Robert Morris University

This article is about the university in Pennsylvania. For the university in Illinois, see Robert Morris University Illinois.
Robert Morris University
Type Private, nonsectarian
Established 1921
Endowment $31.76 million (2015)[1]
President Christopher B. Howard
Academic staff
 196 full-time faculty
Undergraduates 4,144
Postgraduates 1,037
Location Moon Township, Pennsylvania
40°31′14″N 80°12′38″W / 40.520579°N 80.210688°W / 40.520579; -80.210688Coordinates: 40°31′14″N 80°12′38″W / 40.520579°N 80.210688°W / 40.520579; -80.210688
Campus Suburban, 230 acres (0.93 km2)
Colors Blue, White, and Red
              
Athletics NCAA Division 1 - NEC
Nickname Colonials
Mascot RoMo
Website www.rmu.edu

Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private, coeducational university located in Moon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The school was founded in 1921. It enrolls more than 4,000 undergraduates and more than 1,000 graduate students and offers more than 60 bachelor's degree programs[2] and more than 20 master's and doctoral programs.[3] Most students are from the Pittsburgh area, while 17 percent of freshmen in 2014 are from outside Pennsylvania.[4]

Robert Morris University is named after Robert Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and financier of the American Revolution. It is not affiliated with Robert Morris University-Illinois.

History

Robert Morris University originated in 1921 as the Pittsburgh School of Accountancy, founded by Andrew Blass. It was based in various downtown buildings during its early decades, including the William Penn Hotel.

In 1962 the school purchased Pine Hill Manor and Farm in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, formerly the home of Oliver Kaufmann, vice president of Kaufmann's department store in Pittsburgh, his wife, Freda, and their children.[5] The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania then granted the school permission to award associate degrees, and the school became Robert Morris Junior College. The first new buildings, Franklin Center and three residence halls, were erected in 1963. The school became Robert Morris College in 1969, and for decades operated two separate campuses. In 2002, it attained university status and was thus renamed Robert Morris University.[6] In 2010, the university sold its Downtown Center at 600 Fifth Avenue to Duquesne University.[7]

On Dec. 4, 2014, Gregory G. Dell'Omo announced that he had accepted an offer from Rider University to become its next president in August 2015.[8][9] The university at that time announced plans for the formation of a presidential search committee. On Sept. 10, 2015, Robert Morris named Christopher Howard, currently president of Hampden-Sydney College, as its next president. Howard, the first African-American president in school history, assumed office in February 2016.

Campus

The core campus consists of a 230-acre (0.93 km²) tract in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh near Pittsburgh International Airport. Of the 21 instructional and administrative buildings, the newest are the Scaife Center's School of Nursing building, opened in 2015, and the Wheatley Center, opened in 2012.[10] Of 14 residence halls, three are newer apartment-style complexes; the university also has converted a former hotel nearby into Yorktown Hall, now entirely student housing. More than 2,000 students live in campus housing, including 86 percent of freshmen.[11]

The main building on campus is the Edward A. Nicholson Student Center, or Nicholson Center for short, and consists of four main levels. The Ground Level, which contains a Barnes and Noble Bookstore that doubles as a school spirit store. The Mezzanine Level, which houses the PNC Cafe as well as the Office for Student Life, the mail room, and Center for Student Success. The Plaza Level, which contains the Admissions Office, Heritage Room, and RoMo's Cafe. The Library Level, which consists of the School of Education and Social Sciences, and lounge areas. The Nicholson Center is attached to the Patrick Henry Center, which has recently undergone exterior renovations. [12]

The library is on the second and third floors of the Patrick Henry Center.[13] RMU participates in inter-library lending consortia PALINET and PALCI that allow RMU students to borrow books on site from most of the college and university libraries in the Pittsburgh area.[14]

The School of Business Complex was opened in the Fall of 2011, and contains The PNC Trading Center, The United States Steel Corporation Video Conferencing and Technology Center, and the ATI Center, as well as a number of classroom's and the President's Office. The building also houses 12 Bloomberg Terminals, and an 18-seat Cisco telepresence room which enables videoconferencing experience. [15]

The 84 Lumber Arena is the home of the men's and women's ice hockey teams at the RMU Island Sports Center, a 32 acres (130,000 m2) sports and recreation facility located on Neville Island in the Ohio River 9 miles (14 km) from Downtown Pittsburgh. The center is open to the public year-round and contains two indoor and two outdoor ice rinks, an indoor hockey arena (home to the Steel City Icebergs), and a sports and golf dome, which accommodates an indoor golf driving range and field sports including soccer, lacrosse, softball, and youth baseball.[16] The Center also has an outdoor 18-hole miniature golf course.[17]

The university also has classes at its Downtown campus at 339 Sixth Avenue in Pittsburgh, also the home of the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University.

Academics

RMU offers 49 undergraduate and 35 graduate degree programs, as well as three doctoral programs. The university consists of five academic schools:

  1. the School of Business offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, which are AACSB accredited[18][19]
  2. the School of Education and Social Sciences (TEAC accredited) offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs.[20]
  3. the School of Nursing and Health Sciences offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs.[21]
  4. the School of Communications and Information Systems offers undergraduate (ABET accredited), graduate, and doctoral degree programs[22]
  5. the School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science offers undergraduate degree programs, including ABET-accredited engineering programs, and one graduate program.[23]

Athletics

Robert Morris' sports teams, nicknamed "the Colonials", use the school colors of blue and white. The Colonials compete in NCAA Division I (FCS, formerly Division I-AA, in football). Most of the school's sports participate in Northeast Conference. The men's ice hockey team competes in Atlantic Hockey, women's ice hockey team is a member of the College Hockey America, and women's rowing, which competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Robert Morris field men's teams in: basketball, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. Women's teams are: basketball, cheerleading, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, track & field, and volleyball.[24]

As of the fall 2016 semester all athletic teams official uniform provider will be Under Armour.

Presidents of Robert Morris University

The following is a list of the Presidents of Robert Morris University from its opening in 1921 as the Pittsburgh School of Accountancy through present day.[25]

# Name Term begin Term end Notes
1 Andrew H. Blass 1921 1929 Institution's name was the Pittsburgh School of Accountancy
2 C.W. Salmond 1929 1935
3 Richard Khuen III 1935 1948 Institution's name was changed to Robert Morris School of Business and The Robert Morris School during his tenure
4 John R. McCartan Sr. 1948 1966 Institution's name changed from the Robert Morris School to Robert Morris Junior College during his tenure
5 Charles L. Sewall 1967 1989 Institution's name was changed to Robert Morris College during his tenure
6 Edward A. Nicholson 1989 2005 Institution's name was changed to Robert Morris University during his tenure
7 Gregory G. Dell'Omo 2005 2015
* David Jamison 2015 2016 Acting President
8 Christopher B. Howard 2016 President (term began February 1, 2016) [26]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ As of June 30, 2015. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2014 to FY 2015" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers and Commonfund Institute. 2016.
  2. ↑ "RMU undergraduate academic offerings". RMU website. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "RMU graduate academic offerings". RMU website.
  4. ↑ "Welcome to the Class of 2018". RMU News website. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Hands of time doom mansion". Beaver County Times 5/24/91 p. A8 on Google. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. ↑ http://www.rmu.edu/about-rmu/rmu-history-heritage
  7. ↑ "Robert Morris sells building to Duquesne University". Pittsburgh Business Times October 1, 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  8. ↑ Guza, Megan. "RMU president resigns to become president of NJ university". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  9. ↑ Schackner, Bill. "RMU president gets new job at Rider University". Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ "Welcome to the Class of 2018". RMU website news. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  12. ↑ http://studentlife.rmu.edu/
  13. ↑ "Locations". Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  14. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  15. ↑ http://www.rmu.edu/News.aspx?id=127
  16. ↑ "Golf and Sports Dome". Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  17. ↑ "Miniature Golf". Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  18. ↑ School of Business
  19. ↑ "RMU AACSB School of Business". Robert Morris University. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  20. ↑ School of Education and Social Sciences
  21. ↑ School of Nursing and Health Sciences
  22. ↑ School of Communications and Information Systems
  23. ↑ School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science
  24. ↑ "Official Site of Robert Morris Athletics". Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  25. ↑ "Past Presidents of Robert Morris". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Robert Morris University Names Dr. Christopher Howard Its Next President". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
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