He praised the college for planting itself "in the trenches of the 'culture war'" in higher education.
He said he hopes to take the college out of a defensive posture in these "trenches" and "really storm the field." Despite the college's small enrollment and rural location, he said, it can help alter the course of higher education "because of its commitment to fusing faith and reason."
Roberts said his out-of-state connections will help with student recruitment and fundraising and help raise the college's national stature.
He added that he largely intends to stay on the course set by the college's founding president, Father Robert Cook, as it moves to its permanent campus on a ranch south of Lander. He will also oversee the accreditation process, which has already begun its initial phase.
Roberts praised Fr. Cook as a "tremendous leader" for the school. He said the administrators have done "a remarkable job with limited resources" in providing sound academic and spiritual formation for the students.
Fr. Cook, the outgoing president, said he is "delighted" with the choice of his successor and looks forward to his leadership.
"It is clear that Dr. Roberts fully understands the mission of the college, its fine liberal arts curriculum, and he embraces the unique leadership training program that has been developed here," Fr. Cook said March 21. "I greatly appreciate his unshakeable commitment to the Catholic faith and the Catholic identity of our college."
Roberts will take office on June 1, when Fr. Cook retires.
He added that he is looking forward to the great outdoors of Wyoming, since he and his wife are "avid backpackers."
"I'm an outdoorsman," he said. "I tell people that one addiction in my life is fly fishing."
He said that Wyoming Catholic College, despite its youth, has distinguished itself by fusing "a passion for the truth with a passion for God's 'first book,' which is nature."
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Kevin J. Jones is a senior staff writer with Catholic News Agency. He was a recipient of a 2014 Catholic Relief Services' Egan Journalism Fellowship.