president's insider winter 2015

I am sure you have heard of my recent decision toaccept an offer to become the next president ofRider University in New Jersey at the end of thisacademic year. Let me say it was a deeply personaldecision to return to my home state of New Jersey,and it will not be easy to leave all the wonderful

friends that Polly and I have among you,not to mention the eager students and

dedicated faculty and staff who havehelped this university achievesuch great things these past 10years. But thanks to all their hard

work, and the generosity of supporters like you,RMU has built a strong foundation upon which to build even greater things. Robert MorrisUniversity’s best days are yet to come.

As many of you know, the Gallup Organizationrecently partnered with Purdue University tosurvey 30,000 college graduates nationwide toidentify those undergraduate experiences thatcorrelate most strongly with professional successand personal fulfillment. This year, RMU becameone of only 12 institutions in the nation to posethat survey to its own alumni, and we areincorporating this instrument into our newstrategic plan.

I am happy to report that preliminary findingsindicate that RMU graduates are enjoying a higher level of engagement and success in theirworkplace at a higher proportion than the nationalaverage of those 30,000 graduates surveyed byGallup — and those graduates represented avariety of institutions, ranging from Ivy Leagues to large public universities to small liberal arts colleges.

In addition, RMU graduates said they felt moreprepared for life after college than the nationalaverage, and report higher levels of personal well-being: a holistic blend of purposeful living,

social, community, physical, and financial factors.We will be receiving a more detailed report fromour partners at Gallup with more insights to comein the weeks and months ahead.

Harvard President Drew Faust said that college“will take you to places you’ve never beenbefore” and “discover dreams you’ve neverdreamed before.” I think of students like SarahRobb, who graduated in May from our integratedB.S./M.S. in engineering program. She traveledwith our nursing students to Nicaragua to study,from an engineering perspective, the problemsfaced by the poor families to whom our studentsprovide health care. Sarah developed simplehealth kits nursing students can distribute onfuture trips to Nicaragua. The founding member of RMU’s chapter of the Biomedical EngineeringSociety, Sarah is now earning a Ph.D. fromCarnegie Mellon University.

If we do our jobs right, every student will have an experience like Sarah’s that changes their lives,and every student will be able to point to aprofessor or a staff member and say, “That’s theperson who made it happen.” What a great feelingto be that person!

Thank you for your generosity to RMU, as well asthe kindness and friendship that you have shownto Polly and me and our entire family. I am proudof being the president of Robert Morris University,not because of what I achieved but because ofwhat we have achieved together. I urge you tocontinue to support RMU in its great mission,because its best days are indeed yet to come.

Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D.

WINTER 2015

President’s

INSIDERFROM THE DESK OF GREGORY G. DELL’OMO, PH.D., PRESIDENT OF ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY

President’s

INSIDER

Close to 300 members of President’s Council came to our annualPresident’s Council Dinner in December at Heinz Field, onceagain setting an attendance record for an event that grows yearafter year. As the president gave his State of the Universityaddress, our most valued supporters and friends got to enjoydinner with the university’s most promising seniors, nominatedfor the prestigious Rising Star Award. They also got to meetRobert Stovash ‘61, recipient of RMU’s highest alumni honor, the 2014 Heritage Award.

More pictures are available here.

PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL DINNER

RISING STAR AWARD NOMINEES

RISING STAR AWARD WINNER KHULOOD AL ALI

WINTER 2015

THE RMU FIFE AND DRUM CORPSLEADS GUESTS TO DINNER

HERITAGE AWARD WINNER ROBERT STOVASH ‘61

President’s

INSIDER

2014 Heritage Award WinnerRobert Stovash ‘61

His father and grandfather went down into themines, but Bob went up the corporate ladderinstead at Consol Energy, finally retiring in 2003 as the vice president of European marketing. Andbesides enjoying a remarkable career in the coalindustry after earning his degree, he also convincedhis daughter Janice Veith ‘84 and granddaughterMandy Kotz ‘06 to go to his alma mater.

You can watch our video tribute to Bob here, and listen to his speech here.

“My schooling at Robert Morris really was justaccounting-related; it was debits and credits, assets andliabilities. But I was very fortunate going to eveningschool. My instructors were businessmen during the dayand professors at night, and what a background theygave me. It really set my career going.

“While I was still at Robert Morris, I was able to work atErnst & Ernst as a proofreader. I was only 18 years oldand I was the youngest person on the staff. Themanaging partner wouldn’t let me go out on any of theaudits because he thought the clients would think I wastoo young.”

2014 Rising Star Award WinnerKhulood Al Ali

A biomedical engineering major, Khulood is activeand a leader in numerous student organizationsand a committed volunteer who has spent twoalternative fall breaks helping the homeless inPittsburgh, an alternative spring break inHarrisburg assisting the elderly, and another inNorth Carolina rehabilitating homes. She tutorsArabic and has volunteered more than 400 hoursfor local nonprofits.

Her speech from the President’s Council dinner is linked here.

“I would like to thank my professors for their dedicatedtime, and all the RMU staff and faculty for makingcollege a great experience. I have one semester left andthis chapter will come to an end, but I’m sure the legacywill continue and the story will never end. My life hasbeen changed, and it has changed for the better.

“In 1965 my great uncle Mohammed Saeed Al Ali was a Colonial. He received his diploma in business fromRobert Morris Junior College. I didn’t know I had afellow Colonial in my family until after freshman year. It was a wonderful surprise to learn, and 50 years afterhis graduation I will become the second RMU Colonialin my family as a member of the Class of 2015.”

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 6001 UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD, MOON TOWNSHIP, PA 15108-1189 RMU.EDU/CHANGE A LIFE

WINTER 2015

AWARD WINNERS