Arnetta Collins Rodgers

Arnetta Collins was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in South Bend, Indiana. She was the oldest of four girls. Her dad worked at the Studebaker Auto Plant, and her mother was a Secretary at the Y.W.C.A.

Arnetta completed elementary and high school in Indiana. After high school graduation, she enrolled in Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she earned her BA Degree in 1964. In 1966, she earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois. In 1978, she earned her Ph.D.

From 1966-68, Arnetta was a Social Worker with the Jewish Family Service in New York, New York. She was also a Psychiatric Social Worker for the Virgin Islands Department of Mental Health, St. Thomas, V. I. 1968 – 1969 and a Social Worker in the Unit #4 School District from 1970-1993 (intermittently). In addition, she was Assistant Principal at the Edison Middle School from 1992-1993 and was Principal from 1993-2000 at the Booker T. Washington School.

Aretta has done a lot of research in many areas, but she feels that her Master's thesis, titled "Pre-Natal Care Among Champaign-Urbana Negro Mothers," was most outstanding in content. According to the late Mr. Vernon Barkstall, it laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Frances Nelson Health Center.

Her academic honors include: Phi Beta Kappa, Post-Doctoral Appointment 1978-1980, and University of Illinois Institute on Racism.

She is the wife of Dr. Frederick Rodgers, retired from the University of Illinois College of Education. Together, they are the parents of four children: three sons, who are all graduates of West Point, and one daughter, who attended Illinois Wesleyan University.