News

• The RMU women's basketball team is ranked No. 3 of all NCAA DI programs in terms of team GPA, ending the 2018-'19 contest with a 3.713. The ranking comes from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Last month, Robert Morris was bestowed with its third consecutive Northeast Conference Team GPA Award, recognizing, once again, the team's excellence in the classroom. 
• Speaking of successful varsity teams, the track and field team also posted a 3.53 team GPA, ranking them 40th among 227 NCAA DI teams. A total of 21 student-athletes from RMU were named to the 2019 Northeast Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll, including 11 to the 2019 NEC Spring Commissioner's Honor Roll. 
• Four members of the women's lacrosse team made the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Roll, with the entire team also earning the Academic Squad designation. The Colonials as a group were recognized by the IWLCA for posting a collective 3.0 GPA during the 2018-19 season.
• Last but not least in the slew of academic achievements from athletic teams, the volleyball team was honored for its work in the classroom by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as one of 189 teams to the earn the 2019 AVCA Team Academic Award. The award honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale. During the 2018-19 academic year, the Colonials posted a team GPA of 3.846, the highest of RMU's 16 intercollegiate NCAA Division I programs. That mark was also the highest in the Northeast Conference (NEC) by any program since 2014-15.
• Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity received national recognition at their Endeavor leadership conference in Atlanta. The three awards given to the RMU chapter were:
  • Micheal Schermer and Doug Lichtenberger Foundation Advocate Award: Given in recognition of a chapter’s outstanding contributions and commitment to the Sigma Tau Gamma Foundation and for cultivating a spirit of giving among its members
  • Robert N. Jones Charitable Projects Award: Given in recognition of a chapter that exemplifies the Principle of Citizenship through philanthropic efforts and service to their campus and community
  • Principle of Leadership Award: Given to RMU student Jarrett Brown, this award recognizes a member that exemplifies what it means to be a leader in their chapter, on their campus, and in their community
• RMU alum Bethany Giombetti '18 was granted a Woodrow Wilson Pennsylvania Teaching Fellowship. The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation awards this highly competitive program to recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math. Giombetti will receive $32,000 to complete a specially designed, cutting-edge master’s degree program based on a yearlong classroom experience. In return, she will commit to teach for three years in the high-need Pennsylvania schools.

Personal Mention

• Jim Chiaramonte, manager of IT customer service, and Dylan McKenna, systems administrator for athletic and special events, presented at the annual MacAdmins Conference held at Penn State University earlier this month. Their presentation titled "From Imaging to Installation in One Semester" outlined the process improvements and industry best practices that they have implemented for macOS X deployment and software management for the Media Arts programs in the School of Informatics, Humanities and Social Sciences.
• RMU President Chris Howard will be a panelist for VisitPittsburgh's "Power of Sports Economy" panel discussion on August 2. The conference welcomes representatives of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates along with leaders of Pittsburgh's business community, to discuss the power of our sports economy and how that impact extends well beyond game day.

You're Invited

• The RMU CEO Lecture Series will resume Wednesday, Sept. 4, with a talk by Thomas Tull -- entrepreneur, philanthropist, film producer (The Dark Knight, The Hangover, Inception), and minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers -- from 3 to 5 p.m. in the UPMC Events Center. 

Editor's Note - The Minuteman will be published every other Friday over the summer months.