Roush became an assistant football coach at
Miami University in 1972 and later became executive assistant to the president in 1976. He left in January 1982 to take the same position at the
University of Richmond, A further curriculum revision came in 2019, when the general education requirements were replaced with a new system which featured the "Doctrina Lux Mentis" course sequence, named for the school's motto, which translates from Latin to "learning is the light of the mind". Two
vice presidential debates were held at Centre's Norton Center for the Arts during Roush's presidency. The first was held on
October 5, 2000, between
Republican nominee
Dick Cheney, the running mate of
George W. Bush, and
Democratic nominee
Joe Lieberman, the running mate of
Al Gore. The second was held on
October 11, 2012, between Democrat
Joe Biden, the running mate of
Barack Obama, and Republican
Paul Ryan, the running mate of
Mitt Romney. During Roush's term, several buildings on campus were renovated, including the Campus Center, Stuart Hall, Ruby Cheek House, the Norton Center for the Arts, and Young Hall. The College Centre, a $24 million expansion and renovation of Sutcliffe Hall, the school's athletic building, and Crounse Hall, which houses the library, was completed as well. Several new buildings were added, including Pearl Hall, a $15 million project, and the Student Center. the donation, which was offered entirely in
stock, was withdrawn in September 2013 following what was termed a "significant capital market event". Enrollment increased significantly during the time Roush was in the role, from approximately 1,000 students when he took office to 1,400 when he left. Faculty numbers increased from 80 to approximately 140 during his tenure, the Brown Fellows Program, a full-ride scholarship in partnership with the
University of Louisville, in 2009; the Lincoln Scholars Program, a full-ride scholarship with an emphasis on leadership, in 2016; and the Grissom Scholars Program, a full-tuition scholarship for first-generation students which graduated its first cohort in 2019. The Centre Scholars Program, which honored junior faculty members, was also established. A student
sit-in protest occurred in Old Centre, the college's main administration building, on May 2–3, 2018. The approximately 100 students protesting cited racial problems and demanded that the school's department of public safety have an officer on-duty at all times and that the college hire a full-time director of diversity and inclusion. Roush met with protesters for four hours on May 3 and the sit-in ended that day. In December of that year, Andrea Abrams, at Centre since 2007, was appointed chief diversity officer after having previously held the role in an interim capacity. Centre celebrated its bicentennial in January 2019. Roush announced on May 24 of that year that he would retire effective June 30, 2020. He concluded his 22-year term as the third-longest-serving president in the school's history, after
John C. Young, who led the college for 27 years in the nineteenth century, and
Thomas A. Spragens, who held the position for 24 years.
Milton C. Moreland, then-provost and vice president for academic affairs at
Rhodes College in
Memphis, Tennessee, was announced as Roush's successor on February 5, 2020. In an interview several days before he left office, Roush described the
September 11 attacks, the
2008 financial crisis, and the
COVID-19 pandemic as the most challenging times of his tenure. Roush continued his membership on the board of trustees of the University of Richmond following his retirement from Centre. He was the speaker at
Wofford College's opening
convocation on September 2, 2021. ==Legacy==