Robert Morris University appoints 1st female president
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Robert Morris University on Wednesday announced that Michelle L. Patrick will serve as the school’s ninth president.
Patrick of Sewickley will be the first woman to hold the position at Robert Morris and will assume the role immediately.
“After a thorough and complete search process that included broad representation from our university community, we are confident we have the perfect leader who embraces the values and mission of RMU and its rich, successful history — but also has a powerful vision of what the future of RMU can become for our region’s future leaders,” said Morgan O’Brien, chair of the RMU Board of Trustees.
Patrick, who was the dean of the RMU School of Business for six years, served as the interim president since April, when Mary Ann Rafoth, the prior interim president and provost, retired.
Former President Chris Howard left the Moon Township school in February for a position at Arizona State University.
As interim president, Patrick emphasized organizational culture and providing excellent service to students, the university said in a statement.
“I am truly honored to be chosen as the ninth president of Robert Morris University,” Patrick said. “Although RMU has a beautiful campus and state-of-the-art facilities, it is the students, alumni, faculty, staff and Board of Trustees that make RMU such a special place. It is the passion and dedication of these groups that ensures ongoing student success.”
Patrick became dean of the RMU School of Business in 2016.
Under Patrick’s leadership, the school developed new certificates and degree programs, launched the Center for Sales Excellence and the Rockwell Fellowship in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and reestablished the Massey Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, measures that aimed to provide students with real-world experience while strengthening the university’s ties to the local business community.
Last week, Robert Morris became the first university in Western Pennsylvania to have its accounting program accredited by AACSB International, something university officials said is a credit to the work Patrick had done as the dean of the RMU School of Business.
“The selection of Dr. Michelle Patrick as Robert Morris University’s ninth president and first female president will provide the university with the leadership necessary to continue to empower our students to thrive and our community to benefit from an institution that is ‘big enough to matter, small enough to care,’ ” said Carrie Coghill, chair of the Presidential Search Committee of the RMU Board of Trustees and the board’s vice chair.
Before joining Robert Morris University, Patrick served as the dean of the College of Business and Public Management at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA from Youngstown State University, followed by a Ph.D. in marketing from Kent State University.
“I look forward to leading RMU — which just celebrated its 100th anniversary — and working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure that RMU continues to thrive into the next 100 years and beyond,” Patrick said.