officer – Is There a Magic Formula?” as the guest speaker in the Clarion University College of Business Administration’s Reed Lecture Series.
“I felt I was quite average when I came to Clarion,” said Oxendale. “My Clarion University experience was very average too. I was active with the Ski Club and Campus Ministry, and I worked in food service to earn spending money.”
Oxendale followed his high school sweetheart, Diane, now his wife for over 30 years to Clarion. They were married between their junior and senior years.
Knowing that he wanted to help people, Oxendale was initially a psychology major, but soon switched to business, concentrating in accounting. His previous experience helping with a KOA, operated by his father, helped lead him to business.
“My grades improved,” he recalled. “I knew I was getting good value from my tuition money. I learned about leadership, values, integrity, hard work, business principals, organization and response. I didn’t realize until I was in my first job how much I was drawing on what I learned at Clarion.”
Oxendale received his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1976 and his MBA in 1977. He taught for three years at a small liberal arts college in Minneapolis, Minn., before moving into public accounting for eight years as senior audit manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Pittsburgh, senior financial executive with the Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation, and for eight years.
“I was exposed to all kinds of opportunities,” Oxendale said about his time with PricewaterhouseCoopers. “As I got into more leadership opportunities, I learned what it takes to be a leader and also what motivated or did not motive me.”
Those opportunities led him to Children’s Hospital in 1995 at chief financial officer. Appointed chief operating officer in 2000, Oxendale helped found Children’s Community Pediatrics, the largest pediatric and adolescent primary care medical network in Western Pennsylvania. The hospital’s board of trustees named him president and CEO in January 2005. In April 2008, he was named Foundation president to work to align more effectively the hospital’s funding needs with Foundation initiatives. He continues to serve as the hospital’s CEO.
Oxendale has guided the plans for construction of a technologically advanced, new pediatric hospital on 10 acres in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. He has been a key leader in ensuring the environmental sustainability of the new hospital, which is expected to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification when it opens on May 2. He also has overseen the implementation of the Computerized Physician Order Entry System (CPOE), a paperless system designed to help improve care and reduce medical errors.
Children’s Hospital of UPMC was recently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the 10 best children’s hospitals in the country.
“I liked organizations with a mission that helps people,” said Oxendale about his work with the hospital. “I learned to develop a budget, to rely on a staff to get things accomplished, and to be a member of a team. I learned that how I presented myself matters, that what you learn and how you interact all plays into success.”
Expanding further on what he has learned through experience, Oxendale noted, “Treat people with dignity and respect; take care of yourself, physically and mentally, because no one is watching out for you; and have balance in your life, there is always something more that can be done at your job.”
An endowment fund created by Dr. John H. and Barbara Reed, both of whom were in attendance for Oxendale’s presentation, established the Reed Lecture Series in the College of Business Administration. Dr. John Reed, a retired Clarion University professor of administrative science, taught from 1971-2001.
The goal of the Reed Lecture Series is to bring to Clarion University speakers such as business and government scholars, business executives, noted business professionals from the disciplines of management, marketing, finance, accounting and economics, legislators, judges and governmental executives for the benefit of students and faculty.
Contributions may be added to the fund at any time. Contact Clarion University Foundation Inc., Center for Advancement, 840 Wood St., Clarion, Pa. 16214, telephone 814-393-2572, or e-mail giving@clarion.edu for additional information.