Presidential Search

Robert Morris University has begun the search for its ninth president following President Chris Howard departure's in February for Arizona State University to become executive vice president and chief operating officer of ASU Enterprise.

The Board of Trustees has appointed as interim president Michelle Patrick, who has been dean of the RMU School of Business since 2016.

Under President Howard’s leadership, the university completed the largest fundraising campaign in its 100-year history, Ready to Rise, which reached its $100 million goal one year ahead of schedule and which closed December 31 with a grand total of $113.25 million raised. That campaign funded the UPMC Events Center; the expansion of the John Jay Center for the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science; numerous scholarships and endowed professorships and new research and teaching centers on campus. During Howard’s presidency, RMU was ranked among the U.S. News and World Report list of “Best National Universities” for the first time, and in September was ranked by U.S. News as a Top 50 “Best Value School” in America for academic quality and affordability.

As the search progresses, we will post updates to this page, and we will update the campus community regularly on the process of the search.

Leadership Profile Press Release

Recent Updates

May 12: Presidential Search Update

Dear students, faculty, and staff:

With the spring semester now behind us, I would like to give you an update on the next phase in the search for Robert Morris University’s ninth president.

The deadline to submit applications and nominations closed on May 1, and the Presidential Search Committee of the Board of Trustees met May 9 to review applications and narrow the list to 10 candidates for first-round interviews. These candidates are diverse in both their personal and professional backgrounds, and the Search Committee is pleased to have attracted so many highly qualified applicants. 

The Search Committee will conduct the first round of interviews May 23 and May 25, and then select three to four candidates to move on to a second round of interviews with trustees and the university’s senior leadership team. We remain on track with our goal to recommend one or two finalists for consideration by the full Board of Trustees in early July.

As the search continues to progress, we will be sure to provide updates, and you can always check for news at www.rmu.edu/about/president/search. Thank you, and have a great summer!

Carrie Coghill ‘08
Vice Chair, RMU Board of Trustees
Chair, RMU Board of Trustees Presidential Search Committee

April 18: Leadership Transition Update

Dear students, faculty, and staff:

As the academic year winds down, we wanted to take a moment to bring you up to speed on some important updates to the search process for Robert Morris University’s ninth president. 

First, we share the news that Interim President Mary Ann Rafoth has decided to retire, both in her role as interim president and as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Rafoth has served RMU since 2011, and has been provost since 2019. On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees and the campus community, we wish to thank Dr. Rafoth for her distinguished service to RMU and for her leadership during this time of transition. We wish her well in her retirement.

Effective immediately, the Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Michelle Patrick, dean of the RMU School of Business, to serve as interim president for the remainder of the presidential transition. For the foreseeable future, Dr. Patrick will also fulfill the duties normally assigned to the provost. Dr. Patrick has led the School of Business since 2016, and the culture of change and innovation that she has sparked there is typified by the transformation of the MBA program, which was recently ranked No. 15 in the nation among online MBA programs by Fortune Magazine. Under her leadership, the school achieved reaffirmation of its prestigious AACSB accreditation; developed innovative new certificate and degree programs; launched the Center for Sales Excellence and the Rockwell Fellowship in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and re-established the Massey Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. 

Prior to joining RMU, Dr. Patrick served as dean of the College of Business and Public Management at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She earned a B.S. in marketing and an MBA from Youngstown State University, and a Ph.D. in marketing from Kent State University. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Patrick in her new role. 

We have two more updates regarding the presidential search:

  • The Presidential Search Committee has been very pleased with the high number of applications we have received from a diverse and highly qualified pool of candidates. The deadline to submit an application is May 1.
  • The Search Committee will meet May 9 to review the applications and select 10 to 12 candidates for first-round interviews, which will take place May 23 and May 25. The Search Committee will select three to four candidates for the next round of interviews with the Board of Trustees and members of the university’s senior leadership team. The Committee remains on schedule to recommend one or two finalists for the Board’s consideration by early July. 

As a reminder, if you would like to submit a name for consideration, please send it to our search partners John K. Thornburgh, Ryan Crawford, and Luis Bertot at RMUPresident@wittkieffer.com. All nominations and inquiries will be kept confidential. All information about the presidential search can be found at www.rmu.edu/about/president/search.

Thank you, and good luck with the remainder of the semester!

Sincerely,

Morgan K. O’Brien ’82 M’85
Chair, RMU Board of Trustees

Carrie Coghill ‘08
Vice Chair, RMU Board of Trustees
Chair, RMU Board of Trustees Presidential Search Committee

March 4: Update on the Presidential Search

Dear students, faculty, and staff:

As we head into the second half of the spring semester, I wanted to bring you up to date on the search for Robert Morris University’s ninth president.

Recently, the Presidential Search Committee,  working with search partner WittKiefer, finalized the “Leadership Profile,” a document that includes the position description as well as the opportunities and challenges that await our next president. You can read the Leadership Profile here.

The position description was informed by WittKieffer's conversations with the Search Committee, individual Trustees, the University Advisory Group (UAG), and other key constituents. I wish to commend the work of the University Advisory Group, which conducted a survey and focus groups of faculty, staff, students, and alumni – all of whom provided thoughtful insights that helped to shape the position description. Thank you for your feedback, and the Search Committee is grateful to the UAG and its co-chairs, Dr. Sushil Acharya and Dr. Diane Igoche.

With the completion of the Leadership Profile, the Search Committee is now accepting applications and nominations, all of which are due May 1, 2022, to help us meet our goal to announce a new president during the summer. If you would like to submit a name for consideration, please send it to our search partners John K. Thornburgh, Ryan Crawford, and Luis Bertot at RMUPresident@wittkieffer.com. All nominations and inquiries will be kept confidential. All information about the presidential search can be found at www.rmu.edu/about/president/search.

Thank you, and have a great Spring Break!

Sincerely,

Carrie Coghill ‘08

Chair, Presidential Search Committee 

Additional Information

RMU Board of Trustees Presidential Search Committee

Trustees

Carrie Coghill ‘08, CFP, AIF
Chair, Presidential Search Committee, and Vice Chair, RMU Board of Trustees
President and CEO, Coghill Investment Strategies

Clarence Dozier, Jr., J.D.
Vice Chair, Presidential Search Committee, and Chair, Audit & Risk Committee
Vice President, Safety, Sustainability & Fleet Maintenance, FedEx Ground Package System, Inc.

Rich Archer ‘83
Chair, Technology Risk Subcommittee of the Audit & Risk Committee
Partner, Risk Advisory Services (Retired), KPMG LLP

Christine Bryant
Vice Chair, Strategy & Innovation Committee
Executive Vice President, Tailored Urethanes BE, Covestro LLC

Gary Claus ‘74
Partner (Retired), PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Chuck Hammel IV ‘07
Vice President, Supply Chain Solutions, PITT OHIO

Katie Jacobs, J.D.
Vice Chair, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee
Director, Dentons Cohen & Grigsby P.C.

Brian Kelly ‘97, M‘06
Chair, Athletics & Student Life Committee
Executive Vice President and Head, PNC Healthcare

Dave Malone, CLU, ChFC
Vice Chair, Governance & Compensation Committee
President and CEO, Gateway Financial

Mark Rooks
Chair, Marketing & Development Committee
Vice President, Golf & Team Sports Category Marketing, DICK'S Sporting Goods

Steve Schott
President and CEO, Calgon Carbon Corporation

Cheryl Walker ‘78
Vice Chair, Enrollment Stabilization & Growth Committee
Executive Director (Retired), Manchester Youth Development Center

Representatives from the University Advisory Group

Sushil Acharya, Ph.D.
Vice President, Grants, Research and Global Initiatives, and Professor of Software Engineering

Diane A. Igoche, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, School of Informatics, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems

Jacob Peng, Ph.D., CISA
Department Head, Accounting and Taxation, and Richard J. Harshman Professor of Accounting

Ex Officio Members

Renée T. Cavalovitch ‘01, J.D.
General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs and Risk Management, Board Secretary, and Chief Transition Officer

Steve Klemash ‘82
Chair, Strategy & Innovation Committee
EY Americas Leader, Center for Board Matters, Ernst & Young LLP

RMU Presidential Search University Advisory Group

Co-Chairs

Sushil Acharya, Ph.D.
Vice President, Grants, Research and Global Initiatives, and Professor of Software Engineering
Presidential Search Committee Member

Diane Igoche, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, School of Informatics, Humanities and Social Sciences and Associate Professor of Computer and Information Systems
Presidential Search Committee Member

Faculty and Administration Members

David Ausman ‘00
Senior Director, Career & Professional Development Center and Director, Center for Veterans and Military Families

Armand Buzzelli, MBA ‘06, M.S, Ph.D. ‘15
Director, Campus Recreation

Josh Diller, M.S. ‘20
Senior Director of Development and Campaign Manager

Brian Edwards
Associate Vice President, Marketing and Public Relations

Eliada Griffin El, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Management and Director, Massey Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Lisa Hernandez, J.D.
Chief Human Resources Officer and Title IX Coordinator

Melissa Hillwig, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Biology

Kellie Laurenzi, M.S. ‘97
Associate Vice President, Enrollment Management
 
John McCarthy, Ph.D.
Professor, History and Faculty Athletics Representative

Samantha Monda, Ph.D.
Department Head, Psychology and Health Sciences and Associate Professor, Psychology

Jacob Peng, Ph.D.
Department Head, Accounting and Taxation and Richard J. Harshman Professor of Accounting
Presidential Search Committee Member

Anthony Robins, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Biology and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Nelle Stahura ’07, MBA ‘15
Associate Athletic Director, Compliance and Student Athlete Development, and Senior Women’s
Administrator

Monica VanDieren, Ph.D.
University Professor of Mathematics and Director, University Honors Program

Student Member

Kristen Davis ‘22 (anticipated)
Political Science and Economics (Double) Major
Honors Student; RMU Band President; Peer Mentor for WLMP

Alumni Members

Jada Grandy-Mock ‘00, MBA ‘04
Chief Corporate Community Economic Development Officer, Fifth Third Bank

Doug MacPhail ‘74
Senior Vice President, Morgan Stanley

Jackie Travisano ‘90
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, University of Miami

Ex Officio Member

Renée Cavalovitch ‘01, J.D.
General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs and Risk Management, Board Secretary, and Chief Transition Officer