News

• Effective March 2, RMU will no longer require masks to be worn indoors in most situations. Several exceptions apply:

  -Any faculty member may require students to wear masks in their classrooms, laboratories, and/or offices.
  -Masks must be worn at all times in the MyHealth@School Center and while completing any COVID-19 testing.
  -Masks must be worn in the Counseling Center.
  -Masks must be worn on the Yorktown Hall shuttle. 
  -All students, faculty, and staff may request that anyone who meets with them wear a mask, and in the spirit of community and cooperation, we expect everyone to comply with such a request.
  -Anyone who prefers to continue to wear a mask should feel free and comfortable to do so.
  -We strongly recommend that all visitors to campus continue to wear masks indoors.

  You can read more here about changes to the university's COVID-19 policy here.
   

• RMU's designation as a Center of Actuarial Excellence for our Actuarial Science Program has been renewed for 2022 by the Society of Actuaries. RMU is us one of only 19 universities in the United States to hold this designation.

• The M.S. in Cybersecurity program has been named one of technology news website ZDNet's Top 5 Online Schools for Master's in Network Security for 2022. Rankings are based on ZDNet's proprietary algorithm that weighs more than a dozen factors across categories of academics, reputation, affordability, and programmatic excellence.

• The RMU Center For Innovation & Outreach is offering a series of three immersive college experiences for Pittsburgh Public School Students; the second such event was held Saturday, February 19. Sixty middle and high school students involved with Sewickley Academy's Breakthrough Pittsburgh visited RMU CIO and the Math Department. Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Anthony Robins along with RMU math faculty Dave Hudak and Christopher Groendyke, offered an introduction into hands-on data science concepts. Students also went to an RMU panel discussion where undergraduate representatives discussed everything RMU has to offer. High school students asked questions about what life is like at RMU: from information about classes through cafeteria offerings and club opportunities. This collaboration is dedicated to creating a community of students that have access to programs and resources that enrich their knowledge, experiences, and skills. These students are highly motivated, college bound (most are the first in their families to do so) students that are ideal to build the RMU pipeline. 

• Senior forward Kahliel Spear of the RMU men's basketball team was named to the 2021-22 Academic All-District® Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Spear is the first RMU student-athlete to earn District 2 honors since former forward Aaron Thomas (2000-04) during the 2002-03 campaign. Spear will now advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot for national recognition, with honorees announced in March. CoSIDA's District 2 includes student-athletes that compete for institutions from the states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia as well as the District of Columbia. One of two Colonials to start each of RMU's 26 games so far during the 2021-22 campaign, Spear, a native of The Colony, Texas, owns a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.92 as an economics major. Read more here.

  And, just in time for this issue, we learned that Kahliel also was named to the Horizon League Academic Team. To earn this distinction, a student-athlete must own a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale, participate in 50 percent of a program's competitions and have spent at least one academic year at their respective institution. Faculty athletic representatives of the Horizon League vote on the five-man team. Ties are not broken, and student-athletes that earn at least 25 percent of the votes but are not part of the #HLMBB All-Academic Team earn honorable mention status. Read more here.

Special Announcement from Human Resources: Building the kind of culture that we want to be part of is a responsibility that belongs to us all, and on a regular basis, we see so many of the amazing employees here at Robert Morris University go above and beyond to serve, support, and celebrate each other. 

In observation of Employee Appreciation Day, we invite you to help us to celebrate the people who make our community something special. Please take a few moments to share about the staff and faculty who demonstrate our values: Excellence, Inclusion, Innovation, Responsiveness, Transformation, Collaboration, and Global Perspective. You may celebrate them via email or text message, or complete this form. Thank you for your help as we build the kind of community that fosters belonging.

You're Invited

• RMU Colonial Theatre invites you to the hilarious musical comedy, Young Frankenstein! Get your tickets now at www.rmu.edu/theatre

  Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
  Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
  Original Direction and Choreography by Susan Stroman
  Directed by Quinn Patrick Shannon

  Grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced "Fronk-en-steen") inherits his family's estate in Transylvania. With the help of a hunchbacked sidekick, Igor (pronounced "Eye-gore"), and a lab assistant, Inga (pronounced normally), Frederick finds himself in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestors. "It's alive!" he exclaims as he brings to life a creature to rival his grandfather's. Eventually, of course, the monster escapes and hilarity continuously abounds.

  -Friday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m.
  -Saturday, February 26 at 7:30 p.m.
  -Sunday, February 27 at 2 p.m.

• You are invited to attend an RMU Roundtable presentation "A Wicked Problem of the Global Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout" with Anna Abdulmanova, assistant professor of finance. The roundtable will be held virtually Friday, February 25, from 11 a.m. to noon. You can join the roundtable on 2/25 by clicking here. All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend this discussion.

• The School of Informatics, Humanities and Social Sciences is happy to invite you to join our Live Music Series. This series is produced by the Cinema Capstone 2 class, and is in collaboration with Advanced Typography, from Media Arts. Join us at 7 p.m. for the February 28 show which will feature the band The Devilish Merry and their amazing performance. 

  The series is being supported by a grant from the Faculty Enrichment Fund and by Dean Amjad Ali from the School of Informatics, Humanities and Social Sciences in the context of  the Centennial Celebration of RMU. Please watch via Comcast Channel 98, YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. Use the RMU TV Sentry Media links to access the show on YouTube or Facebook.

• Please Join us in the Media Arts Gallery for Interaction Now artists reception on Tuesday, March 1, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Interaction Now reflects on our interactions and how they have changed or been impacted by the pandemic. From Zoom calls with family, working from home, to outdoor events held at arm's-length, this show examines how our engagements with one another have adapted or been altered since February 2020. The exhibition features work by 22 members of Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and is on view at the Media Arts Gallery, located on the first floor of Wheatley Center at Robert Morris University, through March 7. This event is free and open to the public. 

• The Career and Professional Development Center will be hosting a virtual career fair on Tuesday, March 15, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. via Handshake.com. Students can sign up for 10-minute, one-on-one and 30-minute, group employer sessions. Student Registration begins February 21 via Handshake.

• On March 24- 25, the Women’s Leadership and Mentorship Program presents RMU’s Sixth Annual Women and Transformational Leadership Symposium. This two-day, in-person event features women leaders in our region and topics that impact the region's move toward gender equity and the advancement of women.

  This event is free and open to the public! Learn more and register here: rmu.edu/wtls. Please register by March 15th to secure your spot! This event is SET-eligible for students. 

  March 24 Keynote Speaker: Lee Dingus, Beyond the Images: Daughters of Turtle Island
  Lee Dingus has been active in many aspects of Native American affairs and human rights for more than 20 years. She has served as chairperson for the VA Pittsburgh Health care system, EEO committee chairperson, the Native American program manager, and is the current chairperson of the Pittsburgh Federal Executive Board Native American Heritage Committee. She has served on various boards in the past to many local and national Native American organizations. Lee is co-founder of Echoes of the Four Directions, a Native American cultural and reference source. Dingus has been a diversity trainer and Equal rights trainer, for the VA healthcare system both on the local and national levels in areas of Native American culture and diversity training. She has provided diversity training to the City of Pittsburgh police department, as well as local police departments and colleges and universities in the tri-state area. Dingus has served the IRS and Social Security Administration as a Native American adviser. She currently works as a part-time test administrator for Personal Professional Centers but continues to serve as the chairperson of the Pittsburgh Federal Executive Board Native American Heritage Committee, and as a community Native American advisor for the federal government and the community at large. 

  March 25 Sessions and Panel:
  -The WLMP Student Speaker Series, Building for the Future
  -Implementing Intersectional Health Justice. Facilitated by Morgan Overton, Vice-Chair of the Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission
  -Connecting with Purpose in 2022. Facilitated by Stephanie Masters, CliftonStrengths Certified Coach and Organizational Development Consultant 
  -Lunch Panel: Gender, Identity, and Success in STEM Fields. Moderated by Dr. Rika, Carlsen, Faculty Advisor for RMU's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers 

Upcoming Sports

NCAA Division I

• Women's basketball will host a first-round Horizon League tournament game at 7 p.m. on March 1 in the UPMC Events Center. Keep an eye on rmucolonials.com or the RMU Gameday app for details.

Upcoming Concerts 

• Trinity of Terror, April 7
• Lil Durk, April 26
• Whiskey Myers, May 1
• CHEER Live, July 12

All concerts are at the UPMC Events Center. Go to www.upmceventscenter.com for more information.