SPRING 2015
President’s
INSIDER
FROM THE DESK OF GREGORY G. DELL’OMO, PH.D., PRESIDENT OF ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY
Being a university president is one of the most difficult, challenging, demanding, complex, timeconsuming, emotionally draining, and at times, one of the most frustrating jobs one can imagine. The job calls for an unbelievable and unrealistic set of skills for an individual to possess if he or she expects to have any success… not to mention even making it through a presidential search committee. But for me, being president of RMU has been the most exciting, enriching, energizing, personally fulfilling, rewarding, meaningful, and fun job I have ever held. On one level, it is a true honor to hold the position of university president. Universities are one of the most unique and noble institutions left in our global society. American higher education is still widely respected and emulated throughout the world. And while there are numerous challenges to our current model of higher education, the fundamental principles underlying it still apply. There’s a reason why the modern university has been around for more than 900 years. A community of people observing, questioning, thinking, learning, sharing, debating, and challenging new ideas and the world around them serves as a powerful and effective way for humans to continue to evolve intellectually, socially, and economically. As president, I’ve had the opportunity to meet interesting people, work with talented and dedicated colleagues, promote big ideas, and affect the lives of countless students. I’ve watched as students and families live dreams that are limited only by their imaginations. College remains that one special place where dreams still matter. I’ve always tried to see myself as holding title to a tradition as well as a job. This means that I’ve
always tried to focus my actions on the vision, core values, and strategies of RMU and not just my personal interests and passions. This has allowed me to view the benefits of leading this wonderful university as always being much greater than the costs of doing so… though some days less so than others! Over the course of the past 10 years, I have gained valuable experiences and insights through the ups and downs of the job, grown both personally and professionally, and witnessed the growth and success of the university with the guidance, help, and support of many people and partners. I leave with the satisfaction of knowing there is a strong foundation upon which RMU will continue to be successful in the years ahead. I also leave knowing that during these past 10 years we proudly enrolled approximately 15,000 new students at RMU, and that I have signed more than 12,000 diplomas for our graduates. And I’m extremely proud of every single student who has earned a degree at this fine institution. On behalf of my wife, Polly, and our family, we want to thank the entire university community for giving us this opportunity to be part of the RMU family. We’ll cherish forever the friends we’ve made, the lives we’ve changed — including ours — and the pleasure of being part of a very special university. We wish you all the very best and we’ll always be proud to say: GO BOBBY MO!
Sincerely,
Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D.