Foundations Fall 2015

Foundations ROBERT

MORRIS

UNIVERSITY

MAGAZINE

>

FALL

2015

OUTPERFORMING THE NATIONAL AVERAGE RMU GALLUP RESULTS INSIDE

T SIDEN E R P 8TH NOUNCED AN

DEAR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS,

It is my pleasure to introduce to you Dr. Christopher B. Howard, whom the Board of Trustees has named the eighth president of Robert Morris University. Dr. Howard, currently president of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, will join RMU on Feb. 1.

You can read more about Dr. Howard on page 12, but first permit me to share my personal observations. I was fortunate to spend a good bit of time with Dr. Howard during the search process, and I was impressed that he views RMU as having gained a strong position to be an institutional leader in American higher education in the 21st century. He cited our relevant strengths in both teaching and the liberal arts approach to critical thinking, combined with a track record of success in professionally focused education.

I believe Dr. Howard demonstrates the intellectual vision, insight, and passion to partner with the faculty and administration to help us meet our goals for enhancing our quality teaching and academics while making our applied, engaged learning experiences even more relevant and pervasive among all types of students. And he will be taking the helm of RMU at the perfect time. Many of you participated last year in the first RMU Gallup Survey, and as you will read on page 20, the results are in: Robert Morris graduates are more likely to be employed full time, to be engaged in their jobs, and to enjoy personal well-being than their college-educated peers nationwide.

What’s more, thanks no doubt to the university’s Student Engagement Program, more graduates than ever before report that they had meaningful internships at RMU, were deeply involved in extracurricular activities, worked on projects that took a semester or more, and had close and supportive personal relationships with faculty — all experiences that Gallup has found to predict professional success and personal well-being.

RMU launched the Student Engagement Program in 2009 along with the Student Engagement Transcript, which documents for students their participation in activities including professional experiences, community service, undergraduate research, and study abroad. At commencement in May, a record 57 graduating students earned the Renaissance Award for completing activities in all seven categories of the Student Engagement Transcript. The Student Engagement Program will be one of the most lasting legacies of Dr. Howard's esteemed predecessor, and in recognition of that fact, the university has renamed the Renaissance Award the Gregory G. Dell’Omo Renaissance Award.

The past 10 years were a period of unprecedented growth and transformation at Robert Morris, and our success owes much to the hard work of our faculty and staff and the generous support of alumni such as you. I have relied on both while leading the university during our time of transition, and I know Dr. Howard is counting on all of us to help him raise RMU to even greater heights.

Please join me in welcoming him and his family to Robert Morris University.

Sincerely,

DAVID L. JAMISON, J.D. INTERIM PRESIDENT AND PROVOST

FALL} 15 DEPARTMENTS 02 06 08 24 26 37

CAMPUS REPORT POLLING INSTITUTE SPORTS UP CLOSE & PERSONAL CLASS NOTES

Foundations Bold Moves p. 22 Taking risks is what Mike Welsh ‘06 M’06 knows best.

UPCOMING EVENTS

CREDITS EDITOR Mark Houser CONTRIBUTORS Joe Bendel, Alan Buehler '13 M'15, Kimberly Burger Capozzi, Jonathan Potts M’11, Dennis Roddy ART DIRECTOR Amy Joy PHOTOGRAPHY/ILLUSTRATIONS Front Cover: Kyle Fasenmyer Back Cover: Joe Appel Other Photos/Illustrations: Joe Appel, Jason Cohn, Dave DeNoma, Kyle Fasenmyer, iStock, Mitch Kramer ‘08, Sandy Lee, Robin Renee Sanders D’10, Jodi Vasalani ‘92, Michael Will ‘08 PRINTING Heeter Direct FOUNDATIONS ONLINE RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONS Alan Buehler '13 M'15 Foundations (ISSN 1934-5690) is published twice a year by the Office of Public Relations and Marketing in conjunction with the Office of Institutional Advancement and mailed free of charge to alumni, donors, trustees, faculty, staff, and friends of Robert Morris University. The opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the official policies of Robert Morris University.

Contributions to Class Notes and address changes may be sent to: Office of Alumni Relations Robert Morris University 6001 University Boulevard Moon Township, PA 15108-1189 Phone: (412) 397-6464 Fax: (412) 397-5871 Email: rmualum@rmu.edu It is the policy of Robert Morris University to provide equal opportunity in all educational programs and activities, admission of students, and conditions of employment for all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin, and/or sexual preference.

Leadership for the Future . . . 12 Christopher Howard has made his mark as a distinguished educator, dedicated public servant, decorated veteran, football star, and co-founder of an international children’s charity. Now he plans to change more lives as RMU’s eighth president.

No Nonsense, No Regrets . . . 14 When basketball coach Andy Toole agreed to stay at RMU after leading the team back to March Madness, it was a win for both players and Colonials fans.

Sharing Stories from Across Cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 As the U.S. ambassador in Nigeria, Robin Renee Sanders D’10 found the amazing women who became first her doctoral project and now a book.

Changing Lives Through Empowerment . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Maria Kalevitch earns national recognition for inspiring women and minorities in science, engineering, and mathematics.

10 Questions . . . . . . . . 36 Racing her handcycle in marathons in New York and Alaska, Ashli Molinero D’04 is miles ahead of what she once thought she was capable of.

CAMPUS REPORT > Still the Best

Online The university’s online degree program brought home another national accolade, ranking 17th in TheBestSchools.org Top 50 Best Online Colleges for 2015-16. It is the second year in a row that RMU was recognized among the top online schools, having ranked 17th in the 2014-15 study as well.

Rankings are based on extensive research in online education, and they consider academic excellence, scholarly strength of faculty, online teaching methods, tuition costs, reputation, awards, financial aid, and range of degree programs offered.

Nationally, online degree programs have become extremely popular, nearly quadrupling in the past ten years. RMU Online was launched in 2011 and currently enrolls more than 700 students. Learn more at RMU.EDU/ONLINE.

> Teaching the Teachers RMU is now one of only five universities nationwide to offer online graduate degree programs to educators through the NEA Academy, which allows members of the National Education Association anywhere in the nation to earn an advanced degree at a reduced rate.

More information is at RMU.EDU/NEA.

2 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

> Game Changer The RMU Board of Trustees has approved plans for the university to raise $50 million to fund an events center that will be home to the Robert Morris NCAA Division I basketball teams and volleyball team. Plans call for a building of up to 135,000 square feet, with an arena seating up to 4,500 people. The facility, tentatively slated to open in fall 2018, will also be used for concerts, conferences, meetings, and other special events, including annual commencement exercises.

With a new arena built, Sewall Center can be used as a recreational and intramural gym. That in turn will allow the gym in John Jay Center to be converted into classroom, laboratory, and office space for the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science.

The school will have John Jay to itself once the new building for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences opens this fall.

> > FIND US ON FACEBOOK Page: RMU Alumni URL: facebook.com/RMUalumni

> Welcome to Colonial Country

The Uzuri Think Tank, in cooperation with the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, held a three-day symposium at the Fairmont Hotel in Pittsburgh in April dedicated to increasing diversity in STEM career fields.

The conference attracted 130 scholars, entrepreneurs, advocates, and policy makers to discuss why African Americans make up only 6 percent of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math careers, and to think about how best to improve those numbers. As part of the program, symposium attendees toured STEM classrooms and laboratories at the RMU campus, spoke with faculty, and explored product manufacturing via 3-D printing.

The Uzuri Think Tank is focused on research investigating the success factors that can raise African American male student achievement and educational attainment. Find out more about Uzuri and see a full report of the symposium at RMU.EDU/UZURI.

> Paying for College 101 RMU has launched the College Affordability Academy, a training initiative for admissions counselors, financial aid officers, faculty mentors, and student support staff to make the college financing system as transparent as possible for prospective students. Fifty RMU faculty and staff completed the eight-week program, working in teams to develop capstone projects that help translate what they learn to prospective students and their families.

> FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RMU FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE NEWS.

> Strength in Numbers

The School of Communications and Information Systems named AnnMarie LeBlanc, M.F.A., as its new dean.

LeBlanc was interim dean of the College of Communication and Information at Kent State University. She is an expert in color theory and traditional and digital illustration, and her work has been in more than 50 national and international adjudicated exhibitions and is in more than 300 private and corporate collections in the United States and abroad.

LeBlanc holds a master of fine arts from Bowling Green State University, a master of arts from Purdue University, and a bachelor of fine arts from Louisiana State University. She succeeds Barbara Levine, Ph.D., who has been SCIS dean since 2008 and will return to the faculty.

> New Business Lois Bryan, D.Sc., is now the interim dean of the School of Business. An accounting professor, Bryan replaces John Beehler, who left to become president of Jacksonville State University in Alabama.

Her master of science in taxation and doctorate in information systems and communications are both from Robert Morris; Bryan also has a master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Denver.

More information about the College Affordability Academy, including animated video shorts about planning for college called “A Tale of Two Students,” can be found at RMU.EDU/AFFORDABILITY. R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 3

> Moscow in

the Springtime Media arts professor Ferris Crane, M.F.A., spent time this spring as visiting faculty at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia’s biggest institution of higher learning. Crane gave a combination of three research papers about “the digitalized human” to graduate students and faculty, including former Rooney Scholar Victor Khroul.

> Kids Art for the Capitol Media arts professor Jon Radermacher, M.F.A., associate dean of the School of Communications and Information Systems, was invited by U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy to be a juror for the 2015 Congressional Art Competition. Since 1982, members of Congress have held annual contests within their districts to choose winning pieces of art by high school students. First place artwork from each district will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol complex for one year, and the students will be invited to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Washington, D.C.

> Research That Changes Lives > Changing the Lives of Students At commencement the university recognized the contributions and achievements of five longtime faculty members who have retired this year.

Professors Nell Hartley, Jim Vincent, Jim Leone, Valerie Powell, and Michael Yahr now join the ranks of faculty emeriti.

Mechanical and biomedical engineering professor Rika Carlsen, Ph.D., co-authored “The Importance of Structural Anisotropy in Computational Models of Traumatic Brain Injury” in the journal Frontiers in Neurology.

The paper explores how computational models of traumatic brain injury can be improved with the goal of helping to manage and minimize the impact of such injuries. Carlsen collaborated with Nitin P. Daphalapurkar of Johns Hopkins University.

Before joining the RMU faculty in 2014, Carlsen spent two years at Carnegie Mellon as a postdoctoral research fellow in nanorobotics. She also has done research at Sandia National Laboratories and Johns Hopkins University.

> RMU on Tour English professor John Lawson, Ph.D., presented a paper, “Poetry as (Neurotic) Enactment: A Horneyian Perspective,” at the College English Association Conference in Indianapolis in March.

4

> KUNKA

Organizational leadership professor Beatrice Kunka, Ed.D., presented a paper on diversity in organizations at the International Conference on Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organizations at the University of California, Berkeley, in February.

Engineering professor Ben Campbell, Ph.D., spoke at the Silicon Happy Valley Conference in State College in April. Campbell presented examples of his research in electrical engineering and computer science, and spoke about RMU’s recent development of a minor in mechatronics, which combines mechanical engineering and software engineering with additional electrical engineering content.

> Outstanding in

Their Fields

The RMU-produced documentary “We Built This City: How the Allegheny Conference Remade Pittsburgh” has taken home a slew of awards: three Bronze Telly Awards for documentary program, writing, and directing; and two Silver Reel Awards for writing and documentaries/shorts.

The film, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the publicprivate partnership, was directed by Michael DiLauro, M.F.A., director of the Academic Media Center, and written by David Jamison, J.D., provost and interim president. Seven students and two RMU alumni also worked on the project, and broadcaster and documentary producer Beth Dolinar, an adjunct faculty member, was associate producer and research director. The documentary was funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and is narrated by Jim Cunningham of WQED-FM. Go to RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONS to watch “We Built This City.”

Victoria Snyder, director of multicultural student services, recently presented at the Northeast Greek Leadership Association Conference in Hartford, Conn.

> SEE THIS MAGAZINE AND EXTRA FEATURES AT RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONS.

> We Built This City

Media arts professor Christine Holtz, M.F.A., gave a presentation about her ongoing project “50 Greenspace Dumpsites” at the Society for Photographic Education national conference in New Orleans in March.

Actuarial science professor Jason Hong, Ph.D., received a $17,500 grant through a competition sponsored by the four major actuarial organizations in North America: the Actuarial Foundation, the Actuarial Foundation of Canada, the Casualty Actuarial Society, and the Society of Actuaries. He shares the grant with Ryan Martin at the University of Illinois at Chicago; the two will collaborate on a project titled “Flexible Bayesian Nonparametric Credibility Models.”

Mathematics professor Monica VanDieren, Ph.D., recently learned that two of her published research papers are ranked among the most cited papers in the Journal of Mathematical Logic, one of the top journals in her field. One of those papers, “Galois-Stability for Tame Abstract Elementary Classes,” is the seventh most cited of all papers in the journal and the second in VanDieren’s branch of research, called model theory. (Read more about VanDieren on page 20.)

recycle this magazine Give it to a neighbor who’s in high school and help spread the word about RMU.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 5

TAKING AMERICA’S PULSE Highlights of the latest surveys by the Robert Morris University Polling Institute Powered by Trib Total Media:

59% WANT COLLEGE TO BALANCE ACADEMICS AND JOB SKILLS

14

%

SAY THEY ARE UPPER MIDDLE CLASS

26

%

MIGHT CANCEL PAY TV

6 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

SYLLABUS SENSE Large majorities across all demographic groups say colleges should balance their focus equally between core academics and job training. Among the minority who would prefer a college curriculum to emphasize one over the other, the only ones favoring academics over career prep are retirees (21% vs. 20%) and those with a graduate degree (26% vs. 20%).

MOVING ON UP A class system exists in America, according to most people (86%), and it is more determined by income than by power, education level, or job. Asked which they belong to, most say the middle (39%) or working class (30%), while at the extreme ends, three times as many say they are lower (10%) as upper class (3%).

CUTTING THE CABLE More than a third of respondents (38%) said they already watch streaming video such as Netflix in addition to paying for cable or satellite TV. Almost half (49%) have canceled pay TV at some point in the past because of cost. Just over two-thirds (69%) know how to watch streaming video online.

> Polls in National Spotlight A story in the New York Times in January about head injuries in youth football cited the results of an RMU poll in which nearly half of respondents said boys should not be allowed to play tackle football until they reach high school.

And RMU polls about class consciousness in America and about fracking have recently made the front page of USA Today.

ABOUT THE ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY POLLING INSTITUTE POWERED

BY TRIB TOTAL MEDIA The polling institute conducts national and regional opinion polls on current affairs in areas of interest and expertise to RMU faculty. It provides nonpartisan polling on a range of issues, including health care policy, the environment, health and wellness, economic policy, higher education, and gender equity. The institute works under the direction of the faculty through an advisory board including representatives from each of the five academic schools.

Polls are typically conducted using an online survey measuring the opinions of 1,000 U.S. adults, and have a +/- 3.0 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level on a composite basis.

Percentages shown here are rounded.

To see all the survey questions and learn more about the Robert Morris University Polling Institute Powered by Trib Total Media, go to RMU.EDU/POLL.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 7

BECAUSE NECO Last fall nobody in all of NCAA Division I men’s soccer scored more goals than Neco Brett.

The Jamaican forward netted 15 goals and 3 assists his junior season for the Colonials, earning his second Northeast Conference Player of the Year award. That followed a sophomore effort of 14 goals and 8 assists that gave Brett the highest points-per-game average in the nation.

Now a top prospect for the 2016 Major League Soccer draft, Brett says he has an even more ambitious personal target for his senior year: 20 goals, 5 assists, and a title for Robert Morris, who last won the NEC Tournament in 2005.

Coach Bill Denniston says Brett is the best player he’s had in 16 seasons with the team. “He’s a super athlete, super strong, super skillful, super fast, and super angry,” Denniston says. “Actually, competitive is the nice way to say it. But when somebody tries to bully him, they’re picking on the wrong guy. That’s when his elbows get sharp. That’s when he really competes — when it gets tough. That’s when Neco’s at his best.”

The native of Kingston caught the eye of college scouts by scoring five goals for the Jamaican national under-20 team. One of them, a 30-yard screamer against Honduras in a 2011 World Cup qualifier that just eluded a diving goalkeeper’s fingers to sneak under the crossbar, looks a lot like another goal Brett poached from long range last year against George Washington’s keeper. By the end of that game, the GW goalie had to watch three more goals blow past him off Brett’s boot.

He believes he was born for soccer. “Mom says when I was a baby, when I’d finish my feeding from the bottle, I would be kicking it all over the house until I was hungry again,” Brett says. The youngest in a big family even by Jamaican standards — 14 brothers and half-brothers and two half-sisters — he says he learned a lot from watching his siblings and depended on them growing up.

Bigger college programs recruited Brett, but he chose RMU because three of his Jamaican national teammates were on the Colonials roster. Playing for his country is a thrill the management major says he won’t ever forget, and one he hopes to repeat.

“To hear your national anthem for the first time, playing overseas, when you’re in the starting 11? Massive!”

Those Jamaican teammates have since graduated. Now in his final year, Brett smiles at the thought of what the future could bring.

“I realize how close my dream is, to be a professional soccer player. But yet I know I have to work much harder than before.”

WRITTEN BY MARK HOUSER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON COHN 8

SEE SOME OF NECO’S HIGHLIGHTS S. OUNDATION F / U D .E U M ON R 9

THE

BIGG AME

Pull on those Colonials sweatshirts and prepare for an action-packed fall sports season. We pick the big weekend games and break them down for you.

Let the tailgating and the good times begin.

FOOTBALL VS. SACRED HEART

SAT., OCT. 10, NOON

SOCCER MEN VS. DUQUESNE SUN., SEPT. 27, 1 P.M. WOMEN VS. FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON SUN., NOV. 1, NOON

VOLLEYB ALL VS. LIU BROOKLYN

SAT., OCT. 31, 1 P.M.

FOOTBALL The brains and brawn of senior center Nick Faraci could be what the football doctors ordered for a Colonials team looking to improve on last year’s 1-10 record.

The 2014 NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year has anchored the offensive line for 33 consecutive games, the longest active streak for the Colonials. With a GPA of 3.94, the nursing major was a Capital One second-team Academic All-American. His leadership is a must as second-year coach John Banaszak vies for more victories.

THE BIG GAME OCT. 10 VS. SACRED HEART A supreme test. Last season the Pioneers won their second straight NEC title. Sacred Heart had a conference-record six players named to the 2015 All-NEC Preseason Team, including quarterback R.J. Noel.

HOLD THOSE FLAGS A former Steeler and former Marine, Banaszak is a stickler for discipline. That manifested itself in 2014 as the Colonials were the least penalized team in the NEC. YARDS PENALIZED/GAME

BASKETBALL

ROBERT MORRIS ............................44.8 WAGNER..........................................57.5 BRYANT ...........................................64.0

MEN’S HOME OPENER VS. BUCKNELL WED., NOV. 18, 7 P.M.

ROWING HEAD OF THE OHIO REGATTA SAT., OCT. 3

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SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW Call (412) 397-4949 to get the best deal on season tickets for RMU football. Be there in the stands for all the action as John Banaszak leads the Colonials on their quest for another title. Don’t miss exciting promotional giveaways at the gate this season, including a team replica jersey and Coach Banaszak bobblehead to name a few.

STARS TO WATCH

There might not be a bigger show-stopper on the soccer field than Neco Brett. The Jamaican forward and two-time NEC Player of the Year led the nation in goals last season with 15 a year after recording the NCAA’s highest points-per-game average with 14 goals and 8 assists. A top prospect for the 2016 Major League Soccer draft, Brett has set his sights on leading the Colonials to their first NEC Tournament title in a decade.

THE BIG GAME SEPT. 27 VS. DUQUESNE The Colonials look to avenge last season’s 4-1 road loss to their city rival.

BEST FOOT FORWARD Neco Brett is one of the premier goalscorers in NCAA Division I. His 15 goals put him in a three-way tie atop the national standings last season.

PLAYER

GOALS

NECO BRETT, RMU ...............................15 ANDY CRAVEN, NORTH CAROLINA....15 CAMERON PORTER, PRINCETON ......15

VOLLEYBALL On the precipice of their first NEC Tournament championship since 2003, the Colonials lost last year to powerhouse LIU Brooklyn in the finals as the Blackbirds won their ninth title in 11 years. RMU will need new leaders to return to its 17th consecutive tournament, since seven players graduated this spring.

> CHECK RMUCOLONIALS.COM FOR THE LATEST ON GAME TIMES, VENUES, AND SCORES.

MEN’S SOCCER

#6 KAYLA KELLEY WOMEN’S SOCCER A star defender, Kelley was named first-team All-NEC as a freshman and was instrumental in helping the Colonials set a team record with a 1.25 goals-against average.

#8 NIC LAMICA FOOTBALL Lamica switched midseason from linebacker to wide receiver and had 30 receptions for 362 yards and 2 touchdowns, including an RMU freshman record 8 catches for 112 yards and a TD against Central Connecticut.

#3 KRISTIN THOMPSON VOLLEYBALL Thompson posted the top hitting percentage in NEC competition at .378 last season, earning secondteam All-NEC honors.

THE BIG GAME OCT. 31 VS. LIU BROOKLYN The Blackbirds have haunted the Colonials by eliminating them in each of the past two NEC Tournaments. RMU looks to return the favor in this Halloween clash.

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LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE Christopher B. Howard, D.Phil., has been named the eighth president of Robert Morris University. Howard, 46, is a distinguished educator, dedicated public servant, and decorated Air Force veteran who is currently president of Hampden-Sydney College, a private Virginia college for men and one of the nation’s top liberal arts institutions. He will join Robert Morris on February 1.

“Dr. Howard is a high-energy, charismatic, and visionary leader who believes in the power of mentorship – a perfect fit for RMU,” said Gary Claus ‘74, chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees.

“In the future, it is those higher education institutions truly committed to providing the foundational tools of critical thinking, written and oral communication, and a deep understanding of the world we live in, coupled with the 1 2 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

opportunity to delve deeply into the professions, that are poised for success,” said Howard. “RMU is an ‘all of the above’ university bolstered by an exceptional faculty, able staff, engaged alumni, dedicated board, supportive friends, and bright and motivated students.”

Howard added, “Just as importantly, members of the RMU community have demonstrated a willingness to innovate in a manner rarely seen in the academic world, resulting in remarkable growth and success. I am both honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as its eighth president.”

Richard Harshman ‘78, vice chairman of the RMU Board of Trustees and chairman of its Presidential Search Committee, said Howard rose to the top of a national list of candidates because of his vision, energy, and charisma, as well as his record of success at Hampden-Sydney.

“The Search Committee was impressed with the way Dr. Howard was able to build on the traditions of his current institution and to translate those traditions to contemporary and more diverse generations of students,” said Harshman, the chairman, president, and CEO of ATI. Howard has been president of Hampden-Sydney since 2009, during which time enrollment and retention have grown, alumni giving has reached 33 percent, and the grade-point average of the incoming freshman class has risen. In 2011-12, Hampden-Sydney climbed 17 spots in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, the largest jump among any Top 100 liberal arts colleges. During Howard’s tenure as president, Hampden-Sydney produced its first Truman and Goldwater scholars in 20 years, as well as a Rhodes finalist and numerous Fulbright and Rotary scholars – thanks in part to the Office of Fellowship and Advising the college created under his leadership. Hampden-Sydney received the largest gift in its 240-year history under Howard, and the college will soon break ground on a new student center.

“Dr. Howard has experience both within and outside of higher education, having worked in the corporate world and having a distinguished career in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve,” said Claus. “He has experience with and insights into different models of education, from Ivy Leagues to large publics, from small, liberal arts institutions to military academies. And, on the more personal side, his own background reflects the character and values we see in RMU’s students and alumni.”

Howard was raised in Plano, Texas, where he was a star running back in high school and captain of the state championship football team. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and received the Campbell Trophy, the nation’s highest academic honor for a

senior college football player. He earned an M.B.A. with Distinction from the Harvard Business School and a D.Phil. in politics from Oxford University while on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Howard served as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve, and earned a Bronze Star for military service in Afghanistan.

He served as U.S. Reserve Air Attaché to Liberia and as intelligence operations and places officer with the elite Joint Special Operations Command. In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Howard to the National Security Education Program Board.

Howard previously was vice president for leadership and strategic initiatives at the University of Oklahoma, and has worked for General Electric and Bristol-Myers Squibb. He is the co-author of the book Money Makers: Inside the New World of Finance and Business and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education, the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, the Baylor University Board of Regents, and the prestigious Young Presidents’ Organization.

Howard co-founded the Impact Young Lives Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that brings South African students of color to the U.S. for summer educational and cultural tours.

His wife, Barbara Noble Howard, is the foundation’s executive director; she is originally from Johannesburg, South Africa.

They have two sons, Cohen, a senior at the University of the South, and Joshua, a freshman at Middlebury College.

Howard succeeds Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D., who left Robert Morris in June after 10 years to become the president of Rider University in his home state of New Jersey. Since Dell’Omo’s departure, RMU has been led by David Jamison, J.D., who is also the university’s provost.

WRITTEN BY JONATHAN POTTS M’11 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE APPEL

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 1 3

NO NONSENSE, NO REGRETS The visiting locker room had a five-alarm feel to it. Unfastened objects went airborne.

Eardrums quivered. Strong young men quaked. With his team down six points in the biggest game of the year, coach Andy Toole channeled his inner Bob Knight in a run-for-cover, blistering diatribe. It was not for the faint of heart. “Coach was snapping!

He got in my face for the first time ever,” says former Colonials guard Karvel Anderson, recalling that halftime explosion in 2013. “It was something to see.”

As were the next 20 minutes of basketball. That halftime deficit transformed into a pulsating 77-75 victory over host Bryant University. It also clinched a Northeast Conference regular-season title for the Colonials.

Moments later, in that same locker room, a milder version of Toole was front and center in a dance contest with star guard Lucky Jones. It was quintessential Toole, a man who embraces a tough love approach.

1 4 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

“He can be tough, but he also cares about you, and he brings out the best in you,” says Anderson, who now plays professionally in Italy. “That game spoke about who he is, how he leads. He knows how to build winners. That’s why Robert Morris is competitive every year.”

In Toole, you get intensity and intellect, competitiveness and compassion, madman and maestro. It’s an all-encompassing package featuring a 34-year-old who is among the hottest young coaches in college basketball. This offseason brought the standard “Will he stay or will he go?” queries, which got decidedly amplified after he guided the Colonials to his first NCAA Tournament in five years.

Toole had come close to making the Big Dance in 2011, ‘12 and ‘14, but his Colonials lost each time in the NEC tournament title game. Not this year. RMU won the title at St. Francis, Brooklyn, then defeated North Florida in a First Four NCAA matchup before losing to eventual national champion Duke in the second round.

And as for that job-jumping speculation? Forget about it.

In April, Toole signed a contract extension that runs through the 2019-20 season. It put those inescapable headlines of “Toole to Fordham,” “Toole to Penn,” “Toole to You-Name-It-U,” to rest, at least for now.

“I understand the rumors, and it is a compliment to our program, to our kids, and to our staff that people recognize our success,” Toole says, sitting in his office at Sewall Center.

“But people don’t know the vision and direction that we have for this program. And that’s not to say that there aren’t opportunities out there that would excite me or would be difficult to say no to, but I just think a lot of the rumor mill stuff and gossiping about the coaching carousel is just way overrated. We have a lot more to do here at Robert Morris; we want to keep winning, keep getting to the NCAA Tournament. That’s what my focus is. The other stuff, the coaching speculation, gets to be too much.”

Don’t even get Toole started on those folks in the Twitterverse.

“Everybody knows what you’re going to do before you even do it,” he says, his voice slightly rising. “The idiots can unite and solve the world’s problems in 140 characters. I understand that it’s part of the job, but I’ve dreaded the spring the last couple of years.”

Toole leans forward at his desk, which is surrounded by motivational quotes, basketballs commemorating past Colonials NCAA Tournament teams, photos of his wife and two young boys, and a shot of his beloved Jersey Shore, where he spent his youth. Directly over his right shoulder hangs a playbill from the Billy Crystal one-man Broadway show “700 Sundays.” Toole says the show left an indelible impression.

Crystal estimates that he spent 700 Sundays with his father, but sadly, their final conversation ended in an argument. “It’s a reminder of how fragile time can be, whether it’s four years of

college or another season passing by,” Toole says. “Things move quickly, and when they’re over, there are usually regrets.

You do your best not to have them, but it’s a challenge. The message just really hit me hard.”

No regrets. No cutting corners. No nonsense. These are cornerstones of Toole’s approach. It has buoyed him through a sizzling career that is already filled with a number of eye-catching snapshots, such as leading the University of Pennsylvania to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments as a star guard; becoming, at age 29, the youngest coach in Division I after replacing his former boss, Mike Rice; amassing a 110-66 record at RMU (66-23 NEC) that includes two NEC regular season titles, two trips to the NIT, and one to the Big Dance; and overseeing one of the great victories in school history, a 59-57 upset of defending national champion Kentucky in a 2013 first-round NIT game at Sewall Center a few weeks after his locker room explosion at Bryant.

It would be a stretch to say Toole has put Robert Morris on the college basketball map, given the Colonials have been to eight NCAA Tournaments, including back-to-back trips in 2009 and 2010 under Rice. But what makes Toole’s success unique is that he wins despite heavy player turnover. Eleven Colonials have departed via transfer, dismissal, or leaving the sport the past two seasons. That includes freshman guard and NEC Rookie of the Year Marquise Reed, who transferred to Clemson this spring. To his credit, Toole is pragmatic — and unapologetic — about the departed athletes. “We believe there’s a right way to do things,” says Toole, known for his high-intensity, highvolume practices. “And the guys who have lasted and continue to be here and who have continued to have success, shared a similar belief to us. For some of the others, this just isn’t the right fit. It’s something that we have to accept.”

Toole’s mentor and former college coach at Penn, Fran Dunphy, was aware of Toole’s win-at-all-costs mentality long ago.

He saw it manifest itself during timeouts, when Toole would race to the bench and suggest spot-on plays. The dynamic guard was, undeniably, a coach in waiting. “If he called a play, we’d run it, and it usually worked,” says Dunphy, now the coach at Temple. “I’m not even a little bit surprised at what he’s done as a coach. He played through injuries, he challenged teammates, he had a great understanding of the game.

He’s on a nice path and there are a lot more things that he’ll accomplish before he’s finished.”

Where Toole ultimately finishes is far from certain. Perhaps it will be as a championship coach in a Power Five conference.

Or maybe as the leader of an NBA franchise. The future is wide open, but for now, he is Andy Toole, head coach of Robert Morris University. And that’s the way he likes it.

“This university has been great to me,” he says. “I feel fortunate to be here.”

WRITTEN BY JOE BENDEL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON COHN

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 1 5

Sharing stories from across cultures Before Robin Renee Sanders D’10 left the Nigerian village of Ogidi, one of the women she would later call “legendary” had a parting request. “Take my official photo,” said Eziafo Okaro. “I want to be remembered when I die.”

Among the Igbo people of Nigeria, Eziafo earned her legendary status by keeping alive a cultural practice called Uli. Pronounced “OO-lee,” it is a tradition of adornment, traditional religion and customs, and painting symbols that convey meanings that transcend mere decoration, but don’t quite fit the definition of a language. Now, in a place where Christian churches are often the center of community life, Uli has begun to vanish as the last of its matriarchs pass on to join their ancestors.

“I have a really soft space in my heart for Nigerian women, and African women writ large,” says Sanders, the former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria. “They’re the farmers. They’re the ones taking care of the home. In the conflict areas they are the ones that suffer the most — women and children.”

1 6 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

In April of last year, Eziafo died. But she and 21 other women are remembered, celebrated and, perhaps most importantly, explained in a one-of-a-kind book by Sanders, Legendary Uli Women of Nigeria. Sanders met the Uli women while working on field research for her Doctor of Science in Information Science and Communication, a Robert Morris University degree program that draws mid-career professionals and diplomats. Her extraordinary research paper on Uli, advised

by Rex Crawley, Ph.D., became the basis for a book that has had launch events in both Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, and in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the World Affairs Council.

Frederick G. Kohun, Ph.D., one of the founding professors of the doctoral program, says Sanders broke new ground in her dissertation about the combination of symbols, customs, religion, and artistic motifs she encountered in Nigeria, classifying Uli as a “communication expression,” something that has the virtues of language without formally being one.

So what is Uli? In many respects, it is a way of life practiced by women of the Igbo community, with a combination of symbols representing everything from lizards and snakes to the kola nut. In some instances, it also venerates traditional deities — a tie that has caused its rejection by devout Christians among the

Robin supports the rex crawley memorial fund and several other university programs.

Igbo. In one town the fragility of Uli’s future was evident. Five young women had been decorated with Uli symbols as part of a welcoming ceremony for Sanders, but as she is careful to note, these were adornments only. The young women, all Christians, do not practice Uli, and they would not go near a local shrine that elderly women decorated with Uli symbols.

Sanders’s foreign service career stretches more than two decades, and took her around the world. Prior to Nigeria, she had served as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Congo.

The child of a career military man, Sanders was born at Langley Air Force Base and raised in various parts of the country and overseas before attending historically black Hampton University, where she majored in communications.

She later earned two masters degrees — communication/ journalism and international relations/Africa studies — from Ohio University.

Her connections to RMU began with a letter — seemingly out of the blue — from Kohun, who was seeking out successful professionals seeking to add to their skill sets. “I really didn’t pay any attention,” she recalls. “Then I got another letter from him again, saying they were coming to Washington.”

While enrolled in the doctoral program, Sanders was named ambassador to Nigeria, so she had to complete her dissertation while in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. But her cohort — the group with whom she studied and bonded — stayed close to their cyber classmate. One weekend when the cohort was meeting on campus, Kohun was in the lobby at the nearby hotel where students were staying, and noticed three or four

of them having a glass of wine and talking to a laptop computer. “Then I look and there’s Robin, in Abuja,” says Kohun. A day later, Robin’s classmates lugged the computer to lunch so she could join them again.

Robert Morris is not merely a degree to Sanders. It is a second calling. “I make sure it’s always front-and-center in whatever I do,” she says. Now a member of the university Board of Trustees, she delivered the graduate commencement address in 2011, and on the night of this interview she was playing host to Kohun and his team as they sought out the next class of doctoral candidates in D.C. While her meeting for prospective RMU doctoral students took place at a hotel, the university now hosts prospects at the Army and Navy Club, one of Washington’s most storied private clubs, where Ambassador Sanders is a member.

Although she has left the State Department, her emphasis on Africa has continued. Today she directs FE3DS, an advising firm, and the FEEEDS Initiative as part of an advocacy effort to promote food, environmental, economic, and political security in sub-Saharan Africa. Sanders is also working on a book about her life as a diplomat. She recalls the words of one of her RMU advisors, who said, “You have at least four books from this dissertation.”

WRITTEN BY DENNIS RODDY PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY ROBIN RENEE SANDERS D’10

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 1 7

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH EMPOWERMENT

WITH KALEVITCH IN INSIGHT INTO DIVERSITY MAGAZINE, GO TO RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONS. TO SEE THE INTERVIEW

She notes that while only 6 percent of the nation’s top Maria Kalevitch, Ph.D., the dean of RMU’s engineering schools have female deans, one-third of her faculty School of Engineering, Mathematics and and staff are women, including several professors she has hired Science, has been named to Insight Into recently. Those include engineering professor Rika Carlsen, Ph.D., an expert in using microdevices to understand traumatic Diversity magazine’s “100 Inspiring brain injury; mathematics professor Heather Hunt, Ph.D., who Women of STEM.” The national honor studies functional equations and group theory; and science recognizes Kalevitch’s efforts both to attract professor Melissa Hillwig, Ph.D., whose focus is on genetics. women and girls to careers in science, Tamiko Youngblood, Ph.D., who founded RMU’s first student chapter of the National Society of Black technology, engineering, and Engineers, was another inspiring female mathematics and to build professor and has been deeply missed INSIGHT INTO DIVERSITY the ranks of RMU faculty since her death in March from cancer at MAGAZINE ASKED in those fields. the age of 46, Kalevitch says.

In an interview in the magazine’s September issue featuring Kalevitch and two other female STEM deans, one from California Polytechnic and one from New York Institute of Technology, Kalevitch discusses RMU’s new Women’s Leadership and Mentorship Program.

“I think having mentorship and guidance along the way is really something that helps to sort of inoculate your selfconfidence,” Kalevitch says in the interview. “I think a network of mentors and people you can go to who can guide you is essential to building selfconfidence.”

Kalevitch is one of only 28 female deans among the 466 four-year schools of engineering in the United States approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), according to statistics from the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. She earned her Ph.D. in biology from the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and has been a strong supporter of gender and racial diversity efforts at RMU since arriving in 2002 as the only female science professor on the faculty. She was named dean in 2010.

MARIA KALEVITCH, PH.D., WHY SOME WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FIELDS STRUGGLE WITH SELF-DOUBT. HER RESPONSE: “THESE THINGS ARE REALLY COMMON TO ALL HUMAN NATURE. WE HAVE THIS STRIVING FOR PERFECTION, BUT WE ALSO HAVE VERY STRONG SELF-DOUBT. I THINK HAVING MENTORSHIP AND GUIDANCE ALONG THE WAY IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT HELPS TO SORT OF INOCULATE YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE. … I THINK A NETWORK OF MENTORS AND PEOPLE YOU CAN GO TO WHO CAN GUIDE YOU IS ESSENTIAL TO BUILDING SELF-CONFIDENCE. BUT I THINK ALL OF US, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN — BUT WOMEN PROBABLY MORE — HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF FEELING AND THIS STRUGGLE.”

“The glass is always half full, and we always have a can-do attitude in SEMS to change things for the better,” Kalevitch says of the school she heads. She says she is grateful for the national honor and recognition of her leadership, and attributes school successes to the dedication and hard work of SEMS faculty and staff.

Kalevitch points to Khulood Al Ali ‘15, a female biomedical engineering student who at graduation this spring won the Presidential Transformational Award, RMU’s top honor, as an example of the school’s successes with female students in STEM. Al Ali was one of four RMU students accepted in a new linkage program between RMU and Carnegie Mellon University, where she will be earning a master’s degree in biomedical engineering.

Under Kalevitch’s leadership, the RMU School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science has expanded outreach programs to local schools, including a focus on attracting more girls to STEM fields, with strong mentorship and advising components. Kalevitch also recently collaborated with RMU’s Uzuri Think Tank to co-chair “Strength In Numbers,” a three-day Downtown symposium that focused on increasing the number of African Americans in STEM careers.

Kalevitch’s grandmother and father were both research professors at the Russian Academy of Sciences, and she credits growing up in a family where science and academics were regular topics of conversation around the dinner table for starting her on her career path. “When you are engaged in those conversations, you feel bold and empowered that you can do it too some day,” she says.

WRITTEN BY MARK HOUSER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MITCH KRAMER ‘08

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 1 9

OUTPERFORMING THE NATIONAL AVERAGE RESULTS FROM THE RMU GALLUP® SURVEY Robert Morris University alumni are more likely than graduates of other universities to be working full time, engaged in their jobs, and thriving in their personal well-being, according to a recent Gallup survey of 1,500 RMU alumni from 1970 to 2014.

The new study provides a glance at how RMU alumni compare to a national sample of more than 30,000 college graduates surveyed by Gallup. It also allows for comparisons over time to examine how graduates in the last five years compare to those from decades ago.

Survey results validate RMU’s focus on engaged learning, professional experiences, and supportive personal relationships with faculty mentors. Combined with RMU’s emphasis on making college affordable, they demonstrate RMU’s commitment to providing strong returns on an investment in higher education.

For more details, or to download a copy of the full RMU Gallup Report, go to RMU.EDU/GALLUP.

Gallup defines engaged employees as involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and contributing to their organization in a positive manner. They are psychologically committed and emotionally connected to their jobs. Of RMU alumni, 44% are engaged, according to Gallup, 16% greater than the national average for college graduates and 47% greater than the national average for all full-time workers.

More engaged in their jobs than the average U.S. college graduate.

More engaged in their jobs than American full-time workers.

2 0 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

71%

77%

56%

And male and female RMU grads are equally likely to work full time, unlike the average U.S. college graduate gender gap.

77%

WORKING FULL TIME One of the most positive findings from the RMU Gallup Survey is that Robert Morris graduates are 22% more likely to be working full time for an employer than the average college graduate. Seventy-seven percent of RMU graduates do, compared to 63% of all U.S. graduates.

Working full time for an employer [women vs. men.]

“I’m satisfied with my personal life.”

THE BIG SIX COLLEGE EXPERIENCES Gallup’s national research shows that people who have had these “Big Six” experiences in college are more likely to be engaged at work.

WELL-BEING More than 9 in 10 RMU alumni say they are satisfied with their personal lives.

Gallup also asks specific questions about how people feel about five aspects of their personal lives: PURPOSE, SOCIAL, FINANCIAL, COMMUNITY, and PHYSICAL.

12%

72%

With RMU’s strong focus on engaged learning, personal attention, and mentoring, more and more of today’s graduates have experienced each of Gallup’s Big Six.

SEMESTER PROJECT

INTERNSHIP

37%

MENTOR ENCOURAGEMENT

30%

PROFESSORS CARED

32%

9%

Among RMU graduates, 12% are thriving in all five elements of well-being, 33% higher than the average for college graduates nationally.

34%

EXCITED ABOUT LEARNING

EXTRACURRICULARS

35%

ALUMNI | 2009-14

More thriving in all five well-being measures.

ALUMNI | 1970-01

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY The worry caused by a heavy load of student debt can make it very difficult for graduates to enjoy their lives to the fullest extent. Gallup found that alumni with no student debt are nearly 10 times more likely to be thriving in all five areas of well-being — purpose, social, financial, community, and physical — than graduates with more than $50,000 of student debt.

Thriving in all five well-being measures

Helping to ensure that more graduates can thrive after graduation is why Robert Morris University has created the College Affordability Academy. It trains members of the university community on topics such as how families are challenged to finance higher education, how RMU’s investment in students is noted in the public, and how the benefits of an early connection with the career center can lead to lifetime employability.

BY ILLUSTRATIONS KYLE FASENMYER

No debt

Under $25K

$25K-$50K

Over $50K

MIKE SUPPORTS THE PRESIDENT’S FUND FOR ENGAGED LEARNING.

BOLD MOVES Mike Welsh ‘06 M’06 knew when he left Pittsburgh for a job at Facebook’s Silicon Valley headquarters in 2011 that the social media giant liked its employees to take risks. The company motto at the time, after all, was “move fast and break things.”

That didn’t make the opportunity for a dramatic career switch any less daunting when it arose. Welsh had been hired to work in risk operations, protecting against financial fraud. But he got a surprise offer to join the human resources team after being an “overeager participant, raising my hand, and engaging the facilitator” at a company training.

Welsh had no experience in HR whatsoever. But if you’re not going to be bold at Facebook, then where?

“I felt supported to take the leap, that Facebook was supporting me to take that leap,” Welsh says. “Facebook in general supports that sort of mobility and being able to try something totally different, and to develop you as an employee.”

2 2 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

He is now a Facebook “learning and development partner,” charged with keeping the company’s famously open, unconventional corporate culture alive and well. It has turned out to be a great fit for Welsh, who in fact had a personal interest in the field. “I love to read about leadership, emotional awareness, management. As soon as I graduated from college I was reading those things,” Welsh says. “I never realized there was a career in that. I was trying to be the best I could be. I was doing due diligence. I’m a learner by nature.”

Welsh had envisioned a future grounded in numbers, not people. He graduated from RMU’s integrated five-year bachelor’s/master’s in accounting and went to work in the Pittsburgh offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers, then McCrory & McDowell, becoming a CPA, certified fraud examiner, and certified valuation analyst.

The skills he learned still serve him well in his current position. “I don’t do accounting at all now,” he says, “but the analytical way of thinking I learned at RMU, now that I’m in what’s perceived as more a ‘touchy-feely’ field, I’m still very analytical. So I’m able to draw on that way of thinking and creating a framework that was at the heart of what the professors were teaching us.”

A logical, data-driven approach plays especially well with a company of engineers and computer scientists.

“That helps me connect really well with the audience that I’m training and developing, because they tend to think that way too,” he says.

including a recent half-marathon under the redwood trees.

Welsh has been around for some high-flying times at Facebook, including an IPO in 2012 and growth to more than 10,000 employees — four times the 2,500 there when he arrived.

The company boasts 936 million average daily users as it has developed its mobile services and purchased other social apps.

It recently announced groundbreaking partnerships with major news media to publish their reports on the Facebook site.

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FROM A FACEBOOK INSIDER CAREER-CHANGING LEADS AND REFERRALS USUALLY COME FROM THE “WEAK TIES” IN A BIG NETWORK, NOT YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS. FOLLOW UP A WORK MEETING WITH A FRIEND REQUEST, BUT PERSONALIZE IT WITH A REFERENCE TO SOMETHING YOU DISCUSSED. KEEP YOUR NEW NETWORK LINKS INVESTED IN YOU

BY SHARING THINGS THAT WILL APPEAL TO THEM PERSONALLY. CONNECT PEOPLE IN YOUR NETWORK WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM KNOWING EACH OTHER. PAY ATTENTION TO INTERNATIONAL LINKS. IN JAPAN, FACEBOOK IS TREATED AS A PROFESSIONAL TOOL.

His day-to-day tasks include developing training programs that focus on effective, straightforward communications, and working with managers to tweak their organization or involve other teams on a problem. He also organizes off-site retreats, where co-workers bond over a climbing course or tower-building challenge. He speaks at HR conferences and meets with members of other organizations to discuss Facebook practices.

A McMurray native, Welsh returns to the area once a year or so to visit family in Pittsburgh and Ohio. But he says San Francisco now “feels like home,” and he takes full advantage of the natural scenery and opportunities to hike, bike and run. In April, he completed the Big Sur International Marathon, and plans to run his eighth marathon in San Francisco this summer. He also competes in trail races,

While some things have changed, Welsh says the open culture endures. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg still hosts weekly Q&As with employees, and even responded personally to an email from Welsh seeking clarification on a wording change to a company value. That might seem like minutiae, but at Facebook, such company slogans can end up on posters hanging on office walls.

Long before joining Facebook, Welsh was comfortable with putting himself out there. At RMU, he completed five internships and helped revive the Association of Future Accountants. In Pittsburgh, Welsh signed onto a charity biking team at PricewaterhouseCoopers and became friendly with several much more senior members of the firm. He’s now an M.B.A. student at U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, partly to grow his West Coast network.

“I never thought of myself as a networking type,” Welsh says. “I’m actually an introvert, but I network effortlessly because I’m looking for real and solid connections with people.

I tend to build relationships because I pay attention to what matters to people.

And I’m really good at keeping in touch with people,” through e-mail, phone calls and, of course, Facebook.

As for the potential for Facebook and other social media to threaten personal connections, Welsh says it’s all about balance.

“I try to be intentional and be present. If I’m talking to someone, I don’t want to pull out my smart phone and be looking at it. I make a conscious choice to not fall into that habit,” he says. Instead, he uses social media to build relationships. “I find that it’s so useful to have the information that people are willing to give to you. It helps you to have a more robust connection with people. I see it as an aid.”

WRITTEN BY KIMBERLY BURGER CAPOZZI PHOTOGRAPHY BY SANDY LEE

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 2 3

UP CLOSE FACULTY PROFILE Monica VanDieren

A 30-mile round-trip commute might not seem too difficult, but when you do it on a bicycle through the hilly terrain of Pittsburgh, it’s no small feat.

Monica VanDieren, Ph.D., a professor of mathematics and co-director of the University Honors Program, bikes from Franklin Park to RMU four days a week, even through the winter. When she’s not pedaling to work, she serves on two nonprofit boards to advocate for safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists, and she competes in long-distance races. “With all the commuting I do, I can jump on my bike and do 100 miles without thinking about it,” she says.

VanDieren’s field of expertise is mathematical logic, which has connections to computer science, infinity, and philosophy. In her Calculus III class, she uses a graphing program to turn simple math problems into 3-D animations, helping students visualize concepts. She has received three recent grants — $134,000 from the National Science Foundation, $6,000 from Amazon’s Educators Grant Program, and $1,500 from the Association of Women in Mathematics — to study how students understand math better through 3-D visualization.

She also co-teaches a research methods class to help honors students identify their thesis project and do preliminary research.

“We’re helping students take their passions and turn them into educational experiences,” VanDieren says. “Figuring out what they can be doing as an undergraduate that would go above and beyond the standard curriculum, to boost their application into graduate school or to land a competitive job.”

1 8 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

AND PERSONAL STUDENT PROFILE

“I went for information systems because now librarians need to be tech savvy and good in IT skills,” says McLaughlin, a Sewickley resident. After taking a COBOL computer programming class, she discovered she had an exceptional talent for working with IBM mainframes; she finished in the top 10 of over 15,000 contestants in IBM’s national “Master The Mainframe” contest. Professors persuaded McLaughlin to pursue an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree in data analytics, and during her study she interned at PNC as a systems programmer.

Torrie McLaughlin

Before college, Torrie McLaughlin spent eight years in the Army, serving in South Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq as a liaison to local military and civil service personnel.

In between tours, she and her then-husband had two children, a son and a daughter.

Then she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a librarian, and picked RMU because its participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program meant tuition and other costs were covered.

The mother of two says she couldn’t have done it without naptime. “Naptime and bedtime were key in my house. Naptime gave me two hours to do homework and bedtime gave me another two hours.”

Written By: Alan Buehler '13 M'15

rmu.edu/foundations

Upon graduation this summer, McLaughlin will work full time at PNC as an associate in the technology development program, making sure applications from ATMs to “virtual wallets” function properly.

She still wants to be a librarian one day. But for now, after spending several years keeping her country secure, McLaughlin will focus on doing the same for PNC customers’ bank accounts.

25

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 1 9

CLASS NOTES JOSEPH PALMIERO ‘58, vice president of Honda North in Butler, was named 2015 Time Dealer of the Year at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention and Exposition in San Francisco.

1970s FRANK DANYO ‘70 was named vice president of corporate counsel for Civil and Environmental Consultants.

BILL POSTMA ‘70 is a project manager with Gates, a general contracting firm with offices in Florida, North Carolina,

and Panama. Bill has 40 years of experience in the construction industry. He resides in Naples, Fla. RAY BOYER ‘77 is chief financial officer at SDC Nutrition, where he was an investor and independent board member.

Ray recently retired as CFO of Bechtel Plant Machinery.

He resides in Fox Chapel.

EMANUEL DINATALE ‘77 M’89 is a tax partner with BDO USA and was named an outstanding alumnus by Community College of Allegheny County Educational Foundation at its 2015 Legends in Leadership awards banquet. He was a 1976 graduate of CCAC before continuing his education at RMU.

> MOVERS & SHAKERS Several RMU alums serve on the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, including three on the executive committee: ALISA FAULK ‘99 is immediate

>

1950s

JACK BALLANTYNE ‘70

past chairwoman of the

published Edgar Allan Poe

chamber. She is general

Live…On Stage, a book of

manager at Courtyard by

Poe’s stories adapted into

Marriott Pittsburgh Airport

theatrical stage scripts,

at Settlers Ridge.

all of which have been subsequently produced.

MIKE BELSKY ‘82 is a vice chairman of the chamber and

1980s STEVEN CUMMINGS ‘81 M’94 joined Otis Eastern Service in Wellsville, N.Y., as CFO. He previously was the global director of project accounting at CH2M Hill.

new business development manager at Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania.

DON SMITH M’88 is a vice chairman of the chamber, and is associate director of athletics, event management, and facilities at RMU.

NOREEN O’MARA PARKER ‘81 is general manager of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s WZTV-Fox and WUXP-MyNet in Nashville. She previously was general manager of Sinclair’s WTTA-MyNet in Tampa.

EVAN KAFFENES ‘83 was appointed vice president and CFO of Versatex Building Products. He previously was the director of global finance at Werner.

> CHANGING LIVES IN CLEVELAND JACQUELINE MYEROWITZ TRAVISANO ‘90 chaired the Royal Dames Tiara Ball in Fort Lauderdale, which raised $400,000 to benefit Nova Southeastern University’s Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research. Jackie is executive vice president and COO of Nova Southeastern University and was recently honored as a 1,000+ Club 2015 Woman of the Year.

2 6 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

JIM KEENER ‘83 joined the University of Hartford as an assistant director for strategic programs in alumni relations.

Keener had spent more than 30 years in administrative roles in the university’s department of athletics.

In addition, H. ROCHELLE STACHEL ‘91 is on the board of directors of the chamber.

She is president of HRV Conformance Verification Associates.

DANIEL CROOKSHANK ‘84 was named director of investor relations at Calgon Carbon. He previously was the director of investor relations at RTI International Metals.

CLASS NOTES JOSEPH HOGAN M’84 joined Align Technology as president, CEO, and director. He is an accomplished chief executive with extensive experience in health care and technology, most recently as CEO of ABB in Zurich.

HELEN KAVOULAKIS MCCRACKEN M’84 joined Waynesburg University as the director of graduate programs in education, where she oversees all degree, certification, endorsement, and advanced studies programs as well as student recruitment, retention, and advising.

GEORGE ROSATO ‘87 of Consol Energy is the winner of the Chief Information Officer Choice Award, an honor bestowed by fellow CIOs and tech executives across Western Pennsylvania and presented by the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Greater Pittsburgh CIO Group. The award recognizes innovation and creativity in planning and deploying information systems, and service to the industry and community.

AMY RECKTENWALD BAIR ‘88 is secretary of the Pittsburgh Legal Administrators Association and a legal administrator for Wayman, Irvin & McAuley. Amy resides in Bethel Park.

BOB MENTE ‘88 was published in the “Parascope� newsletter for the Pittsburgh Paralegal Association.

He works in the outsourced legal services industry and is a licensed ham radio operator. Bob and his wife, Joyce, live in Collier Township on his grandparents’ homestead.

DAWN CURELLTA ORR ‘88 is chief financial officer of WealthEngine.

For 20 years she has been growing and managing technology companies such as Saga Software, Legent Corp., and Bridgewerx.

Dawn and her husband, STEPHEN ORR ‘87, live in Ashburn, Va., with their three children.

1990s RICHARD ALFERA M’90 is president and managing partner at Goff Backa Alfera & Co. Richard was named a Pittsburgh Smart 50 Award winner

by Smart Business magazine.

BRENDA MARSHALL HENWOOD ‘90 is president of FTBA, a Pittsburgh electrical maintenance and testing firm. The company has been certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.

JOSEPH STROMEI ‘90 joined the board of advisors for the (cont.)

“I made a lot of personal and professional connections at Robert Morris, and they’ve enhanced my career opportunities.

Considering what I received, I am pleased to return something to the university each year.� – TOM MARCHLEN M’08

BE PART OF SOMETHING YOU CAN BELIEVE IN For just $84 a month, President’s Council members are part of something important. They give the gift of opportunity to RMU students. They invest in the future prosperity and growth of our region.

They change lives.

CONVENIENT GRADUATE PROGRAMS 36 PROGRAMS ONLINE OR ON CAMPUS FLEXIBLE 8-WEEK SESSIONS Whether you want your graduate degree fully online or on campus, RXU Ă H[LEOH ZHHN VHPHVWHUV

let you promote yourself at your convenience.

To find out more about joining the President’s Council, please contact JEN YOUNG at 412-397-5452 or youngj@rmu.edu.

RMU.EDU/JOINPC

RMU.EDU/GRAD

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 2 7

CLASS NOTES LORIANN PUTZIER M’94 was recognized by the Pittsburgh Business Times as a 2015 BusinessWomen First Award winner, which honors top female executives. Loriann is president of IntegraCare, which operates 13 senior living facilities in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

WHAT YOU MISSED >

Here’s a look at a few of the alumni events we’ve featured since the last Foundations.

TODD SHULENBERGER ‘94

was named the Washington State University head soccer coach after spending two seasons as the associate head coach at Texas Tech. Todd also

ALUMNI TOUR

Madrid, Seville, Toledo. Memories for a lifetime.

coached at Missouri and Clemson.

Homeless Children’s Education Foundation. Joseph is vice president of treasury management at Dollar Bank in Pittsburgh.

RMU NIGHT AT PNC PARK

The Bucs won, and Diane’s hubby caught a foul ball.

KARA MOSTOWY ‘91 M’06 joined Maher Duessel as chief operating officer. She previously was executive director of The Early Learning Institute.

DAVID DEROSE ‘93 joined Centegra Health System as director of support services, where he will assist in planning and construction of a third acute care hospital being built in the Chicago area.

ALUMNI COUNCIL MEETING

More great ideas from the RMU alumni family.

These are just some of the highlights of what has been a very busy Alumni Events calendar in recent months. We see more and more of you each time, but plenty of alumni still haven’t experienced all the fellowship and fun.

Make sure you don’t miss the next big thing. Stay tuned to the alumni events calendar at RMU.EDU/ALUMNI.

2 8 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

WILLIAM LEVY ‘94 is director of ticket operations and sales advisor for the Fort Myers Miracle minor league baseball team. Bill was previously the manager of the Acadiana Cane Cutters, a collegiate summer baseball team in Louisiana.

RICHARD PHIPPS ‘94 is the vice president of new business development in North America for Picsolve International in Orlando.

SHANNON VARLEY ‘94 M’97 was named director of curriculum, instruction, assessment and staff development of Keystone Oaks School District in the South Hills.

Previously she was director of curriculum and instruction for Avonworth School District.

HEATH BAILEY ‘96 M’06 is the academic principal at Abu Dhabi Education Council in the United Arab Emirates. Previously he was an assistant principal in CanonMcMillan School District.

NANCY STAMPAHAR ‘96 is director of customer service and organizational development at Burns & Scalo in Pittsburgh.

DANA STEWART M’96 is senior vice president and director of the project management office for First National Bank of Pennsylvania.

He was previously managing director at BNY Mellon.

JAY LUCAS M’98 is the engineering manager for Pennsylvania American Water.

GREGORY LUSTY M’98 was promoted to director of product management at Centria, a manufacturer of metal wall and roof systems. He will be responsible for marketing and new product development.

Greg resides in Ambridge.

CLASS NOTES

2000s DAVID BUCKISO M’00 is executive vice president of wealth services for First Commonwealth Bank.

He previously was senior vice president and managing director at FNB Wealth Management in Pittsburgh.

SHAWN HANLON M’00 was elected vice chairman of Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania and is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

MARY SOROKA M’00 is director of the Allegheny County Department of Budget and Finance, where she prepares

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KRISTY KENNY TAGG ‘98

JOELENE HESTER

joined Grane Home Health

HOLDERNY ‘99 M’11 was the

for IT and U.S. application

and Hospice as the director

recipient of the Promising

support for Enstar Group in

of business development for

Practitioner Award at the

St. Petersburg, Fla. She was

the Pittsburgh region. Kristy

Pennsylvania Association for

previously an IT director at

lives in Whitehall with her

Middle Level Education

Feld Entertainment in

daughter, Adeline, and

Conference in State College

Vienna, Va.

son, John.

in February. Joelene is a family consumer science teacher at David E. Williams

the annual comprehensive fiscal plan and oversees operating, capital, and grant budgets.

Middle School and Montour High School in the Montour School District. She lives in Ross Township with her

MICHAEL R. SCHULTZ ‘01 is owner of the personal coaching business Highland Training, which works with endurance athletes, mainly cyclists, all over the world.

CHRISTINE IZAJ VANN M’01 was named treasurer of the Pittsburgh chapter of NAIOP, the commercial real estate development association. She is tax senior director at BDO USA. JASON YOUNG ‘01 is business development manager at Exhibitpro, a trade show exhibit design and production company.

He previously spent 13 years in the hotel communication industry, most recently as director of event technology at PSAV in Moon.

DANIEL HORGAN ‘02 was the keynote speaker for the Colonial Leadership Conference in March.

family.

THOMAS L. STERLING ‘99

was named to Auberle board of directors. He is the vice president of global HR shared services for Mylan.

Dan is CEO of D. G. Horgan Group, a leadership and performance consultant, and author of the inspirational book Tell Me I Can’t, and I Will. He lives in New York City.

>

JENNIFER FARLAND PARSONS ‘99 M’02 created “Pathway to Your Future” to help high school students and their families navigate the world of life beyond high school through seminars, workshops, and consulting.

Her husband, DONALD PARSONS ‘97 M’01, is manager of finance business systems at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

PATTY MCGOUGHRAN

‘95 was named vice president

>

NANCY HARHAI M’99 received a Jefferson Award for Public Service and a $1,000 donation to her chosen charity, the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Nancy is a lead business analyst of reimbursement administration and finance for Highmark.

She resides in Ross Twp.

>

VICKI MCNAMARA MARSH ‘98 is a tax manager at BDO USA in Pittsburgh.

RUSH PEDDER ‘03

married Nicole Will on May 10, 2014. The wedding party included DOMINIC GRENALDO ‘03 and BOBBIE JO BELUS ‘03. Rush is a

SCOTT KOSKOSKI M’02 is executive director of constituency development at Ohio University.

Previously Scott was director of philanthropy and staff liaison to the board of trustees for Morris Animal Foundation.

package center supervisor for United Parcel Service. The couple resides in Latrobe.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 2 9

CLASS NOTES

MIKE HOUGH ‘03 is co-founder, director, and producer at Steady State Media in Pittsburgh.

MICHAEL HEPLER ‘04 was promoted to audit project manager within the contract management and payments directorate at the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General. Michael just completed an RMU online graduate certificate in group dynamics and conflict resolution. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.

JEFFREY DEVLIN M’05 was named CIO of the Year in Education by the Pittsburgh Technology Council in March. He is chief information officer at Carlow University.

TAMARIA BINION ‘05

LAURI FINK M’06 was elected to the board of the Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Lauri is senior program officer of Hillman Family Foundations.

MARK NISKACH ‘03 &

M’11 married Jann Kelly-

MEGHAN DOWNEY NISKACH

Council on July 27, 2014.

‘06 welcomed son Parker on

Tamaria is assistant to the vice

December 9. Mark is an

president for public relations,

account executive of group

marketing, and alumni

sales for the Pittsburgh

relations at RMU.

Pirates, and Meghan is an administrative assistant for student information

BOB FITTIPALDO M’05 is a director of facility management for Burns & Scalo Real Estate Services. Bob has more than 20 years experience as a senior manager, most recently for real estate, facilities, and construction management at Giant Eagle.

KENYA BOSWELL M’06 was named president of the BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania in January. She joined the foundation as charitable giving manager in 2008 from Duquesne Light. In 2014, Kenya was recognized by the Harlem YMCA as a Black Achiever in Industry for her professional accomplishments, community involvement, and commitment to diversity.

>

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JEFF BLASKO ‘05 was hired as tight end coach at the University of Pennsylvania after three seasons coaching at Kansas.

resources at the Association of Theological Schools. The family lives in Moon.

JANELLE STEIGERWALD

RECK ‘07 and her husband, Jeremy, welcomed son Carter James on February 28, 2014.

The Recks live in the

>

JENNIFER WEISGERBER FILES ‘03 was recently promoted to shareholder at Yount, Hyde & Barbour in Virginia, where she leads the forensic accounting and governmental audit practices. Jennifer and her husband, ADAM FILES ‘02, reside in Winchester, Va., with their two daughters.

AARON R. MILLER ‘04 was promoted to vice president, regional sales manager at First National Bank of Pennsylvania.

>

PATRIK MCKAIN ‘02 M’05 and DANIELLE MCKAIN M’08 were honored in April by Allegheny County Council for starting Jameson’s Army, a nonprofit that has raised more than $400,000 to aid the fight against congenital heart defects. Their son Jameson was born without the left side of his heart, and Danielle lived at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for two years to watch over him as he received a heart transplant and six open heart surgeries.

Danielle stays at home in Cecil with her sons Jameson and Colin, and Patrik works for SDLC Consulting.

North Hills.

BECKY PAXTON ‘04

and Weston Rocheford were DANIEL LUCHESA ‘06 married Jodie Ilgenfritz on October 18.

Daniel is senior manager of finance for UPMC Health Plan.

married in Riviera Maya, Mexico on October 24. Becky is a channel account manager for Shavlik in Chicago, where the couple resides.

HOWARD B. SLAUGHTER JR. D’06 was appointed in October to the board of the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority. He is president and CEO of Christian Management Enterprises, a Pittsburgh entrepreneurial management consulting firm.

Bridesmaids included BRITTANY JOCHMANN BREEZE ‘04, LISA BORCHART ‘04, and JENNIFER STOESSEL SALVADOR ‘04.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 3 1

DAVE TOOLE ‘08 M’14

>

KEVIN FORSYTHE ‘08 &

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ANGELA VEDRO ‘06 and

>

>

CLASS NOTES

LOUIS BASCIOTTA III ‘09

DAVID HAMILTON ‘07 were

KAYLA MILLER ‘09 were

starred in the professional

and LINDSAY MCARDLE ‘06

married on October 11 and

married on June 21, 2014, in

production of the two-person

will be wed on September 19

honeymooned in Maui.

Rockwood, Pa. Kevin is a

musical “The Last 5 Years” at

at St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Angela is director of

merchandising manager for

the New Hazlett Theater in

Church in Baldwin. Lou is a

enrollment services at the

Dick’s Sporting Goods, and

May.

customer billing analyst at

Community College of

Kayla is a senior associate at

Highmark and Lindsay is an

Beaver County, and David is

Duff & Phelps. They live in

executive assistant at

product manager and

Philadelphia.

Fragasso Financial Advisors.

lighting designer at Star

>

Design Lighting.

ALYSSA CIOFFI ‘09

married Josh Jacobs on

>

>

October 11 in their hometown

JACI GOEHRING BARKER

‘07 and her husband, Brad,

AMY ZALLO ‘08 married

of Essex Junction, Vt. Alyssa

Chris Rowsick on November

works as a high school nurse

8. Amy works at AT&T

in Burlington, where the

Mobility.

couple resides.

welcomed son Bennett George Barker on July 28, 2014; Bennett joins big sister Adalyn. Jaci teaches third grade at Artman Elementary School in the Hermitage Area School District.

LAUREN PARKER M’07 was named the Breitling Energy Future Industry Leader in March during the Northeast Oil and Gas Awards. Lauren is a civil engineer at Civil and Environmental Consultants in Moon and lives in Wexford.

TODD PATNESKY M’07 was promoted to colonel on January 9 in a ceremony at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.

3 2 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

He is the Army National Guard counterdrug liaison to U.S. Northern Command.

DANA VOJTKO M’07 BSN’14 is a registered nurse in the medical surgical orthopedic unit at UPMC McKeesport.

STEPHANIE JAVORSKI ‘08 was promoted to director of sales and marketing for carbon materials and chemicals at Koppers, where she has worked since 2001.

DANIELLE COHEN KNOLL ‘08 was inducted into the 2014 Sports Hall of Fame at Cherokee High School in Marlton, N.J., where she was an all-state pitcher. Danielle works at USG Insurance Services and lives in Pittsburgh.

JEANNA COOPER M’08 D’08 was the fall commencement speaker at Penn State Greater Allegheny, where she formerly taught business and information science classes. Jeanna is manager of e-services for Consol Energy.

DOMINIC CINCOTTA M’09 DS’14 was named marketing manager at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. He is also the chief marketing officer and owner of CoStar Brewing.

LAUREN LANCIA ‘09 joined RMU as digital marketing specialist in May. Previously she was a media buyer and planner with Gatesman+Dave.

CLASS NOTES BRYAN LINVILLE ‘09 donated a children’s book that he wrote and illustrated, You’ll Always Be My Little Sunshine, to the Ellwood City Police Department for use when they interact with abused children.

LAURI REIMER LISANTI ‘09 was promoted to manager of client account services at Goff Backa Alfera & Co., where she has worked since 2003.

BRENDAN NELSON M’12 and his wife, Janna, welcomed daughter Summer Mary on October 14.

Brendan works as the manager of academic and student support at EdAssist. He previously was an enrollment manager at RMU. NOAH PURDY ‘12 joined Smith Brothers Agency as a digital content creator, and also works as a freelance commercial and editorial photographer.

TYLER MONTABON ‘13 and STEPHANIE BRITTNER ‘13 were married September 21.

Both are employed at Cigna; Tyler also is pursuing his M.B.A. at Duquesne University and received Duquesne’s 2015 James J. Byrne Award for Responsible Leadership in recognition of his volunteer efforts. The couple lives in Shaler.

SCOT RUTLEDGE ‘09 is digital marketing manager at the Community College of Beaver County. Scot was formerly digital marketing specialist at RMU.

JESSICA SHARIK ‘12

and Scott Vargo welcomed son Easton Scott on

>

AMY MARCHLEN M’12 M’14 is a senior compensation analyst at University of Chicago Medicine.

Previously she was an executive compensation associate with Aon Hewitt. Amy lives in Chicago and is the daughter of THOMAS MARCHLEN M’80 and JUDITH BREEDLOVE MARCHLEN M’87.

>

2010s

NICK DOUTY M’15 and

SAMANTHA MONTY ‘12 were

December 9. Jessica is a stay-at-home mom.

married Nov. 30, 2013, in Bank, and Samantha is an

ASHLEIGH FRIEDAY ‘10 was promoted to event services manager at The Conference and Event Center in Niagara Falls, N.Y. JEFFREY GEISINGER M’10 is national strategic sales director of RedVision, a title and real property search firm.

Previously he was assistant vice president at SLK Global.

JIMMY LANGHURST ‘10 is an assistant coach for the Indiana University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team.

LUKE MOHAMED ‘10 is manager of corporate partnerships for D.C. United of Major League Soccer.

He previously was a sales development coordinator at Ironman.

>

MARISSA NARR D’13

and her husband, Andrew, welcomed son Grady Juno

>

on December 12. Marissa JAMI SPRINGER ‘11

PETER NUGENT ‘10 was promoted to box office manager for the Akron RubberDucks minor league baseball team.

is a nurse practitioner at

married Cody Eckman on

Children’s Hospital of

CHELSEY FREY ‘12 were

December 13. Jami is an

Pittsburgh and a part-time

married on October 28

actuarial associate in

faculty member in the School

at Rogal Chapel. The

retirement practices at

of Nursing and Health

couple currently lives in

Mercer. The couple resides

Sciences at RMU. The family

Mt. Lebanon.

in Leechburg.

lives in Pleasant Hills.

>

> ALREADY A SUCCESS

Hershey. Nick works at PNC R.N. at UPMC Passavant.

ED ALBERT ‘12 and

SHAWN STOEBENER M’13 is the director of technology for PineRichland School District. He previously had a similar position at Avonworth School District.

KELLY HILDERBRAND ROBINSON ‘10 was promoted to supervisor at Maher Duessel, where she has worked since completing her internship.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 3 3

CLASS NOTES > GETTING RECOGNIZED Two RMU alumni were named to Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP’s 40 Under 40, which recognizes young people committed to shaping

>

our region and making it a MONDA WILLIAMS M’12,

better place. JAMES MURPHY

was named a Greater

‘10 is an HRIS analyst at

Pittsburgh Dignity and

FedEx Ground and an active

Respect Champion

volunteer and former

in October in recognition of

treasurer for the Pittsburgh

her active volunteer work

chapter of the National

and passion for creative

Society of Black Engineers.

change in her community.

BRIANNE MCLAUGHLIN

She is a caseworker for

BITTLE ‘11 is a goalkeeper for

Allegheny County Child and

the U.S. hockey team and a

Youth Services and a certified

spokesmodel for Haute

life coach.

Athletics.

ERIN KISAK M’14 joined the McQuillan Group as a tax department supervisor.

CALEEM L. “JAY” JABBOUR ‘60 of West Mifflin passed away December 22 at the age of 82.

MAXWELL RICKARD ‘14 M’15 joined Henderson Brothers as an account analyst for the commercial lines department.

JEANNINE RUSSELL WALLACE ‘61 passed away December 30 from multiple myeloma.

She is survived by her husband, Stephen, whom she married in 2009.

MICHAEL SMITH ‘14 M’14 is a property and casualty actuarial analyst at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus.

Class Notes would love to hear from you.

In Memoriam DAVID WESTERMAN ‘57 of Coraopolis passed away January 15 at the age of 81.

MARNE MILAKOVIC SWANSON ‘62 of Butte, Mont., passed away January 5 at the age of 72.

ELEANOR LINEMAN LEWIS ‘63 of Roswell, Ga., passed away February 24.

Three alumni were honored in the “Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest” gala for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in August. JOEL ACIE ‘02, DANIELLE N. WHITE ‘06, and CANDACE HAYWOOD ‘10 were recognized for their career

LEAVE YOUR LEGACY AT RMU

>

success and community involvement.

JULIA KYSELA M’13 was

named 2015 National Guard Spouse of the Year for her volunteer work for veterans’ charities and as the family member support director for Steel City Vets. Julia is a senior account analyst at

AMBER HOPKINS ‘14 is an express meeting manager at DoubleTree

by Hilton Pittsburgh Airport. She also is on the recreation and event staff for Moon Parks and Recreation.

Think about how Robert Morris changed your life. Then consider how your legacy gift to Robert Morris can change the lives of future students.

Contact Vice President for Development Kim Hammer at (412) 397-6413 or hammerk@rmu.edu to learn how you can leave a legacy through your will or with a planned gift of retirement savings, life insurance, cash, stocks, or other assets.

BNY Mellon.

KELLY JOY ‘14 is a key account business analyst for Lakeshore Outdoor Sales representing The North Face in Chicago.

3 4 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S

RMU.EDU/LEGACYGIFT

CLASS NOTES VICTORIA GUARINO STODART ‘82 of Stockton, N.J., passed away January 5.

at the age of 34. He is survived by his wife, Amy, and his children, Will and Alec.

MICHAEL YUROSKO ‘83, former assistant director of residence life at RMU, passed away January 2 following a lengthy illness.

ERIK STEIN D’15 passed away on May 20. He was the assistant director of residence life at Edinboro University and had previously worked in residence life at RMU.

Email us at rmualum@rmu.edu.

CHRIS NATTO ‘09 of Dormont passed away unexpectedly on January 7 at the age of 27.

SCOTT TURNBELL ‘11 of South Fayette passed away unexpectedly on January 16

TANYA HAGEN passed away on June 11 at the age of 45. She was a former team physician for the Colonials and also served the same role for several local university and professional sports teams, including the Pittsburgh Penguins.

TAMIKO YOUNGBLOOD, Ph.D., an engineering professor and mentor to many students, passed away on March 20 at the age of 46 from cancer. In honor of her life and her commitment to students, the Tamiko Youngblood Memorial Fund has been established at RMU, and gifts in her honor can be made at RMU.EDU/YOUNGBLOOD.

> PHI DELTS MEET Brothers of Phi Delta Mu, seen here at their reunion last year at Seven Springs, held this year’s reunion at RMU during Homecoming. The chapter was founded in 1968 as Phi Delta Mu and went national with Delta Tau Delta in 1971.

Pictured are the Phi Delta Mu Brothers and wives who attended Robert Morris from 1966 through 1975.

BEST VALUE Make smart choices about paying for college.

Watch Bobby Mo’s friendly tips and learn the basic dos and don’ts at RMU.EDU/AFFORDABILITY

The brothers pictured are: 1st Row: JOHN BORCHIN, TOM BOWSER, RON HELFRICH, and DICK SEMBOWER. 2nd Row: STEVE POUNDSTONE, BOB ROZELL, JERRY WOODWARD, GARY KOVAC, DAN HLASNICK, CHRIS WILBERT, RICH PARKER, and DALE HARRISON. 3rd Row: BOB BROWN, ROD QUARTZ, DAN BECK, BILL MORRISON, TOM WALLS, DAVE ROSE, BOB BAYLOR, and RANDY KOLESAR. Wives: Left to right: BRENDA JENKS SEMBOWER, NANCY PLUNKETT WOODWARD, ELLIE BURTT BOWSER, SHARON O’BRIEN HELFRICH, JOYCE BACHER ROZELL, JANET BARSTOW KOVAC, and DIANE VANDERHOOF HARRISON.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 3 5

10Questionswith Ashli Molinero D’04

As the new director of the UPMC Disability Resource Center, which provides assistive technology for patients and visitors throughout the regional hospital network, Molinero focuses on helping people get equal treatment regardless of their physical limitations.

She is also an accomplished handcyclist, competing in marathons in Pittsburgh, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami… and this summer, Alaska.

Her father, Frank Molinero ‘72, is on the Board of Trustees, and Ashli Molinero takes her role as a legacy seriously, supporting university initiatives like the President’s Fund for Engaged Learning and Women of RMU, and joining two RMU Alumni Tours to Ireland and Italy.

After several years as a professor at Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, are you excited about your new job at UPMC? I’m so lucky to have this opportunity. It’s everything that I like to do in one position — teaching, helping people advocate, and helping people to understand assistive technology and why it’s important.

1

4

2

How did you get into handcycling? In 2000 I had younger nieces and nephews learning how to ride bikes, and I knew about handcycles from our research center, since we do a lot of development for adaptive sports technology. I started out only doing it recreationally with my nieces and nephews, at the park or on the boardwalk at the beach. I didn’t compete in my first race until 2012.

7

5

Do you hope others might be inspired by what you’ve accomplished?

It’s hard for anybody to say they want to get in shape. People shouldn’t put limitations on themselves. Live your life the best you can. Don’t worry about how you’re doing it, just get out there and participate.

10

So what made you start racing competitively? I was getting near 40 and starting to think maybe it was time to transfer from crutches to a wheelchair. But first, I thought, maybe I’ll go to the gym and see if I can lose some weight and get more mobile and healthy. And it’s so much fun. You have a whole new social network of people. It’s just amazing what it can do for a person.

Written By Mark Houser

You’ve been on two RMU Alumni Tours.

Do you do a lot of traveling?

I’ve been traveling since high school, and I’ve been to 17 different countries. With RMU, I got to go to Slovakia when I was in the doctoral program and I also went to Paris with my doctoral peers. The trips I took with Robert Morris to Italy and Ireland, my parents were on them too, and on each trip one of my nieces came.

So it was fun to be able to experience that with my family.

9

Is there a story behind the spelling “Ashli”?

My mom saw it in Glamour magazine and liked how it looked. But I was going to be Ashley whether I was a boy or a girl. Mom’s favorite movie was “Gone With The Wind.”

See a WPXI-TV

36

You have spina bifida and walk with crutches. How has that made you the person you are? My parents taught me to be a really good self-advocate. They said there were going to be people telling me I couldn’t do things I wanted to do, so I was going to have to be able to articulate not only that I wanted to do something, but how. And by articulating that extra step, it would help people to realize, yeah, I probably could do it.

interview with Molinero at rmu.edu/foundations.

3

Your doctoral work at RMU a decade ago was about making the Internet accessible, particularly for people who can’t see. Have there been improvements? I think there’s more awareness, and that’s a positive thing. I think there are still issues, and part of the problem is user-generated content. If you have a Facebook page, are you going to make sure all your videos are closed-captioned? Probably not. Google’s done a great job of creating tools that will help, but unless you’re aware of this issue, it’s always going to be a tricky balance.

What’s the thing you enjoy most about it? I like the speed. Oh my gosh, it’s just so exhilarating! You’re just flying. It’s amazing. Downhill the fastest I’ve clocked is 54 miles per hour; on the flat I can do maybe 23-24 mph.

8

What’s your favorite movie?

“Star Wars.” I was the only little girl with an “Empire Strikes Back” lunchbox.

6

Upcoming Events >

OCTOBER

>

NOVEMBER

>

DECEMBER

4 Dr. Sanjay Gupta Pittsburgh Speakers Series Heinz Hall, 8 p.m.

2 Diplomat and author Dennis Ross Pittsburgh Speakers Series Heinz Hall, 8 p.m.

7 Career Expo Sewall Center, Noon-4 p.m.

5 Fall Wine Tasting HYP Club, Downtown, 6 p.m.

7 Colonial Theatre presents Avenue Q Massey Theater, 7:30 p.m.

Through Oct. 11 (2 p.m.)

11 Colonial Theatre presents Love’s Labour’s Lost Massey Theater, 7:30 p.m.

Through Nov. 15 (2 p.m.)

3 President’s Council Dinner West Club Lounge, Heinz Field, 5:30 p.m.

Get on the guest list! rmu.edu/joinpc

3 Alumni Association Open Meeting Hopwood Hall, 10 a.m.

14 Novelist and screenwriter John Irving Pittsburgh Speakers Series Heinz Hall, 8 p.m.

FOUNDATIONS ONLINE READ THIS ISSUE ON YOUR TABLET. WATCH VIDEOS AND OTHER ONLINE EXCLUSIVES. SHARE YOUR FAVORITE FEATURES ON SOCIAL MEDIA. ACCESS A COMPLETE MAGAZINE ARCHIVE. DO IT ALL AT: RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONS

FOR MORE INFORMATION on these and other upcoming events, visit the Events page at RMU.EDU/ALUMNI.

CHECK OUT THE NEW ALUMNI WEBSITE MORE STORIES. MORE EVENTS. MORE CLASS NOTES.

Find it all at RMU.EDU/ALUMNI.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Pittsburgh, PA Permit No. 280 Robert Morris University 6001 University Boulevard Moon Township, PA 15108-1189 RMU.EDU

MEET THE NEW PRESIDENT After mingling with faculty, staff, and students on the day of his announcement as the 8th president of RMU, President-Elect Christopher Howard, D.Phil., sat down with Interim President and Provost David Jamison, J.D., for a 30-minute interview streamed live on the Periscope app, featuring questions from students and live viewers.

Watch the full interview on RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONS.