Roger Williams University Alumnus Who Earned His Degree at 71 Is Giving Back to Adult Learners

BRISTOL, R.I. – At 86 years old, Roger Williams University alumnus Tom Olsen still speaks with humility about a life and career that took him from stocking grocery store shelves to leading one of Massachusetts’ largest community banks.

A member of RWU’s Class of 2011, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Public Administration decades after beginning a career in banking, and more than 50 years after graduating from high school. Now, he is receiving Roger Williams University’s Impact Hawk Award, a prestigious recognition given to graduates who have made significant contributions in their field, but also embody the values and spirit of their alma mater, serving as inspiring role models for current students and fellow alumni. 

“It’s kind of hard to believe that I’ve got my 15th year reunion coming up,” he said with a laugh.

Raised on Cape Cod during a time when military service was expected for young men, he graduated from high school in 1957 with few plans for higher education. College was financially out of reach, so he worked at a grocery store before joining the U.S. Army with a friend, where they became military police officers.

After completing his military service, he returned home and joined the Barnstable Police Department with aspirations of joining the Massachusetts State Police. During John F. Kennedy’s presidency, Olsen worked security details in Hyannis Port, where interactions with Secret Service agents would ultimately change the course of his life.

“They said, ‘You’ve got to go get your college education, and you can come to work and become a Secret Service agent,’” he recalled.

One of those agents helped him enroll at Graham Junior College in Boston, a now-closed cooperative college formerly known as the Cambridge School of Business. To make ends meet, he served as a dorm proctor in exchange for room and board and worked while completing his associate degree.

Although he initially planned to pursue law enforcement, a cooperative education placement with a finance company shifted his path toward banking. After graduating with his Associate’s in Business, he stayed in the financial industry, eventually becoming a manager at a finance company in Boston before accepting a position at Wareham Savings Bank to establish its new consumer loan department.

That opportunity launched a decades-long career in banking leadership.

Through mergers and organizational growth, he rose through the ranks to become president and chairman of Plymouth Savings Bank, positions he held for approximately 20 years. Along the way, he completed executive management programs, including studies at Brown University’s Graduate School of Banking and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

His leadership extended beyond banking. Throughout his career, he served as president of the board for Plymouth County Development Corporation, Falmouth Hospital, and Cape Cod Healthcare, supporting nonprofit and healthcare organizations across southeastern Massachusetts.

“I really enjoyed working with the not-for-profit organizations and helping them to the extent that I could,” he said when asked what he was most proud of professionally.

Still, despite his professional success, one thing continued to bother him.

“During my entire career, I was ashamed of the fact that I never had a degree,” he said. “I would be with all the other bank presidents, and they would be talking about their colleges and all the things that they did.”

Eventually, a visit to Roger Williams University changed that.

Working with university staff and the Extension School, he was able to combine credits from his associate degree, professional certifications, and life experience to build toward a bachelor’s degree. Over time, he completed courses piece by piece while balancing the demands of executive leadership.

After retiring, finishing his degree became a priority.

“One of the first things I did was go online and finish my degree. I’m very proud of that,” he said.

Because he completed his coursework remotely and through evening classes, he said his experience as an RWU student looked very different from that of a traditional undergraduate student. Still, he found value in classroom discussions and interactions with professors, especially when management theory intersected with his real-world experience.

“It was fun reading management books and being able to speak from experience and make such astute comments as, ‘The book may say this, but this isn’t the way it really works,’” he said.

As he is recognized at this year’s Alumni Hawks Award, he hopes to encourage students whose educational journeys may not follow a traditional timeline.

Together with his family, he established the Tom and Mary Olsen Scholarship, which supports students in RWU’s Extension School – specifically, adult learners who are balancing work, family, and education, much like he once did himself.

“Those are the people that I wish I could give a pat on the back,” he said. “It’s hard work, but you can get through it.”