R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N E > W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

Foundations

Engagement, Leadership, Well-Being

A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN

p. 12

D E A R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S ,

Twenty-first century America is awash in data, and for better or worse, numbers rule our lives.

Companies like Google and Amazon amass troves of data about our purchases and online behavior todeliver customized advertising and product recommendations. Elected officials use finely parsed voterregistration data to draw legislative districts that give one party an insurmountable electoral advantageover the other. The fate of our public school districts hinges on the reams of data produced by standardized testing.

Yet, with all this data at our disposal, we still don’t always know whether we are measuring the right things with the right numbers. It’s a dilemma that vexes many of us who work in higher education: Does the service we provide, at considerable cost, produce the correct outcomes?

That’s the dilemma that Purdue University President Mitch Daniels set out to resolve when he partneredwith the Gallup organization to develop a survey that would identify the undergraduate experiences thatcontribute to personal and professional satisfaction. The Gallup-Purdue Index (page 16) is prescriptive aswell as descriptive: It tells colleges and universities what they need to do to turn out graduates who arehighly engaged and fulfilled in their personal and professional lives.

When RMU set out to develop its next strategic plan, we did not know the Gallup-Purdue Index was in the offing, and we certainly did not anticipate the sobering message it would send about our industry’sshortcomings. But as we pored through the results and took note of the factors of success the GPI identified,we realized we had found an ideal tool to assess the quality of the education and experiences we provideour own students.

That’s why we are now one of 12 universities nationwide to partner with Gallup and administer the survey to our own graduates to determine where we can improve. We sent email invitations to complete the survey to a list of alumni who received bachelor’s degree from RMU, and we are grateful to all of you who participated. As you read about our next strategic plan on page 12 of this issue of Foundations, you will see how closely its initiatives dovetail with the measures of success identified by Gallup.

As many of you know, I will be leaving Robert Morris University at the end of the current academic year tobecome the president of Rider University in my native New Jersey. This was a deeply personal decision forme, and it will not be easy to leave all the wonderful friends, including many of you, that my wife, Polly,and I have made in the RMU community. These have been 10 wonderful years for my family and me, and I am proud of all that you and I have achieved together. With your support, the next president will take your alma mater to even greater heights. Robert Morris University’s best days are yet to come.

Sincerely,

G R E G O R Y G . D E L L ’ O M O , P H . D .P R E S I D E N T

CREDITS

EDITORMark Houser

CONTRIBUTORS Alan Buehler '13, Kimberly Burger Capozzi, Matt Crouch '14, Jannah Jablonowski '14,Charlotte Latvala, Jonathan Potts M'11, Linda K. Schmitmeyer, Matt Sober

ART DIRECTORAmy Joy

PHOTOGRAPHY/ILLUSTRATIONS Front Cover: iStock.Back Cover: Nazari Dorosh ‘10Other Photos/Illustrations: Jason Cohn, Tim Cowie, Denny Harsh, Glory DaysPhotography, iStock., Mitch Kramer ‘08, Michael Will ‘08

PRINTING Heeter Direct

FOUNDATIONS ONLINE RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONSAlan Buehler '13

Foundations (ISSN 1934-5690) is published threetimes a year by the Office of Public Relations and Marketing in conjunction with the Office ofInstitutional Advancement and mailed free ofcharge to alumni, donors, trustees, faculty, staff,and friends of Robert Morris University. Theopinions expressed in the magazine do notnecessarily reflect the official policies of Robert Morris University.

Contributions to Class Notes and addresschanges may be sent to:Office of Alumni RelationsRobert Morris University6001 University BoulevardMoon Township, PA 15108-1189Phone: (412) 397-6464 Fax: (412) 397-5871Email: rmualum@rmu.edu

It is the policy of Robert Morris University to provideequal opportunity in all educational programs andactivities, admission of students, and conditions ofemployment for all qualified individuals regardlessof race, color, sex, religion, age, disability, nationalorigin, and/or sexual preference.

WINTER}15 Foundations

Measuring Our Impact. . . . . . . . 16When a Pittsburgher at Gallup helped design a survey to study what aspects of a university education lead to success andsatisfaction, RMU got in on the ground floor.

Honing His Craft. . . . . . . . . . . 24If Dominic Cincotta M’09 D’14 went through a lot of beer to earn his doctorate, it’s understandable. His research focused onmarketing analysis of “nanobreweries” like his CoStar Brewing.

A Decade of Growth . . . . . . . . 28As the 10-year term of President Greg Dell’Omo approaches its end, Robert Morris University begins the search for a new leader to guide the institution into the future.

Coal Patch Kid. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22His father and his grandfather were miners, but Bob Stovash ‘61 stayed in the sunlight for his career in coal. He is the recipient of the 2014 Heritage Award.

A New Center Rises... p. 26Construction of a new School of Nursing and Health Sciences building has begun.

10 Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Castle Shannon Mayor Donald Baumgarten ‘57 is the Pennsylvania Mayor of the Year.

02 CAMPUS REPORT

06 POLLING INSTITUTE

08 SPORTS

30 UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

32 CLASS NOTES

41 UPCOMING EVENTS

DEPARTMENTS

> Polishing Our Resume TopManagementDegrees.comhas named RMU’s onlinemaster’s degree inhuman resourcesmanagement to its list of thetop 50 such programs in thenation. The ranking is based onpublicly available information aboutfaculty credentials, student services andtechnology, student engagement, tuition,selectivity, and peer assessment.

CAMPUS REPORT

>Early Start Madea Little EasierRMU received an $8,000grant from WasteManagement tosupport the FirstSemester College in High SchoolProgram, whichallows high schoolstudents to earn college credit at a deepdiscount. The money will cover the costsof textbooks for students at Moon, Montour, and Hopewell high schools.

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>Catch a Rising StarKhulood Al Ali, an engineering major concentrating in biomedicalengineering, is this year’s recipient of the Rising Star Award, given to a seniorwho demonstrates academic success, individuality, determination,passion, and potential.

Al Ali is active and a leader in numerous student organizations,including Carpe Mundum, the Saudi Student Club, SeniorClass Gift Committee, RMU Creativity Club, and Mosaic.She is a committed volunteer, having spent twoalternative fall breaks helping the homeless in Pittsburgh,an alternative spring break in Harrisburg assisting the elderly,and another in North Carolina rehabilitating homes. She tutors Arabiclanguage at RMU and the Carnegie Library, and has volunteered more than400 hours at the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Coraopolis CommunityDevelopment Foundation, Santa’s Workshop, and Shepherd’s Heart.

Page:RMU AlumniURL:facebook.com/RMUalumni

> > FIND US ON FACEBOOK

> Room to GrowConstruction of a new building next door

will allow the School of Engineering,Mathematics and Science to expand itsspace in the John Jay Center, and not a

moment too soon. The school, which celebrated its 15th anniversary in the fall, is the fastest growing at RMU, and engineering is now the university’s largest major.

The school started with just 22 engineering students in 1999 and today enrolls nearly 1,000 across each of its disciplines, including actuarial science, mathematics, biology, and environmental science. SEMS boasts the only ABET-accredited manufacturing engineering degree program inPennsylvania, and is one of only 25 Centers for Actuarial Excellenceworldwide. Thanks to the school’s expertise in 3-D printing, RMU is part of the federally funded America Makes initiative, putting RMU in the same company as engineering powerhouses such as Carnegie Mellon and Penn State.

>A TragedyAbout Tragedy“Remembrance,” Colonial Theatre’s first full-length original production written by a student, was performed on theMassey Hall stage in October. SeniorEnglish major and honors student Tanner Sebastianwrote the play, whichfollows a family struggling with how togrieve for someone who has done theunforgivable after the youngest son shoots and kills 14 people, includinghimself and his mother.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y FOUNDAT IONS • 3

> SEE TH

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> First Canton,Now Moon

Among the inductees this year to the RMU Sport ManagementHall of Fame were thePittsburgh Steelers and theRooney family for their

longtime and generous supportof the university, including the

Rooney Visiting International ScholarsProgram. Brian Ross M’03, the seniordirector of ticket sales and service for the New Orleans Pelicans and NewOrleans Saints, was also inducted, as were USA Football events director Russ Yurk M’94 and Pittsburgh Marathon and Dick’s Sporting Goods executivedirector Patrice Matamoros.

The induction ceremony was part of the11th annual Sport Management StudentConference, which attracted 150 studentsfrom 18 colleges to network with dozensof industry professionals representingevery major U.S. professional sportsleague, many of them RMU alumni. Fifty students in the last three years havelanded internships or first jobs from leads at the conference.

> Bigger Each YearWhen the university’s top supporters get together each year for thePresident’s Council Dinner, they need a big venue. The club of donors whocontribute $1,000 annually continues to grow, with a record 408 members inthe last fiscal year — more than doubling in just four years.

Luckily, Heinz Field has the space to hold everybody. President’s Councilmembers this December heard President Gregory Dell’Omo, Ph.D., give his final State of the University address and saw Robert V. Stovash ‘61receive the 2014 Heritage Award (see p. 22).

>Pittsburgh’s Wild HistoryHistory professor Daniel Barr, Ph.D., has written his third book, A ColonySprung From Hell: Pittsburgh and the Struggle for Authority on the WesternFrontier 1744-1794. The book examines how the political struggle betweenPennsylvania and Virginia over which colony would control the Forks of theOhio produced a chaotic region that struggled for security and stability fordecades. It is published by The Kent State University Press.

Communication professor Ann Jabro,Ph.D., presented research at theWorld Conference on Soil Scienceon Jeju Island, South Korea, fromher longitudinal study of howscientists change presentationstrategies for technicalinformation after receivingtraining in presentation skills.

Library learning resources professorJacqueline Klenztin, Ph.D., was elected

to a two-year term as at-large memberof the Western Pennsylvania/WestVirginia chapter of the Associationof College and Research Libraries.

Computer and information systemsprofessor Karen Paullet, D.Sc.,presented a NASA CyberSecurity Webinar aboutsecurity issues andthreats when usinga mobile device inAugust titled“Opening the DigitalPandora’s Box.”

> Movers & Shakers

>Giving It Their All, and Then SomeThree staff members nominated by their peers received the UniversityDistinguished Achievement Awards for accomplishments beyond theirregular tasks during the past fiscal year. Dawn Smoot, social media/webdesigner; Joe Hale, video engineer; and David Ausman, senior financialanalyst, each received a check for $1,000 and a marble bookend etched with their name and the university seal. Their names have been engraved on a plaque in Nicholson Center.

4 > JABRO

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y FOUNDAT IONS • 5

>Nursing NewsNursing professor Lynn George,Ph.D., gave a presentationtitled “The Effect of theDedicated Education Unit onStudent Self-Efficacy” at the

University of Portland School of Nursing Conference in July.

Several faculty and staff from the School of Nursing and Health Sciences and theRISE Center gave presentations lastsummer at the International NursingAssociation for Clinical Simulation andLearning Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Nursing professor Susan Van Cleve,D.N.P., was inducted as a fellow of the American Association of NursePractitioners in 2014; also inducted last year was new D.N.P. graduateLorraine Bock D’14. Fellows are chosenfor outstanding contributions to the nursepractitioner profession by writing andpublishing articles, conducting research,developing clinical practice models,teaching innovations, or influencing health policy.

The Emergency Nurses Association gavenursing professor Denise Ramponi,D.N.P., its Frank L. ColeNurse PractitionerAward for exceptionalprofessional practice,innovation, leadership, and advocacy in emergencynursing. In addition to her duties at RMU,Ramponi works as an emergencydepartment nurse practitioner at theHeritage Valley Sewickley and HeritageValley Beaver hospitals.

> FOLLO

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> TransatlanticTeachers

RMU professors Michele Cole, Ph.D., Daniel Shelley,Ph.D., and Louis Swartz, J.D., along with Nigerian professor andformer Rooney International Visiting Scholar Blessing Adeoye,Ph.D., presented their research at the Smart Technology BasedEducation and Training Conference in Greece last year.

Their paper, “Does Student and Instructor Use of Social Media FacilitateOnline Learning: A Look at Two Universities,” was based on researchconducted over a two-year span at RMU and the University of Lagos.

>Manufacturing WorkforceThe Community College of Allegheny County has named engineering

professor Arif Sirinterlikci, Ph.D., to its mechatronics advisory board,which connects employers with skilled manufacturingworkers. Sirinterlikci also was recently recognized at theSociety of Manufacturing Engineers annual conference inDetroit for his work on committees for journals and formanufacturing engineering and research.

>Music ManThe Middle Atlantic Association of Colleges of BusinessAdministration gave economics professor J. Brian O’Roark,Ph.D., its Undergraduate Teaching Innovation Award for hisproject “Incorporating Music into the Economics Classroom.”

O’Roark began with a survey of the best pop songs abouteconomics, including Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “ThriftShop” and Madonna’s “Material Girl.” Now colleagues,

friends, and family give O’Roark a steady stream of ideas forsongs he can mine for principles of economics.

“It helps students to see the economic concepts we are learning inclass are not entirely esoteric. They are things that do show up in

everyday life,” O’Roark says. “It gives them a different perspective oneconomics and a different perspective on music.”

recycle this magazineGive it to a neighbor who’s in high schooland help spread the word about RMU.

6 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

4%HAVE BOUGHT

SOMETHING WITH BITCOINS

TAKING AMERICA’S PULSE

VIRTUAL CURRENCYOpinions are evenly divided about Bitcoin, the most prominent “virtual currency” used for online purchases andtransactions. About one in four (27%) say they could see themselves using Bitcoin or another virtual currency, but publicopinion is evenly split over the idea, with 44% saying it “seems like a more secure and safe way to conduct transactions” and 45% saying it “sounds like a scam and a way to lose money.”

20%PROTECT THEIR

SMARTPHONES ORTABLETS WITH

ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS

TARGET FOR HACKERSWhile more than two-thirds of Americans install anti-virus protection on their desktop computers, they arenot so careful with their smartphones and tablet computers.Almost one in ten respondents (8%) say they personally havebeen the victim of identity theft, and twice that number saythey have experienced a data theft or computer securitybreach at a business.

67%FAVOR

STANDARDIZEDTESTING IN

SCHOOLS

FILLING IN THE DOTSA slight majority (52%) of those with at least some awarenessof the Common Core State Standards support the efforttowards standardizing school curriculum. Support for othereducation reform principles is higher: More than half (57%) say charter schools perform better than public schools, and a large majority (77%) support the right of parents tohomeschool children. Just under half (49%) support teachers’ right to unionize.

Highlights of the latest surveys by the Robert Morris UniversityPolling Institute Powered by Trib Total Media:

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y FOUNDAT IONS • 7

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.

ABOUT THE ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITYPOLLING INSTITUTE POWERED BY TRIB TOTAL MEDIA

BIGGAM

ETHE

BASKETBALL

MEN VS.CENTRALCONNECTICUT STATESAT., FEB. 14, NOON

WOMEN VS.ST. FRANCISSAT., FEB. 28, 1 P.M

HOCKEYWOMEN VS.RITFRI., FEB. 13, 7 P.M.

MEN VS. NIAGARASAT., FEB. 28, 7 P.M.

We pick some of the most exciting home games this season. Mark your calendarnow, and make a trip back toyour alma mater. Let ‘emhear your Colonials cheer!

LACROSSE

MEN VS.MARYLANDTUES., MARCH 24, 4 P.M.

WOMEN VS. BRYANTFRI., APRIL 17, 3 P.M.

ICE HOCKEYMEN Fresh off their first appearance in the NCAATournament, the Colonials began this season strongerthan ever, reeling off a program-record nine-gameunbeaten streak to take command of Atlantic Hockey and rising to No. 17 in the national rankings.

WOMEN The team is coming off its best season ever, when it spent 12 weeks in the Top 10 rankings.

THE BIG GAME FEB. 28 VS. NIAGARA

The home finale at 84 Lumber Arena and senior night ought to be a perfect prelude to the playoffs. The Purple Eagles took the Colonials to OT in the lastseason’s AHA semifinals before RMU won 5-4.

MEN’S BASKETBALLIn the history of the NationalInvitational Tournament, only four No. 8 seeds have beaten a No. 1 seed – and two of thoseare the Colonials. Lastseason the men went to St. John’s in the NIT firstround and completelydominated the Red Storm,bringing back memoriesof the previous year’slegendary first-round upset

of Kentucky at theSewall Center.

THE BIG GAMEFEB. 14 VS. CENTRAL CONN. ST.

Packing the Chuck for a noon tipoff is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, especially against Central Connecticut, picked in preseason polls to finish at No. 2, a spot ahead of the Colonials.

Lucky Jones, a dominating presencein both of those program-defining wins, is back for his senior year. The team’s top rebounder is one of three returningstarters from a squad that went 14-2 to lead the conference before falling in theNEC championship game. If this is the year the Colonials make it back to theNCAA Tournament, some NIT No. 1 seed will probably breathe a sigh of relief.

SIT COURTSIDEAND ON THE ICEJOIN THE 1921 CLUB AND

SIT COURTSIDE OR CHEERFROM THE GLASS. BE ACOLONIAL BOOSTER.

RMU.EDU/1921

The Colonials led the NEC in 3-point field goal accuracy last season.

1. ROBERT MORRIS 271 38.5%2. FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 226 35.5%3. MOUNT ST. MARY’S 296 35.5%

3P 3P%TEAM

BEHIND THE ARC

38.5

> CHECK RMUCOLONIALS.COM > JONES

STARS TO WATCH

#27 ZAC LYNCHMEN’S HOCKEYLook for Lynch on thepower play, no matterwhose it is. He ledColonials in man-advantage scoring lastseason and also tapped infour short-handed goals.

#4 ANNA NIKI STAMOLAMPROUWOMEN’S BASKETBALLStamolamprou scored the most points of anyColonial in the NCAATournament vs. NotreDame, then opened thisseason with a career-high21 points at No. 19 Iowa.

#36 JESSICA AND#24 COREY KARWACKIWOMEN’S LACROSSEThe Karwacki twins are a double bill of talent:Jessica set the NCAAsingle-season record with216 draw controls, whileCorey led the Colonialswith 31 goals.

THE BIG GAMEFEB. 28 VS. ST. FRANCIS

The Red Flash will be shooting for revenge in this rematch of last year’s title match, whenSt. Francis jumped out to an early lead before theColonials took control.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLLast year’s regular-season and tournament champions, the Colonials again are preseason picks to repeat, thanks in large part to another Greek import. Anna Niki Stamolamproumade last season’s all-tournament team as a freshman, alongside her countrywoman and Colonials all-time scoring and rebounding leader Artemis Spanou.The international roster also includes 2013 NEC Rookie of the YearAshley Ravelli of Italy as well as players from France, Spain,Canada, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

LACROSSEMEN The Colonials look to bounce back into the postseason

with the help of junior midfielder Eric Rankel, their scoring leader with 35 points last year and a two-time All-NEC First Teamer.

WOMEN Coming off their second appearance in the NEC Tournament, the team will be aiming to

make even more noise this year.

THE BIG GAMEAPRIL 17 VS. BRYANT

Last year’s conference champions visit the Colonialsin what could easily be a postseason preview.

THE BIG GAMEMARCH 24 VS. MARYLAND

The team tests its mettle against a big dog of collegelacrosse. The Terrapins have made the NCAA FinalFour in three of the last four seasons.

1 1

M FOR THE LATEST ON GAME TIMES, VENUES, AND SCORES.

> STAMOLAMPROU

1 0

A SMASHING SUCCESSOpponents hoping to spike a volleyball should look out forBecky Jay. The senior middle blocker finished her Colonialscareer with 463 blocks, breaking a school record of 460 thathad stood since 1995. Jay’s defensive prowess earned her All-NEC First Team honors and helped the Colonials setanother record: The team posted a winning season in theNortheast Conference for the 16th year in a row — the longest streak for any NEC team in any sport.

Only one team in the NEC was able to stop the Colonials —undefeated LIU Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the Blackbirdsspoiled Robert Morris’s return to the conference championshipby winning their third NEC title in a row. But that shouldn’tdim the accomplishment of the team’s 12-2 conference record,the best in the five-year tenure of coach Dale Starr.

For Jay, who started playing in fourth grade in suburbanCleveland, life without volleyball is unimaginable: “It taughtme how to work for what I want, and gave me an outlet formy drive to compete.”

Not only excelling on the court, Jay and her teammates earneda collective cum laude GPA of 3.564 in the 2013-14 academicyear. That was second among all RMU varsity teams andhelped the university win the 2014 Northeast ConferenceInstitutional Academic Award, bestowed annually on the NECschool whose student-athletes earn the highest overall GPA.

Jay also stands out for her impressive credentials inleadership, service, and global experience, as can be seen on her Student Engagement Transcript. Every RMU graduatereceives the formal records of their experiential learningoutside the classroom to give potential employers a fullerpicture of their accomplishments at the university.

Last summer, Jay was in Nicaragua with fellow nursingstudents working in a clinic in a poor barrio, assessing familyhome conditions, and helping bring in basics like toilets, sinks,and beds. “I saw houses made out of Coke machines and sheetmetal, and it made me extremely grateful for the life I have,”she says. “They did not have much, but every day theybrought out chairs for us. They would use their limitedelectricity to plug in a fan to make it a little less hot. We werethere to help them, yet they still went out of their way to begenerous hosts.”

WRITTEN BY MATT CROUCH ‘14

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON COHN

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A LIFETIME OF ENGAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP, AND WELL-BEING

A NEW STRATEGIC PLANRobert Morris University’s new strategic plan sets the vision for the next five years,

strengthening the university’s commitment to prepare graduates for a lifetime of professionaland personal fulfillment through high-quality engaged learning opportunities

and talented faculty who care about each individual student.

The new Gallup-Purdue Index affirms that college graduateswho are engaged in their careers and thriving in their dailylives are also those who say they:

• had a professor who made them excited about learning• believed their professors cared about them as a person

• had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams

• worked on a project that took at least a semester to finish

• had an internship that applied what they learned in class

• got very involved in activities and organizations outside the classroom

Fewer than 3 percent of graduatesnationwide say they experienced all six.The new strategic plan aims to changethat for RMU alumni. In order to helpmake that possible, the university hasentered into a direct partnership withGallup to measure how well theuniversity delivers on those importantexperiences, both to validate successesand point the way forward forimprovement.

The new strategic plan has six main pillars:

ADVANCING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

RMU will expand its innovativeemphasis on engaged learning, offeringmore opportunities to supplementlectures and labs with learning outsidethe classroom through the StudentEngagement Program. The universityalso will continue to encourage its facultyto act as mentors for their students and tospark their love of learning. “We wantacademic credentials, we want people who are excellentteachers, we want people who are connected to theirindustry,” says David Jamison, J.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “But most of all, we wantfaculty members who care about student connections, whowant to interact with students, because the research showsthat connection is critical to student success.”

Dan Oberst ‘14, who earned a B.S.B.A. in accounting lastspring after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh,

said personal attention from faculty made a big difference to him. “Robert Morris just had a way more intimate feelabout everything. My professor even took a call from me on a Saturday, which would be unheard of at Pitt.” Oberstappreciated the expertise of faculty and a career center that

placed him in multiple internships: “A lot of my professors have comestraight from industry. One of myprofessors was a practicing C.P.A. at hisown firm, coming into class in his sparetime for teaching. He knows what weneed to know for our actual, practicalapplication of accounting knowledge.”

Personal attention is just as importantfor the university’s expanding onlinelearning options. Two out of three RMU online students in a recent surveysay the university delivers rigorousacademics, professional focus, andengaged learning better than otherschools. Their responses tell the story:“wonderful professors who have givenme crucial career advice and helped me to continue my academic andprofessional goals” … “availability of all professors when I have neededthem” … “an online advisor who wentout of her way to assist me, provingRobert Morris truly cares about myeducational goals.”

UNIVERSITY OF CHOICE FOR STUDENTS

The new strategic plan focuses onexpanding theuniversity’scommitmentto itsstudentsover the

course of their entire lives. Thatcommitment to RMU graduates’personal and professional

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“MOST OF ALL, WE WANT FACULTY

MEMBERS WHO CARE ABOUT

STUDENT CONNECTIONS... BECAUSE

THE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT

CONNECTION ISCRITICAL

TO STUDENT SUCCESS.”

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well-being begins with their first contactwith the admissions office as prospectivestudents, and continues long aftergraduation, as they move through theircareers and seek opportunities forprofessional development and personalgrowth. Significant expansion is planned for the career services center, along with

even more robust alumni relations programming.

“I think what excites me about the strategic plan is how we are actually taking everything and connecting all the dotsnow,” says John Michalenko, vice president for student life.“From the time that you arrive here as a freshman to the timethat you graduate and you’re a successful alum, happy tocome back to Robert Morris, we’re all connected — academics,student life, athletics, student support, and of course the all-important career services and preparing you for yourcareer. So it’s all about the physical well-being, social well-being, and the academic preparedness, and when youleave Robert Morris, you feel passionate that you actually got what you paid for from this institution.”

And you are excited to remain connected to the university onmany levels, including giving back so that future generationsof RMU students can carry on this great tradition. Therelationship never ends; it just changes and matures as timegoes on. Consider recent graduate Mike Boylan ‘12 M’13, whocredits his RMU experiences in the classroom, at conferences,and in his on-campus IT work and internships with preparinghim for his current job with a major computer corporation.“The university has invested a lot in me. I just felt it was rightto invest back in the future of RMU,” says Boylan, aPresident’s Council member for the last two years.

UNIVERSITY OF CHOICE FOR FACULTY AND STAFF

Just as the university strives to ensure its graduates becomeengaged in their workplace, the strategic plan also calls formeasures to make RMU an engaging workplace for all its

employees, faculty, and staff. Particular emphasis will include helping talented staff members identify career paths within the university, and offering developmentalopportunities for them to assume higher-level positionsthroughout the university.

The university also seeks to expand opportunities for staff tomentor student workers. Ellen Wieckowski, vice president ofinformation technology, explains how helping her student ITworkers prepare to enter the workforce is among the mostuplifting aspects of her job. (One of her recent success stories:Mike Boylan.) “One of the most significant things we do is wehire students, and we don’t just hire them for meaninglessjobs, we give them jobs with a lot of content that help themdevelop in their careers,” she says. “A lot of times we helpthem with resumes, portfolios, contacts we might have. Wesend them through the career center. And then we watch themgo into their first job. It’s just so rewarding to see that you’vebeen a part of the development of this young person, and thatthey’re doing so well in their career.”

INFRASTRUCTURE AS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

With the construction of a new building for the School ofNursing and Health Sciences – set to be completed in time forthe start of the 2015-16 academic year — RMU takes anotherstep toward the completion of five distinct “academic villages”with a living-learning environment and state-of-the artacademic facilities and technology to enhance high-qualityteaching, learning, innovation, and research for each of thefive schools.

• The new building will allow the School of Engineering,Mathematics, and Science to expand to occupy all of John Jay Center.

• The School of Business has its own new building, as well as Massey Hall.

• The School of Communication and Information Systems has a new home at Wheatley Center.

• The School of Education and Social Sciences has fully renovated and expanded space in Nicholson Center.

“IT’S JUST SO REWARDING TO BE A PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS

1 5

With enrollment steadily growing, the university is alsoassessing athletics and recreational spaces and studenthousing to consider whether and what kind of expansion maybe necessary. Driving these decisions is the objective ofcontributing to student engagement in all phases, enhancing adynamic and vibrant living-learning environment that createsa strong sense of place and community. That provides acompetitive advantage to Robert Morris University whenprospective students are considering their college options.

SOLIDIFY AND LEVERAGE THE RMU BRAND

The university will build on the success of its “ChangingLives” campaign, bolstering the message of service to the community with a strong emphasis on professionalexperiences, particularly through meaningful internships that apply and reinforce lessons learned in class. Inherent in this message is the concept of a holistic “RMU experience”that is personal, caring, and rigorous, and that maintains the professional focus with great outcomes for which theuniversity is known.

At the same time, our message will stress that RMU addresses its students’ maturation process with an aim to produce graduates who contribute successfully in an ever-changing world, and thus are prepared for a lifetime of professional engagement and personal fulfillment. And just as the university’s impact extends beyond its alumni community, RMU’s story will continue to be aimed at engaging not only graduates and potential students but also the region as a whole.

STRENGTHEN RMU’S FINANCIAL POSITION

The generous support of our alumni and other donors andfriends has fueled the university’s success so far. In order toachieve the objectives described here and other milestones asthe university expands its size, reach, and effectiveness,significant additional investments will be required. At the

same time, RMU will continue to emphasize tuitionaffordability, sound financial management of its assets, and a focus on continuously strengthening the overall valueproposition of a Robert Morris University education for our students and their families.

THE GOALEven before there was a Gallup-Purdue Index, Robert Morris University proclaimed six core values: Changing lives. Engaged learning. Academic excellence. Professionalfocus. Global perspective. Individuals matter. The universitycontinues to be dedicated to those six core values. In manyways, they are mirrored in the six collegiate experiences theGPI has singled out, and that RMU is committed to makingpossible for every one of its students.

The university has already begun working with Gallup tosurvey its alumni on a regular basis, both to validate ourprogress so far and to calibrate our actions going forward.Recently we sent emails to thousands of alumni who earned a bachelor’s degree at this institution, inviting them tocomplete a survey designed in partnership with Gallup (see story on p. 16). We look forward to sharing key findingsfrom that effort in the near future.

Five years from now, our goal is to have even more peoplerecognize Robert Morris University as a “best value” amongmidsize, private, comprehensive universities — one that offers students a highly personal and engaged educationalexperience that successfully prepares them for life. Or as ourstrategic plan says, a lifetime of engagement, leadership, and well-being. ��

YOUNG PERSON, AND SEE THAT THEY’RE DOING SO WELL IN THEIR CAREER.”

STRATEGIC PLAN

UNIVERSITY OF CHOICE

MEASURING OUR IMPACTHow does a university make sure it is equipping its graduates to lead

rewarding, successful lives? It’s not an easy question.

1 6 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

Universities have long relied on job placement rates andstarting salaries to determine how well their students aredoing after graduation — that includes Robert MorrisUniversity and its billboards advertising graduates’ 92 percent placement rate. But while this is important, a college education must prepare students for more than just the first job they land.

That’s why RMU and 11 other universities — including major institutions like Ohio State, Arizona State, and GeorgeMason; private universities like Creighton and Bentley; and some online-only programs — are partnering with thenational polling firm Gallup to expand its growing nationaldatabase on how colleges and universities can ensure theirgraduates succeed. More than 1,500 Robert Morris alumni in October filled out an extensive, confidential 75-questionsurvey asking about their university experiences, their careers, and their daily lives.

Gallup is well known by many for its political polls, but thecompany has an extensive history of polling research on awide range of social issues, including workplace engagementand job satisfaction. The firm’s Gallup-Purdue Index, releasedlast spring and based on random surveys of 30,000 collegegraduates nationwide, singled out six factors of a collegeexperience that strongly influence whether college graduatesreport being engaged in their workplace and thriving in theirpersonal life.

Those six factors deal with relationships — professors whomade them excited about learning, who cared about them aspeople, mentors who encouraged them to pursue their goalsand dreams — and experiential learning opportunities — aproject that took at least a semester, an internship that appliedclassroom learning, strong participation in activities outsidethe classroom.

When President Gregory Dell’Omo, Ph.D., read the study, he felt vindicated. “I’ve been preaching this stuff for the last 25 years, and now I have data to support what I’ve beensaying,” he says. Dell’Omo resolved to use the new research to help focus the university’s new strategic plan, then underdevelopment. At a June leadership conference in San Franciscoorganized by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman,Dell’Omo had breakfast with the person at Gallup behind the index — who turned out to be from Pittsburgh.

Brandon Busteed, executive director of Gallup Education,even remembers visiting RMU years ago for a track meetwhen he was on the North Allegheny High School team.Busteed, who now lives in suburban Washington, praised the university for wanting to measure its impact on itsstudents’ lives.

“Robert Morris is one of the first 12 institutions in the world to lead off, and it’s for all the right reasons — a sincere interestin continuous improvement, seeing how you’re doing, andtrying to measure the broader impact of a universityeducation, not just how much money your graduates aremaking,” he says. The university will benefit by comparingthe responses of its graduates to the national surveybenchmarks, Busteed says. Gallup will benefit also, by beingable to look at more specific and detailed questions inindividual university surveys that weren’t asked in the bigger Gallup-Purdue Index questionnaires. “The researchershere at Gallup are just chomping at the bit to figure out thethings we can learn from this,” he says.

The Gallup-Purdue Index came about after Mitch Daniels, the president of Purdue University and former governor ofIndiana, approached Gallup about finding a better measure of how a bachelor’s degree affects long-term outcomes foralumni. Daniels specified that he wanted more than thestatistics universities typically use, like salaries and jobplacement rates of recent graduates. “I told Mitch to do thiswe need a national representative sample,” says Busteed. “I kind of said it jokingly, and he looked at me with a seriouslook on his face and said, ‘Let’s figure out how to do this.’”

With funding from Purdue and the Indiana-based LuminaFoundation, which supports education research, Galluppollsters began with the roughly 1,000 people they call eachevening for their various polls, asking for the emails of thosewith a bachelor’s degree. In six months, they had enoughemails to send out questionnaires for their national sample.

For Busteed, the Gallup-Purdue Index boils down to this: Thetwo most transformative experiences a university can provideare professors who act as personal mentors, and meaningfulinternships that apply lessons from the classroom. “Those aregoing to become more important ways of thinking about thechoices of where you can go to college,” he says.

Robert Morris has long espoused engagedlearning with a professional focus and personal relationships withfaculty and mentors that changethe lives of students. Now at theoutset of a new strategic plan,the university has an effectivenew way of measuring how well it makes good on that promise. �

1 7

WRITTEN BY MARK HOUSER

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STRATEGIC PLAN

STRENGTHEN ENGAGED LEARNING

REAL WORLD, REAL ENGAGEMENTWhen Anthony Moretti, Ph.D., tells students about the importance of “engaged learning,”the newly minted director of RMU’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Directed EngagedLearning can hold up one of their former classmates as an example. Ask Besart Stavileci ‘12

and he’ll say he learned many of his most valuable lessons outside the classroom.

Stavileci, a Kosovo native who majored in actuarial scienceand now works as an actuarial analyst at Harvard PilgrimHealth Care in Boston, says his internships and extracurricularexperiences as an RA, math tutor, senior class president, andfounder of the international student organization CarpeMundum were invaluable in preparing him to work with awide variety of people. “In the classroom, you’re surroundedby students your own age,” he says. “Upon graduation, youusually end up in a job where there are employees from threedifferent generations, from different cultures and origins, andit can be overwhelming if you’re not used to it.”

Getting involved in leadership roles on and off campus alsogave him more opportunities to practice other real-worldskills. “Juggling classes, a part-time job, and extracurricularactivities is a great exercise in effective time management,”Stavileci says. “You’re forced to organize your day in such a way that everything fits, and that’s really important forhappiness both in and out of the office.”

Moretti, an associate professor of communication, is excitedabout his mission at the new center: expanding the role ofexperiential learning at the university. “We’re coming up withsome ideas from scratch, and borrowing some from otherinstitutions. This is our first year, and we’re putting out a lot of ideas,” Moretti says. “Some will stick; some will not.” What he does know: “We want to ensure that we have thetechnology and pedagogy options so that teachers can be their best – and that students have the best possiblelearning environment.”

That will include more courses designated “engaged learningintensive,” as well as interdisciplinary and collaborativeefforts across campus. “When the nursing building is done, we will have five schools in five buildings, and it’s easy tobecome isolated,” says Moretti. “With the new initiatives, we will connect across all schools and departments. Forinstance, a professor may be doing something that the rest of the university doesn’t know about – say, a professionaldevelopment mentorship program. Is it something the wholeuniversity can adopt? We can spread the message moreeffectively.” Faculty workshops, forums, and brown-baglunches will be part of the equation.

Another focus is online learning. “We really want to ensurethat faculty who teach online stay in the mix,” says Moretti.“The challenge there is the disconnect from campus; youmight literally never talk to other faculty or students. We’recognizant of ensuring the online students and faculty aren’tforgotten.” Whether it’s online or in a traditional classroom,Moretti adds, students learn best when their professors trulycare about them. “That’s a real strength for us,” he says. “At RMU, our faculty cares. We can shout that very loudly.”

Directed engaged learning includes campus leadershipopportunities, internships, community service, and globalexperiences. Mike Funyak, who will graduate in May with abachelor of science in business administration, credits theengaged learning process for broadening his RMU experience.In addition to two internships, Funyak has served asmarketing director for Sentry Media and is currently a global ambassador for RMU, a peer mentorship program forinternational students. “I’ve matured since I arrived here, andhave learned a lot about myself and others,” he says. “Theseorganizations have provided me a chance to know what it’slike to be in the workforce and deal with real-life situations.”

Sometimes, it’s the experiences away from the textbooks thatmake the most impact. For instance, between 50 and 60students volunteer at the Mooncrest Afterschool Program eachweek, helping disadvantaged children complete homeworkand leading them in organized play. But it’s about more thanhomework help, says Sister Rene Procopio, executive directorof Mooncrest Neighborhood Programs. “The students’ rolemodeling helps give these children a different perspective onlife,” she explains. “Their home life is not the best; some of the mothers and fathers are on drugs or incarcerated, and the children feel a lack of love and attention. While the RMUstudents are here, the children have an opportunity to be with someone who will show them something better.”

For the college students, the interaction is just as valuable.“Working at Mooncrest gives the RMU students an experiencewhere they reach out to others and aren’t focused onthemselves,” says Procopio. “They see that others arestruggling in life and that together they can make better things happen.” Such experiences help college studentsbecome more well-rounded human beings, in and out of the workforce. “They learn to be role models and advocates,and their presence here is the best thing for thesechildren,” says Procopio. “What they bringis invaluable – their integrity, theirown set of values, their example.”And that’s what truly engagedlearning is all about – becominga happy, successful, empathetichuman being in the classroomand beyond. �

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WRITTEN BY CHARLOTTE LATVALA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL WILL ‘08

2 0 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

TOP SECRET COLONIALSWhen the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars chose RMU

as its 2014 Academic Seminar University of the Year, it was partly a nod to how Robert Morris students turned what was supposed to be a field trip to the Chinese Embassy into a terribly uncomfortable day for one bureaucrat there.

STRATEGIC PLAN

ADVANCE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

The 17 cyber forensics and information security majors were in the capital for a two-week national security seminar in May conducted by The Washington Center, which organizesprograms in D.C. for nearly 500 colleges and universities. “It’s basically a semester worth of hours in two weeks,” says professor Karen Paullet, D.Sc., thegroup’s advisor, who joined the facultythree years ago after working 14 years inthe Allegheny County District Attorney’soffice and has taken her students to twoWashington Center seminars already.

“They get to learn from experts in thefields where they want to have careers,”she says. “At Robert Morris we can givethem the hands-on and technical skills,but experience is what this programprovides. We can take them to where theaction is, get the experiences and get thecredits, and it’s pretty amazing.”

So along with classes, panels, and sitevisits to the Defense, Treasury, andJustice departments, the FBI, and theForeign Intelligence Surveillance Court,Paullet’s group booked a meeting at theChinese Embassy. And by chance, thatmorning, the U.S. government accusedthe Chinese military of stealing tradesecrets from some very prominentPittsburgh corporations – U.S. Steel,Alcoa, Allegheny Technologies, andWestinghouse Electric. “The studentswere jumping out of their skins thatmorning,” says Paullet. “They couldn’twait to get in there.”

Danielle Meyer ‘14, who attended theseminar in both her junior and senioryears, says the Chinese official welcomedthem with a standard introductionlecture and short video before he realizing his visitors were from Pittsburgh and wanted to talk about the hackingaccusations. “His reaction was very clear,” says Meyer. “His whole demeanor changed. He turned red in the face and got uncomfortable very quickly.”

For the next 45 minutes, the students asked their questions: Why was Pittsburgh targeted? Why did China feel that the U.S. was ahead in technology? What did China hope to achieve by attacking the Pittsburgh

companies? The embassy official was evasive, Meyer says,“turning it around and making it sound like America was atfault.” But the experience was life altering. “What happenedthat day supports the fact that cybercrime is rising, and this isgoing to be my reality when I graduate,” says Meyer. “It is

something I want to help change.”

She is on track to do just that. Meyercredits the seminar with helping her geta summer internship in Los Angeles,and eventually a job offer at TheAerospace Corp., a federally fundedresearch center that works with the U.S.Air Force. On the final day of herinternship, Meyer’s team had to blockhackers in France and Russia, she says.“It was pretty cool, and it was all with aprogram that Dr. Paullet taught me. … Itbecame such a useful tool for me in thereal world.”

Paullet and her students, joined byPresident Gregory Dell’Omo, Ph.D.,traveled to Washington in September to accept the university’s WashingtonCenter Award. “Robert MorrisUniversity is a true leader within theacademic community, and wecongratulate them on this verydeserving honor,” said WashingtonCenter President Mike Smith. “It is ashining example of how universities aretaking the traditional curriculum modeland incorporating study-away academicseminar experiences that teach self-awareness, community engagement, and lifelong leadership skills.” �

2 1

“IT IS A SHINING

EXAMPLE OF HOWUNIVERSITIES ARE TAKING

THE TRADITIONAL CURRICULUM

MODEL AND

INCORPORATING ACADEMIC SEMINAR

EXPERIENCES.”

WRITTEN BY LINDA K. SCHMITMEYER

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY THE WASHINGTON CENTER

His grandfather was a coal miner until well past retirement age, and his father went down in the pits until the local Coverdale mine in Bethel Park finally shut down. Robert Stovash ‘61 made a living from coal too, but he

did his work above ground as a top executive at Consol Energy.

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� GO TO RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONSTO SEE A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO STOVASH.

COAL PATCH KID

WRITTEN BY MARK HOUSER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL WILL ‘08

Life in a mining company town wasn’t luxurious, Stovashrecalls. The “red dog” roads were paved with burned miningwaste, and the humble homes had outhouses and cold wateronly and a coal stove for warmth. “The place was referred toas ‘The Patch,’ and for a number of years as I went throughgrade school, we were looked down on alittle bit. We were the poor mining kidsfrom Coverdale,” he says.

Stovash is the 2014 recipient of the RMUHeritage Award, the university’s highestalumni honor, for his distinguished 40-year career in the coal industry and hislongtime dedication and contributions tothe university. He was honored at theannual President’s Council dinner atHeinz Field in December.

A brother went into the mines too, butfrom an early age, Stovash decided adesk job was for him. He worked inbookkeeping at a local bank branch when he was still in high school, and hisfirst full-time job after graduating wasproofreading financial reports at Ernst & Ernst.

The local mine had closed by that time,and one of the buildings was convertedto a rollerskating rink. It was there thathe met Eileen, now his wife of 55 years.He also began taking evening classes inaccounting at Robert Morris.

After several years delivering carefullyproofed annual reports, Stovash caughtthe eye of Tom Shook ‘50 (anotherHeritage Award winner), who hired him to work in Consol’s controller’soffice. In 14 years there, Stovashtraveled to all of the company’s miningoperations to implement a financialreporting system. He was then promoted to internationalmarketing, first selling coal to the Far East, then to Europe and northern Africa. In 1981 he became a vice president for the company, and he and Eileen moved to Belgium, where heopened Consol’s first overseas sales office.

“He was very influential in moving production, not only ingood times, but in bad times,” Shook says. “He had a knackfor knowing the market and where coal could move.”

Stovash returned to corporate headquarters in Upper St. Clairthree years later, but over the next twodecades continued regular overseastravel that took him to nearly everycountry in Europe and northern Africa,selling coal that was then transportedacross the ocean in huge ships. Heretired in 2003 as vice president ofEuropean marketing, but still visitsfriends in Europe regularly, especially to join three friends for a long golfweekend every year in Spain.

The Stovashes have two children: sonRobert and daughter Janice Veith ‘84,who took her father’s advice and cameto Robert Morris for her degree too. So did her daughter, Mandy Kotz ‘06. In fact, Stovash says, he’s countedanother nine relatives who alsoattended his alma mater. “That’s whyI’m a spokesman for Robert Morris — Iknow so many people who have justenjoyed going there,” he says.

The Stovashes created an RMUscholarship fund to support a graduateof Bethel Park, South Park, or PetersTownship high schools. “We put a lot of value on secondary education,” he says. “I’ve been very fortunate in my career. It started with my background at RobertMorris, andthen mybusinesscareer has

been very good. It’s just nice to give back.” �

2 3

“I’VE BEEN VERYFORTUNATE

IN MY CAREER. IT STARTED WITH MY

BACKGROUND ATROBERT MORRIS,

AND THEN MY BUSINESS

CAREER HAS BEENVERY GOOD.

IT’S JUST NICE TO GIVE BACK.”

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HONING HIS CRAFTDominic Cincotta M’09 D’14 is an active guy, balancing a full-time marketing career

with mountain biking, fly fishing, snowboarding, and travel. But these days he is pouring more and more energy into yet another hobby: craft beer.

The company Cincotta formed around that hobby, CoStar Brewing, is experiencing so much success that he and co-founder Jeff Hanna have outgrown the

modest two-car garage that serves as their base of operations.

A so-called “nanobrewery,” CoStar produces small batches of beer for bars and restaurants near Highland Park, thePittsburgh neighborhood that’s home to the business’snamesake alley, Costar Way.

“Our operation is on the smallest ofsmall scales,” Cincotta says. “We brew 30gallons every Saturday.” That only meetsabout one-fifth of demand, he says, but ifall goes as planned, the company willsoon secure as much as 100,000 squarefeet to produce its lineup of 12 malt-and-hop concoctions including a coffee stout,a strawberry wheat, and the signatureHopland Park Pale Ale.

A Harrisburg native, Cincotta hasworked in marketing since 2001. Hisbeverage industry experience includespositions with Red Bull and VitaminWater, and he was recently named themarketing manager of the PittsburghInternational Race Complex in BeaverCounty. He and Hanna met through a mutual love of beer and mountainbiking, and they started home brewingsix years ago.

Cincotta already had an M.S. inorganizational leadership from RMU,and in May he completed the Doctor ofScience program in information systemsand communications. “I’d been readingabout technology’s role in branding andcommunications, and I wanted to run myown brand and be responsible for thebrand image,” he says. “This programwas a perfect match.” Cincotta’s finalfield project combined marketing,technology, and his product, and had theeye-catching academic title “CollectiveBeer Brand Identity: A Semiotic Analysisof the Websites Representing Small and Medium Enterprisesin the Brewing Industry of Western PA.”

“In trying to expand CoStar, we have to talk to banks and investors,” he says. “When I’m able to talk about my dissertation, they know we’re serious. Those three letters – D.Sc. – get people interested very quickly. It gives a lot of credibility to what you do.”

For all of Cincotta’s marketing savvy, he and Hanna take a decidedly understated approach to the CoStar brand –particularly in an industry where whimsy is the rule, not the exception. “When we started, we decided we’re notextreme brewers,” he says. “We want to do the simple beers

very, very well.” To that end, they rarely christen their creations withcatchy names, instead identifying them simply by the beer’s style. “Ourperspective is that we like our beers to speak for themselves, so rather thancreate an image beforehand, we try notto invoke a whole lot of imagery beforeyou try the product.”

Keeping things simple is their style.“Our favorite places to hang out alwayshad very simple names: William PennTavern, Kelly’s,” he says. “When wewere sitting outside Jeff’s house filingout business applications, we realizedwe didn’t have a name. We were in analley called Costar Way, and we thoughtit was a good way to represent wherewe’re from.”

And where might one try the product?For now, generally within a couplemiles of that two-car garage in HighlandPark, at neighborhood establishmentslike Harvard & Highland, Kelly’s Bar &Lounge, Independent Brewing Co. inSquirrel Hill, and Harris Grill. “We’vegot a lot of great relationships with localbusinesses, and we think the word’sgoing to spread pretty quickly when we increase production. But over thenext few years, we’d like to keep thatproduction limited as part of ourcommitment to quality,” he says.

“If you can’t do the simple things well, you have no right to do anything more. We decided this represents our personality – doing simple thingsreally well.” �

2 5

“IN TRYING TO EXPAND COSTAR, WE HAVE TO TALK TO BANKS AND INVESTORS.

WHEN I’M ABLE TOTALK ABOUT MY DISSERTATION,

THEY KNOW WE’RE SERIOUS.

THOSE THREE LETTERS – D.SC. – GETPEOPLE INTERESTED

VERY QUICKLY.”

WRITTEN BY MATT SOBER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL WILL ‘08

A NEW CENTER RISESRobert Morris University celebrated the groundbreaking for a new

building for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences on Friday, Sept. 19, at its Moon Township campus. The 30,000-square-foot facility will include the Regional

Research and Innovation in Simulation Education (RISE) Center, RMU’s state-of-the-art medical simulation laboratory that currently is housed

in the John Jay Center with the rest of the university’s nursing programs.

STRATEGIC PLAN

A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

2 6 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

� SEE A TIME-LAPSE VIDEO OF CONSTRUCTION AT RMU.EDU/FOUNDATIONS.

The new building allows RMU to expand the professionaldevelopment and training programs it offers to local healthcare professionals – including physicians, nurses, and EMTs –as well as offer resources to the community at large. Forexample, the building will include a model apartment thatexperts can use to demonstrate to families how they canconfigure their homes to care for an ill loved one.

“This building will support theimportant work we are doing with ourown students and the community toimprove the health and quality of life forall our citizens in western Pennsylvania,”said Valerie Howard, Ed.D., dean of theSchool of Nursing and Health Sciences.“It provides a space for all our faculty,students, and staff to come together,share ideas, and work toward ourcommon goals.”

Robert Morris first offered a nursingdegree in 2003 with 18 students enrolled.Four years later it formed the School ofNursing and Health Sciences, and todayenrollment stands at 793 students inbachelor’s, master’s, and doctoralprograms, including wholly onlinedegree and certificate programs. Itsdoctor of nursing practice program,launched in 2008, was the first to becertified by the Pennsylvania Board ofNursing, and its nuclear medicinetechnology program was the first suchfour-year degree offered in westernPennsylvania.

The School of Nursing and HealthSciences enjoys partnerships with theregion’s premier health care providers,including Highmark, UPMC, the JewishHealthcare Foundation, and the HeritageValley Health System. At least twice eachyear RMU nursing students and facultytravel to Nicaragua to provide healthcare to residents in the barrios of Managua in what hasbecome one of the university’s signature study abroad andstudent engagement activities.

“The School of Nursing and Health Sciences has been one ofthe great success stories in RMU’s recent history. In a relativelyshort period of time the school has established itself as a leaderin health care education and medical simulation, clinical

research, and community service on a global scale,” said RMU President Gregory Dell’Omo, Ph.D.

The School of Nursing and Health Sciences building will bethe third new academic facility that Robert Morris has builtsince 2011. That year, the School of Business Building opened,followed a year later by the Wheatley Center, home to the

School of Communications andInformation Systems. During the sametime period, Robert Morris has built anew apartment-style residence hall,Salem Hall, and converted a formerhotel less than a mile from campus intoYorktown Hall, the university’s largeststudent residence.

The nursing school building is the next step in RMU’s plan to providededicated space for each of its fiveacademic schools. Currently the Schoolof Nursing and Health Sciences shares a home in the John Jay Center with theSchool of Engineering, Mathematics,and Science, which will expand its spacein John Jay once the nursing schoolmoves to its new building. WhenWheatley Center opened, the School ofEducation and Social Sciences, whosefaculty had been scattered acrosscampus, moved into the NicholsonCenter in space previously occupied bythe School of Communications andInformation Systems.

“These new and renovated facilities will allow our schools to become truecommunities of scholars, and give our faculty the tools they need toprepare our studentsfor meaningfulcareers andengagedlives,which has

always been at the heart of ourmission at Robert Morris,” said Dell’Omo. �

“THIS BUILDING WILL SUPPORT THEIMPORTANT WORK WE ARE DOING WITH OUR OWN

STUDENTS AND THE COMMUNITY TO

IMPROVE THE HEALTHAND

QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL OUR

CITIZENS IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.”

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WRITTEN BY JONATHAN POTTS M’11

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A DECADE OF GROWTHPresident Gregory Dell’Omo, Ph.D., announced in December that he will

step down at the end of the current academic year. His departure ends a 10-year tenureduring which Robert Morris University accelerated its transformation from a regional,

commuter-based institution to a comprehensive residential university that draws students from across the country and around the world.

STRATEGIC PLAN

CHANGING LIVES

Dell’Omo will return to his home state of New Jersey tobecome president of Rider University in suburban Trenton.Being near his extended family was an important factor in thedecision, Dell’Omo said. “The Rider opportunity is an excitingone, but this was still a very difficult choice,” he said. “Theprogress and achievements that we’ve made over the past 10years are gratifying for all of us, and I only see an upwardtrajectory continuing at RMU in the years to come.”

The RMU Board of Trustees will appoint a presidential search committee from among its members, led by RichardHarshman ‘78, vice chairman of the board and chairman,president, and CEO of Allegheny Technologies Inc. Thecommittee will engage a search firm to assist with what isexpected to be a national selection process. Trustees also will appoint a university advisory committee of faculty, staff, students, and alumni to provide perspectives on themost important leadership criteria for the next president and to help the presidential search committee narrow the field of candidates.

“The university community and many important partnershave embraced Dr. Dell’Omo’s strategic vision for RMU,” said Gary Claus ‘74, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “He leaves us with a strong and collaborative team ofadministrators, trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and donors who have helped propel Robert Morris inbecoming a university of choice.”

During Dell’Omo’s presidency, the university has enjoyed a rising academic reputation, dramatically increased thenumber of students living on campus, and launched a studentengagement program that has impacted all aspects of campuslife. Dell’Omo led RMU through the completion of its most recent five-year strategic plan and its most recentcomprehensive capital campaign. The fundraising campaignended in 2012 and raised $41 million, exceeding its goal andfunding two academic buildings. The campaign also helped to boost the endowment by more than 60 percent and allowedthe university to fund 30 new endowed scholarships and aresearch center focused on achievement among AfricanAmerican men. Most recently, the university broke ground on its new building for the School of Nursing and HealthSciences, expected to open in the fall. The university also built two new apartment-style residence halls and converted a nearby hotel to student housing.

Perhaps the greatest symbol of the university’s transformationunder Dell’Omo’s leadership is the dramatic increase in thenumber of students living on campus, from 1,140 in 2005 to1,990 as of the fall of 2014. Fewer than 40 percent of full-timeundergraduates lived on campus in 2005, versus nearly 60percent today. At the same time, full-time undergraduateenrollment has grown 35 percent, from 2,928 ten years ago to 3,968 this year. Total enrollment is 5,359.

Increased emphasis on student engagement and campus life isat the heart of Dell’Omo’s legacy, exemplified by the StudentEngagement Program and Student Engagement Transcriptinstituted in 2008. He also sought to bolster RMU’s academicreputation, and the university has strengthened its honorsprogram and placed an increasing emphasis on internationaleducation. With the launch of online degree programs,Dell’Omo built on a long tradition of educating nontraditionalstudents and working adults. Robert Morris also was one ofthe first private institutions to participate in the federal YellowRibbon Program, agreeing to cover the difference between thecost of tuition and the education benefit veterans receiveunder the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program.

Several Colonials teams enjoyed success during Dell’Omo’stenure. The men’s and women’s basketball teams each earnedberths in the NCAA tournament, with the women going twice.Last year the Colonials men’s ice hockey team earned its firstbid to the NCAA tournament, and in 2012 the women’s icehockey team won the College Hockey America tournamentchampionship. RMU student athletes also excel in theclassroom, with an average graduation rate 10 percentagepoints higher than the national average for Division I athletes.

Dell’Omo said his family “will always remain part of the RMU community,” particularly since two members are RMU alumni. His wife, Polly Dell’Omo M’12, receivedher master’s in instructionalleadership, whiletheir youngest son, VincentDell’Omo ‘13, has abachelor’s degree in accounting. �

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� READ DETAILS AND UPDATE ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR RMU’S NEXT PRESIDENT AT RMU.EDU/PRESIDENTIALSEARCH

1 8 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

After more than 30 years working in hospitals, Holly Hampe, D.Sc., is now sharing her experience with RMU health administration and nursingstudents in the digital classroom. The former vice president and chief qualityofficer of St. Clair Hospital in Mt. Lebanon, Hampe joined the School of Nursingand Health Sciences full-time faculty this fall and is director of the university’sB.S. and M.H.A. online degree programs in health services administration. Theprogram focuses on health care infrastructure and management, and has beenselected as a Top 25 Smart Choice School for Online Healthcare AdministrationDegrees in 2014.

Hampe, who earned her doctorate from RMU in 2011, says she enjoys leadingstudents in online class discussions and collaborations with the help of tools likeGoogle hangouts. “Some topics have been controversial; in the health law classwe asked if prisoners on death row should be able to donate their organs totransplant patients. We also talked about Obamacare and what’s involved inthat legislation,” Hampe says. Because classes are online, she says, students areless shy about asking questions and sharing their opinions.

Students in the online program can earn theirdegrees at their own pace while working full-timejobs. Hampe says she’s eager to use her networkof connections to help students follow her pathfrom R.N. to hospital leadership roles.“Next semester I’m teaching agraduate class on strategicplanning,” she says, “and I’m bringing in a retired CEOand chairman of the board I know so the students can ask questions and get their perspectives,and learn the importanceof networking in health care.”

WRITTEN BY ALAN BUEHLER ‘13

FACULTY PROFILEHolly Hampe

UP CLOSE

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y FOUNDAT IONS • 1 931

Growing up in Lucinda, Pa., near Clarion, Shelby Lander used to help her mom keep thebooks at the family store. Then in high school, she recorded stats for the varsity teams and“really fell in love with the atmosphere,” she says. So at Robert Morris, Lander juggles adual major in accounting and sport management with a number internship and volunteerroles and extracurricular activities. That can be a tall order for most college students, but it’sone Lander seems to have mastered.

As an audit and compliance intern with Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, she completedeffectiveness training and worked with internal financing documentation. Before that,Lander was a wealth management and tax services intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers,collaborating on tax projects. An exceptionally engaged student, Lander is president of thesports marketing association, a lead community advisor, and a committee chair for ColonialChaos, a charity basketball tournament. Sport management conferences, accountingnetworking day, even mock interviews offered on campus — Lander has done them all.

“Every time that I’ve had an opportunity thrown at me, it’s easy to say, ‘No, I’m too busy.’” But you haveto see that the experience you take awayfrom it is so beneficial,” she says.

After graduation in May,Lander expects to keep a foot in both her fields ofexpertise. She already has a full-time job offer fromPricewaterhouseCoopers as an assurance associate. “I plan on getting someaccounting experience while I try to break into the sports

industry,” she says.“Maybe someday I’ll be a controller for aprofessional team.”

WRITTEN BY JANNAH JABLONOWSKI ‘14

STUDENT PROFILE Shelby Lander

rmu .edu/foundationsAND PERSONAL

3 2 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

CLASS NOTES

1980sJOHN KAIRYS ‘80, joined Carroll

Tire in April as executive vice

president and general manager.

He was with Cooper Tire and

Rubber for 15 years, where he

oversaw the development of key

accounts and the execution of

company growth.

1990sDEBORAH ALLEN MCCOMB ‘90

was appointed tax collector in

April for New Albany Township,

Pa., where she is a lifelong

resident. For the past 10 years, she

has owned and operated McComb

Tax Service.

JACQUELINE MYEROWITZ

TRAVISANO ‘90, executive vice

president and chief operating

officer at Nova Southeastern

University, received the 2014

Glass Ceiling Award from Florida

Diversity Council. Recipients of

the Glass Ceiling Award were

honored for demonstrating

leadership excellence,

maintaining a steady increase

in responsibility throughout their

careers, establishing a record of

accomplishments, providing

a positive influence in the

workplace, and demonstrating

integrity and high ethical

standards. Jackie is pursuing

her doctorate in higher education

leadership. She lives Davie, Fla.

KEITH PETERKA ‘92 joined

Marks Paneth, a New York City

accounting firm, as partner in

the professional practice group

in May.

HEATHER FERRARI MILKENT ‘94

was inducted into the Mid Mon

Valley All Sports Hall of Fame in

June. She was a three-time section

player of the year and was the

first female student-athlete at

Belle Vernon to receive an NCAA

Division I scholarship in softball.

Heather played for the Colonials

and was inducted into RMU’s

Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000,

and her No. 7 jersey was retired.

Heather lives in Carroll Township

with her husband, George, and

daughter, Megan.

> MARY PARADISO

TAMBELLINI ‘72 recently

illustrated Easy-to-Say First

Words: A Focus on Final

Consonants, a children’s

book by her daughter, Cara.

Mary lives in Mt. Lebanon.

> THOMAS ARNOLD ‘92

M’97 and TRACIE SWESKY

ARNOLD ‘92 M’97 and their son,

Griffin, moved to Hudson,

Ohio, where Tom is CFO at

Western Reserve Academy.

Previously he was vice

president for finance at Shady

Side Academy in Pittsburgh.

Tracie is a benefits consultant

at Londino Ross Associates.

> MARY JO SLATER M’94

participated in the

Instructional Technology

Council’s 2014 Distance

Education Leadership

Academy at Holland College,

Prince Edward Island,

Canada, as an office

technology professor at

Community College of

Beaver County. Mary Jo has

been with CCBC for 35 years

and helped create the office

technology program. She

lives in Center Township.

> HALL OF FAME 2014The 24th annual class of inductees into the Robert MorrisUniversity Athletic Hall of Fame includes former student-athletesTONY LEE ‘10 (men’s basketball; 2004-08), MELISSA LOCKHART ‘97(women’s tennis; 1993-97), BRIANNE MCLAUGHLIN BITTLE ‘11(women’s ice hockey; 2005-09), SUGEIRY MONSAC ‘07 (women’sbasketball; 2004-07) and JEFF WITMYER ‘08 (men’s track and field;2004-08), as well as former volleyball coach TIM HORSMON, who guided the Colonials from 1999 to 2002. .

>> LOCKHART >> MONSAC >> HORSMON

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y FOUNDAT IONS • 3 3

CLASS NOTES

> LUCAS BROWN ‘99 and

SARAH VIJLEE BROWN M’03

and daughter Lucy

welcomed a new addition to

the family, Lily Abigail Del

Brown, born March 22.

LORIANN PUTZIER M’94 was

named president and chief

operating officer of IntegraCare,

which she co-founded.

IntegraCare operates 12 senior

living and assisted living

communities in Mt. Lebanon,

McKees Rocks, Butler,

Greensburg, Chambersburg,

Lancaster, Camp Hill, and

Lanham, Md.

KIMBERLY RENTLER ‘95 opened

her own business, Blurt Digital

and Design, in Greensburg,

following a lifelong passion for

design and photography. She

formerly worked in marketing for

GlaxoSmithKline. Kimberly lives

in Jeannette.

MARIA STROMPLE M’95 was

promoted to director of SD

Medallion Services at Schneider

Downs. She joined the firm in

1999 and has extensive experience

in corporate, partnership, and

individual tax advisory work,

including philanthropic tax

planning, retirement planning,

executive compensation tax

benefit planning, individual state

residency planning, and family

business advisory services. She

lives in Upper St. Clair.

BRIAN R. KELLY ‘97 M’06 is CFO of

Excela Health, the Greensburg-

based hospital system. He was

formerly senior vice president at

Kaufman Hall in the company’s

strategic financial and capital

planning practice in Skokie, Ill.

Brian lives in Sarver.

LEROY BALL M’97 was promoted

to president and CEO of Koppers

Holdings on Jan. 1. He joined

Koppers in 2010 as chief financial

officer, a position he had held at

Calgon Carbon. Before his

promotion, Leroy was chief

operating officer.

DEANNA SPANG CARVALHO ‘99

is a recruiting manager at

Pinnacle Accounting and Finance.

Deanna and husband ANTONIO

CARLOS CARVALHO ‘99 live

in Franklin Park.

92%PLACEMENT

WITHINONE YEAR

OF GRADUATION

RMU.EDU

BE PART OF SOMETHING YOU CAN BELIEVE INFor 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.

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

RMU.EDU/JOINPC

“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

CLASS NOTES

ERICA SCHWANKE LIST ‘99, returns

to RMU as an assistant softball

coach after a hiatus for her eighth

season on staff. She was one of the

top pitchers in RMU history and

as assistant coach one of her

primary duties will be working

with the Colonials pitching staff.

Erica and her husband NATHAN

LIST ’98 live in Beaver.

2000sSHARI PAYNE M’00 became vice

president for enrollment

management at Shepherd

University in West Virginia in

June. Shari was the former dean of

engaged learning at RMU. She

lives in Shepherdstown, W.V.

SHAWN LIOTTA ‘02 returns for

his sixth season as head football

coach and director of football

operations for the Erie Explosion.

3 4 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

In 2012, Shawn authored the

book Developing and Maintaining

a Successful Professional Indoor

Football Program, and in 2013

was inducted into the Minor

League Football Hall of Fame.

He lives in Lower Burrell with

his wife, Allison, and daughter,

Liliana.

CATHY ROGERS M’02 and her

husband, Paul, participated in the

Big Ride Across America, a

cycling trip in June organized by

the American Lung Association.

The 3,300-mile ride departed from

Seattle and ended in Washington,

D.C. Cathy is owner and

president of Aero Tech Design,

a Coraopolis manufacturer of

cycling clothes.

SCOTT FARISON M’03 was

promoted to assistant head

football coach of the Colonials

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

These are just some of the highlights of what has been a very busyAlumni 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.

HOMECOMING ‘14This year’s Reunion crowd barely fit.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP & MENTORSHIPInspiring the next generation of students.

ALUMNI WINE TASTINGMany pairing possibilities at HYP Club.

> TRENT KARLIK ‘01 won

his first golfing title in the

114th West Penn Amateur

Championship in June. The

former member of the

Colonials golf team was one

of only four competitors to

finish under par. Trent

teaches computer science at

Montour High School.

> MIRIAM KLEIN ‘02

participated in the Library of

Congress Teaching with

Primary Sources Summer

Teacher Institute. Miriam is

the librarian for Cornell

School District and teaches

English for the grades 7-12

online education program.

She lives in Ambridge.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y FOUNDAT IONS • 3 5

CLASS NOTES

in September. Scott has been with

the RMU football program for

13 seasons, serving as defensive

coordinator for eight. He lives in

Pleasant Hills.

DON MILITZER ‘04 was named

head football coach at Charleroi

High School in May. He is also

principal at the Madonna Catholic

Regional School in Monongahela.

KRISTIN DUBINSKI ‘05 M’05 is

the director of group sales for the

Orlando City Soccer Club. She

previously worked for nine

years in group sales for the

Orlando Magic.

JON LEDONNE ‘05 is a senior

engineer at Bettis Labs and head

coach of the Shaler High School

football team. Jon and MAGGIE

POPE ‘06 are the parents of Mia,

Makenna, and Marco and live in

Gibsonia. Maggie is a regional

sales manager at Western Spirits

Beverage Company.

HEATHER JOHNSON VICTOR ‘05 is

a buyer for Bayer HealthCare in

Pittsburgh.

KRISTIN ROTH BRANVOLD ‘06 M’06

is a senior business analyst at

Dick’s Sporting Goods after

previously working for

Coventry Health Care. Her

husband, CHRIS BRANVOLD ‘05,

is an account executive assistant

with Tucker, Johnston & Smelzer.

They live in Oakdale with

daughters Mazie and Alexa.

SCOTT FODI M’06 is director of

public works for Penn Township

in Westmoreland County. He was

formerly manager of Middlesex

Township, Butler County.

KERI MEYER ‘06 is assistant coach

for the Colonials softball team.

The RMU Hall of Famer was

formerly head coach at Monroe

College and assistant coach at

Fairleigh Dickinson.

> MICHELE PAPAKIE D’02

was named 2014 Business

Communicator of the Year

by the Pittsburgh chapter of

the International Association

of Business Communicators

at its 35th Golden Triangle

Awards in September.

Michele is associate professor

of journalism and public

relations and chairs the

department at Indiana

University of Pennsylvania.

She is a lieutenant colonel

in the Pennsylvania Air

National Guard and

inspector general in the

171st Air Refueling Wing.

Michele lives in Brush Valley

Township, where she is the

elected chairwoman of the

township supervisors.

> JEFFREY BOWSER ‘02

and his wife, Kathleen, and

son, Conrad, welcomed Ross

Daniel to the family on

March 31. Jeffrey is a licensed

CPA and works as a budget

analyst at the University of

Pittsburgh.

> RAYMOND GENSLER ‘07

and his wife, Katelyn, and

their son, Grayson, welcomed

Logan Patrick to the family

on May 20. Ray is a senior

associate for Deloitte

Transactions and Business

Analytics, and Katelyn

teaches seventh grade

reading in the Bethel Park

School District. The Genslers

live in Green Tree.

> DAN LAPIC M’06 and

CARA HOEHN LAPIC M’02 D’06

welcomed daughter Maizie

Elle to the family on

September 2. Dan is a senior

lending representative at

Allied Mortgage Group and

Cara is a global product

manager for strategic

initiatives at BNY Mellon.

The Lapics live in Freedom.

> KELLY TEETS GALLAHER

‘06 joined Cottrill, Arbutina

& Associates in Beaver as a

senior tax accountant. She

previously worked for Hebb

& Company in a similar role.

> LUCAS RIHLEY ‘06 was

elected to the board of

directors of Big Brothers Big

Sisters of Beaver County.

Lucas is a project manager

with the public accounting

firm Cottrill, Arbutina &

Associates.

3 6 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

CLASS NOTES

The couple lives in Pittsburgh,

where Colin works as a senior

accountant executive for FedEx

Business Sales and Solutions.

CARLO SUNSERI ‘07 returned to

Colonials lacrosse as a volunteer

assistant coach. He is founder of

Crosse Studios, a Pittsburgh-

based company dedicated to

creating lacrosse video games.

BEN CAMPBELL D’08 was awarded

the 2014 J. Kevin Scanlon Award

for the Promotion of Science,

which celebrates individuals

who enhance science education

in western Pennsylvania. Ben is

an assistant professor of

engineering at RMU.

MADELINE SHAFFER HANES ‘08

opened Lucky Larry’s Sports

Cards and Collectibles with her

husband, Ryan, in Hopewell.

Madeline is a clinical analyst at

Heritage Valley Health System.

She, Ryan, and daughter Emme

live in Industry.

DARRYL HUSENITS D’08 was given

the Pittsburgh Business Times

Educator Energy Leadership

Award, which recognizes “the

influencers who have helped

shape the energy industry.”

Darryl is vice president for

material and supply chain

management at Consol Energy

and a facilitator in the M.B.A.

program at Waynesburg

University.

ANTHONY COOK ‘09 is a

consultant at Deloitte & Touche in

Washington, D.C. Previously he

was with Cotton & Company as a

senior auditor.

KATE MCKENZIE GATTO M’09 D’12

was honored as a Fast Tracker

by the Pittsburgh Business Times,

which recognizes the region’s

most outstanding business,

government, and nonprofit

leaders. Kate is a senior

STEPHEN BISER ‘07 and his wife,

Casey, welcomed their first son,

Cooper Edward, born on

June 7. Stephen is an inbound

transportation coordinator at

Thermo Fisher Scientific. The

Bisers live in Hopewell.

COLIN LUDWIG ‘07married

Amanda Wint on May 17.

> TODD HENDRY ‘09 and

JULIE COSTELLO HENDRY ‘08

are the proud parents of

Maxwell David, born on June

10. Todd is a business

development manager at

Advantage Sales Marketing,

and Julie is an external

relations specialist for Direct

Energy. The family lives in

Bethel Park.

> PHIL THOMPSON ‘08

became head coach of the

men’s and women’s track

and field programs at Geneva

College in June. Phil was a

former assistant at Geneva as

the sprint coach and a

teacher’s aide at Union

Middle School while serving

as the cross country coach at

Shenango High School.

> AMBER TRUMPOWER

‘08 writes “Officially

Outnumbered,” a blog that

focuses on motherhood and

lifestyle issues.

> MEGAN HELFRICH

JAMISON ‘09 and her

husband, Michael, are the

proud parents of Charlotte,

born January 14, 2014.

Megan is a marketing

coordinator at Qorpak.

> SHANA D’AURORA D’13

is a S.T.E.M. Academy

director at Steubenville City

Schools. She previously

served as the dean of the

school of business and

information technology at

Blue Ridge Community and

Technical College in

Martinsburg, W.V.

> KRISTA GOLDBERG

JAMERSON M’08 D’12 was

named corporate assistant

vice president of Northwest

Savings Bank. She was

formerly professional

development officer and will

continue to manage

professional development

and health and wellness

initiatives for the bank’s

employees. Krista lives in

Kane, Pa., with her husband,

Mike, and their children,

Kahne and Kash.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y FOUNDAT IONS • 3 7

CLASS NOTESdevelopment officer at The

Pittsburgh Foundation. Previously

she was director of major gifts at

RMU. Kate, her husband, Shawn,

and daughter, Brooke, live in

Mt. Lebanon.

RACHAEL ANDREDAS KOLIBASH

M’09 is a sales associate in

Howard Hanna’s west suburban

office. She also works as a

merchandise analyst at Dick’s

Sporting Goods.

JOYCE ALISESKY OTT D’09 was

appointed as a board member of

the Central Valley Education

Foundation in Center Township.

Joyce, who is the director of RN-

MSN and MSN online nursing

programs at RMU, also was

commissioned as a faith

community nurse upon

completion of the Pittsburgh

Mercy Hospital parish nurse and

health ministry program. She will

be volunteering in her ministry to

enhance physical and spiritual

health at St. Frances Cabrini

Parish in Center Township.

MATT STEWART M’09 is chief

information security officer at

Duquesne Light. Previously he

was director of information

security at RMU.

2010sDANA DREXLER ALLEN M’11

was promoted to tax supervisor

at Sisterson & Co, where she

previously worked as a senior

tax associate.

ALEXANDRIA ANTONACCI ‘11

is the franchise communications

and marketing coordinator for

GNC in Pittsburgh. She is a

former assistant online editor

for Pittsburgh Magazine and

graphic designer for the

Sweetwater Center for the Arts.

Alex earned a master’s degree in

journalism from the University

of Missouri in May. She lives

in Shaler.

ANDREA BEATS ‘11 is a sales

operations specialist at New

Era Cap, where she previously

worked as an account support

representative. Andrea lives in the

Buffalo, N.Y., area.

MEGAN THOMPSON DLUHOS M’11

is development director for the

Pittsburgh affiliate of Susan G.

Komen for the Cure. She was

previously director of

development and public relations

for YouthPlaces. Megan and her

husband, JOSHUA DLUHOS ‘06

M’09 M’11, live in Bethel Park.

ROBERT MARASTI ‘11 was hired

as an assistant coach of the

Colonials lacrosse team. He is

also the owner and co-director

of Low and Away Lacrosse.

GIVING BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR

GARY R. ‘74 & JO ANN ‘73 CLAUS

ROBERT ‘77 & DONNA CONNOLLY

ALAN J. ‘71 & RUTH PORSCH

MARILOU B. GIBBS ‘83

MARK S. ‘82 & DEBRA PALLONE

JOSEPH W. ‘70 & JUDITH NOCITO

JANET D. MCGERVEY ‘96

MARIAN S. POND M‘87

WILLIAM J. RECKER ‘76

ROBERT G. RADERMACHER ‘80

THOMAS W. M’88 & PAMELA KEELER

FRANK E. KIGHT ‘71

FRANK A. ‘72 & GAYLE M. MOLINERO

ANN CIBULAS PUSKARIC M’81

CLARENCE B. RANDALL ‘50

DAVID P. SYNOWKA

CHARLES W. ZIMMERMAN

LEWIS J. FERNANDEZ ‘74

MARY ELLEN REITER ‘70

EDWARD H. ROEBER ‘65

THE UNIVERSITY IS HONORED TO NAME THESE FAITHFUL FRIENDS AND ALUMNI OF ROBERT MORRISUNIVERSITY, WHO HAVE GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED THE INSTITUTION EACH OF THE PAST 25 YEARS.

3 8 • R M U . E D U / FOUNDAT IONS

CLASS NOTESBROOKS BRATTEN ‘13 is the

communications and interactive

media coordinator with the NHL’s

Nashville Predators. He

previously worked as an associate

producer at KDKA.

ALAN BUEHLER ‘13married Emmie

Baird, his high school sweetheart,

on August 13. He is a digital

marketing specialist at RMU in the

PR/marketing department. Alan

and Emmie live in Whitehall.

MATTHEW CATANZARITE ‘13

is a civil structural engineer

for System One Holdings,

where he previously was a

piping support/mechanical

modules engineer.

ERIC FERBER ‘13 is a commercial

real estate associate with

Re/Max Commercial Brokers in

Phoenix, Ariz. Previously he

was manager of business

development at Ideatron. Eric,

a former Colonials ice hockey

player, also coaches amateur

hockey in the Phoenix area.

MELISSA GARRISON ‘13married

Justin Yetsick on June 7. The

ceremony was at Mingo Creek

County Park in Washington, Pa.

REUVEN GELFAND ‘13 is a

check services work leader

at BNY Mellon.

JASMINE TATE ‘13 released a new

album in April, “Life and Love.”

She is a former basketball player

for the Colonials.

MYLES RUSS ‘11 M’14 was named

a Bill Walsh Minority Coaching

Fellowship participant and

assisted the Buffalo Bills coaching

staff during their 2014 summer

training camp. Myles is assistant

coach for running backs for the

Colonials.

NEIL SHAFFER ‘11 joined the

Harrisburg City Islanders

of the United Soccer League

Professional Division for the 2014

season as a midfielder. He played

for the Kitsap Pumas the year

before that.

CORY SHAY M’11 is director

of the Military Resource Center

at Indiana University of

Pennsylvania. Cory is a veteran

of Operation Iraqi Freedom and

is experienced in helping veterans

transition

from military

to academic life.

NICHOLAS SHEWCZYK ‘11 is with

KPMG as an EMC. Previously

he was a staff accountant for

Weavertown Environmental

Group. Nick lives in Shaler.

JESSICA STUBBS ‘11 was

promoted to Comcast University

program manager, L&D Spotlight,

where she is responsible for

developing and delivering sales

training content for Comcast

Spotlight employees nationally.

BRANDON BLANDINA ‘12 is the

owner of Elite Strides Hockey

on Neville Island. He previously

played three seasons with the

Reading Royals.

MIKE BOYLAN ‘12 M’13 is a

systems engineer at Apple, where

he empowers K-12 educators to

help students find their passions

through the use of technology. He

previously was a senior systems

engineer at RMU.

JACLYN TIMKO ‘12 M’13 was

named head softball coach at

New Jersey City University.

Previously she was an assistant

coach at RMU.

ANDREW BLAZEK ‘13 is playing

professional hockey as a

defenseman with the Cincinnati

Cyclones, an affiliate of the NHL’s

Florida Panthers and Nashville

Predators.

> JOSHUA ASKEWS ‘11

and JACLYN BECKER ‘11

were married on August 8.

Jackie is the marketing

coordinator/graphic designer

at Heartland Homes,

and Josh is an accountant

at Limbach.

> JOSH KEIL ‘11 and

VANESSA PAPPAS ‘11 were

married on August 2. Vanessa

is a staff accountant at Celtic

Healthcare, and Josh is a

logistics account executive at

Total Quality Logistics.

> DANE SMITH ‘11 and

ANDREA CATUCCI ‘13were

married on August 9 in a

beautiful outdoor ceremony

at the Chesapeake Bay Beach

Club in Stevensville, Md.

After a honeymoon in Aruba,

the couple now lives in

Rockville, Md.

> BETHANY SWEITZER ‘14

married Ralph Neiman IV on

September 6. Bethany is the

project manager for RMU’s

office of diversity, inclusion

and equity. The couple lives

in Coraopolis.

Class Notes would love to hear from you.

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y FOUNDAT IONS • 3 9

CLASS NOTESMEGAN WALSH ‘13 was promoted

to manager of consulting services

at Sisterson & Co.

NATALIE DEBARTO ‘14 is a logistics

specialist at the Cystic Fibrosis

Foundation in Buffalo, N.Y.

ROBERT DEFRANCESCO ‘14 is a

junior repricing analyst for

Envision Rx Options in

Twinsburg, Ohio.

KRISTEN GAROFALO ‘14 joined

Columbus investment

management and financial

advisory firm Hamilton Capital

Management as a client relations

representative.

CORINNE KATICH ‘14 works in

social media/production at

ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.

TRACEY SHEETZ

D’14 joined West

Virginia University as the first

director of its office of graduate

admissions and recruitment.

Previously, she was the manager

of enrollment and outreach for the

Duquesne University School of

Leadership and Professional

Advancement.

In MemoriamJUDITH ANDERSON GALLAGHER

‘63 of Alpharetta/Johns Creek,

Ga., passed away February 2, 2014

at the age of 72.

WILLIAM PFEFFER JR. ‘67 of

Altoona passed away on July 9

at the age of 67.

SHARON RANDALL ‘84 of Cocoa

Beach, Fla., passed away on

March 22 at the age of 66.

CHERYL ANN “SHERRY” MYERS ‘85

of Monroeville passed away on

July 28 at the age of 58.

JASON WICKLINE ‘98 of Penn Hills

passed away on March 27 at the

age of 40.

LLOYD MULLIN JR. ‘03 of Irwin

passed away on June 4 at the

age of 53. He is survived by his

wife, ANITA BALENCIAGA

MULLIN ‘83, and his daughter,

CAITLIN MULLIN ‘13.

THOMAS GAYDOS passed away on

August 10. He was professor

emeritus and founding director of

Robert Morris Colonial Theatre,

and a faculty member for 30

years.

WILLIAM A. KELLY passed away

on November 20 at the age of 86.

Bill was a proud member of the

Robert Morris faculty for 35 years.

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As the mayor of Castle Shannon for 13 years and a prominent figure in local politics for four decades,

the Pennsylvania State Mayors Association’s 2014 Mayor of the Year is as comfortable taking calls on his cell phone about a constituent’s personal problems as he is nudging high-ranking officials to support development projects in his South Hills borough. Before politics, Baumgarten had a long career at J&L Steel.He also raised two daughters with Ruth, his wife of 62 years.

10Questionswith

Donald Baumgarten ‘57

What’s a typical day like for the mayor of Castle Shannon, population 8,300?

I’m involved with developers, andfinding out what’s going on. The policechief and I talk. People call me all the time with problems, some real –they think the mayor can solveeverything. I can do certainthings, like get them intouch with the right

people. I think I do prettygood dealing with people.

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Written By Kimberly Burger Capozzi40

What was it like to haveother Pennsylvania

mayors select you asMayor of the Year? I was

overwhelmed. I justdidn’t believe it. Theygive you a plaque and a

microphone and I didn’tknow what to say, which isunusual for me. I couldn’tbelieve afterward the

outpouring of so manypeople who came out of nowhere to congratulate me. We had to go from the borough

building to the fire hall because 80people said they were going to come. We actually made a party out of it.

When you retired from J&L Steel in1981, you were project manager of

information systems overseeinganalysts and software developers.Are you still tech-savvy? It’s kind

of gotten ahead of me. I have a homecomputer and I have a laptop and I have a

tablet. I can manage.

What’s anotherproject you’re

proud of? We had anold bridge in

the borough that wasn’t in great shape. I startedthe ball rolling. Wegot the bridgereplaced, anddevelopment is still

ongoing in an industrialpark there, with aboutfive businesses there

now. That reallygenerated a lot of jobs. I’m very proud of that.

It sounds like itrequires a lot of resilience

and patience to bemayor. No, it’s fun.

I just enjoy it. There’re a lot of happy things that go on. I can perform wedding ceremonies.I’ve probably done a hundred

weddings and that’s happy. I tell them, if I marry them then they stay married. It’s gratifying. If you can help people, that’s the best thing about it.

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How did your degree from RobertMorris in accounting and business lawhelp you get started? I went to classes inthe William Penn Hotel at night because Iwas working during the day. I wanted tobetter myself. It paid off. I had hopedto get into accounting, and was inthe data processing department atJ&L Steel with the old accounting

machines. I was one of the first computerprogrammers, when the computing power I’mholding in my hand used to fill a whole room.

A lot of your mayoral duties involveconvincing federal, state, and county

authorities to help you move aheadwith projects. Is the slow pace ofgovernment frustrating? It isfrustrating, but I figure that’s theway it is. That’s government and

I’m used to it. As long as I knowit’s going to happen.

You’re hoping to break groundsoon on the $42 million Shannon

Transit Village, a retail andapartment complex at a lightrail station that’s been in

the works for 14 years.What will the

project do forCastle Shannon? It meansa lot to the community. Weare involved in a redevelopmentprocess right now. We’re doing a lotof things to turn the downtown around and fill some empty storefronts. Thatdevelopment would be right in the

middle. We figure that will jumpstart a lot of business that will

want to be there.

What’s next for you? Do you have further political

aspirations? People wanted me to runa long time ago for the state house, and I said no. I’m happy where I am. I don’t want to get into that business. Going toHarrisburg every week is not for me. I cando more for Castle Shannon as a mayor.

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852

7Do you have anywords of wisdom toshare? I think it’s very important to beinvolved in the community, especially for

the younger people to volunteer. There’reso many things you can do. Just know what’s going on and bepart of the community. I just think people are missingsomething if they don’t do it. It’s very rewarding.

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Upcoming Events

FOR MORE INFORMATION on these and other upcoming events, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (412) 397-6464 or rmualum@rmu.edu.

> MARCH 25 Author David McCullough Pittsburgh Speakers Series Heinz Hall, 8 p.m.

27 D.C. Alumni Night Wizards vs. Hornets Verizon Center, 6 p.m.

28 Philly Alumni Night Flyers vs. Sharks Wells Fargo Center, 5:30 p.m.

> FEBRUARY 11 Colonial Theatre presents “Bare: A Pop Opera” Massey Theater, 7:30 p.m. Through Feb. 15 (2 p.m.)

18 Robot war expert P.W. Singer Pittsburgh Speakers Series Heinz Hall, 8 p.m.

19 Alumni Association Council Meeting Sewall Center, 4 p.m.

28 Legacy Recognition and Brunch Sewall Center, 11:30 a.m.

> APRIL 7 Spring Career Fair Noon - 4 p.m. Sewall Center

8 Uzuri Symposium: Diversifying the STEM Workforce Fairmont Hotel, Pittsburgh Through Apr. 10

16 Colonial Theatre presents “Balm in Gilead” Massey Theater, 7:30 p.m. Through Apr. 19 (2 p.m.)

29 Futurist Michio Kaku Pittsburgh Speakers Series Heinz Hall, 8 p.m.

> MAY 8 Graduate Commencement

9 Undergraduate Commencement

Join Greg and Polly Dell’Omo and RMU alumni and friends as we discover the beauty and mystery of Spain. Toledo, the mountaintop “Imperial City” of La Mancha. Madrid, with lively thoroughfares, world-class museums,

and tapas. Andalusia, the legendary home of flamenco, with its fiery guitars and dancers. The dazzling mosques and medieval cathedrals of Cordoba, Granada, and Seville.

To find out more, contact Jay Carson at (412) 397-6404 or carsonj@rmu.edu.

MAY 10 - 19

2015 Alumni Tour

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