Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private, doctoral university located in Moon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The school was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and financier of the American Revolution. It enrolls more than 4,000 undergraduates and more than 1,000 graduate students. It offers more than 60 bachelor's degree programs and more than 20 master's and doctoral programs. Most students are from the Pittsburgh area, while 17 percent of freshmen in 2014 were from outside Pennsylvania.
Robert Morris is ranked 176th in the United States in U.S. News & World Report's rankings for 2018. It is not affiliated with Robert Morris University Illinois.
Video Robert Morris University
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 1935, the institution changed its name to the Robert Morris School of Business in honor of the Founding Father popularly known as the "financier of the American Revolution," and the following year it began to offer courses in secretarial skills.
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. 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. In 2010, the university sold its Downtown Center at 600 Fifth Avenue to Duquesne University.
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. On Sept. 10, 2015, Robert Morris named Christopher Howard, then president of Hampden-Sydney College, as its next president. Howard, the first African-American president in school history, assumed office in February 2016.
Maps Robert Morris University
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. 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.
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.
The library is on the second and third floors of the Patrick Henry Center. 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.
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.
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. The Center also has an outdoor 18-hole miniature golf course.
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:
- the School of Business offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, which are AACSB accredited
- the School of Education and Social Sciences (TEAC accredited) offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs.
- the School of Nursing and Health Sciences offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs.
- the School of Communications and Information Systems offers undergraduate (ABET accredited), graduate, and doctoral degree programs
- the School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science offers undergraduate degree programs, including ABET-accredited engineering programs, and one graduate program.
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.
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.
Notable alumni
- Kevin Colbert, general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers
- William J. Coyne, former Democratic congressman for Pittsburgh
- Hank Fraley, NFL assistant coach and former NFL offensive lineman
- Tim Hall, former NFL running back with the Oakland Raiders
- Phyllis Hyman, R&B, disco, and soul singer
- Brianne McLaughlin, 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 Winter Olympics women's ice hockey goalie
- Robin R. Sanders, United States Ambassador to Nigeria (2007-2010)
- Musa Shannon, former Liberian soccer player
- Neco Brett, Jamaican soccer player of the Portland Timbers
- Eric Levine, American ice hockey player for the Rockford Icehogs
- Tim Levcik, former NFL Quarterback
References
External links
- Official website
- Robert Morris Athletics website
Source of the article : Wikipedia