About RMU
President Gregory Dell'Omo
Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D. has been president of Robert Morris University since 2005. Taking the reins of the university during a period of unparalleled growth, Dell’Omo quickly developed a clear vision for RMU as a place that provides transformational experiences for students through engaged learning. The university articulated this vision in its 2007 strategic plan, which spelled out RMU’s core values:
For 90 years, RMU has delivered academic excellence with a professional focus. Today, we emphasize engaged learning and promote a global perspective. Above all, we believe that individuals matter. Because of all this, RMU is changing lives.
These values are reflected in the university’s increased emphasis during Dell’Omo’s presidency on internationalism in student experiences, faculty research, and academic programs. A commitment to academic excellence is seen in major accreditations earned by RMU over the past six years, including AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business; the Teacher Education Accreditation Council; the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education; and re-accreditations for engineering and computer science by ABET. The university’s actuarial science program was one of the original 10 Centers of Actuarial Excellence, designated by the Society of Actuaries.
Other achievements include creation of the Student Engagement Program and Transcript, and increases in the number of RMU students studying abroad and international students studying at RMU. Under Dell’Omo, the university added several degree programs and expanded its honors program, including the creation of the Honors Travel Fellowship Program. RMU also has experienced tremendous enrollment growth: a 38 percent increase in freshman enrollment and a 3.7 percent increase in graduate enrollment since 2006. Fifty-two percent of students now live on campus, a figure that is set to increase over the next three to five years.
Dell’Omo has overseen a transformation of RMU’s 230-acre campus, part of a 20-year master plan developed in conjunction with the strategic plan. Highlights include the construction of a new School of Business building and apartment-style residence halls; a nursing simulation laboratory; and renovated dining, athletic, and recreational facilities. The university recently undertook construction of a new facility for the School of Communications and Information Systems.
During Dell’Omo’s tenure, Robert Morris’s endowment has grown from $16 million to $26 million. In 2008 RMU launched a $40 million fundraising campaign, the largest in its history, set to conclude in the spring of 2012. Gifts include $5 million from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and other seven-figure donations.
Dell’Omo sits on the boards of the Magee-Women’s Hospital Foundation, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania. He is secretary/treasurer of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania and chairman of the Presidents’ Council of the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education. He is also chair of the Finance Committee of the Pennsylvania Campus Compact and is a member of the major gifts committee of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He is vice chairman of the Northeast Conference Presidents’ Council and represented the Northeast Conference on the NCAA DI Board of Directors from 2009-11. He is a member of the NCAA's Presidents' Advisory Group as well as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision CEO Group.
Dell’Omo holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Montclair State University, a master’s degree in industrial relations from Rutgers, and a Ph.D. in industrial relations/human resource management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dell’Omo held previous academic positions at Canisius College and most recently at Saint Joseph's University, where he was dean of the Haub School of Business and then vice president for external affairs.
For more information contact Jonathan Potts at 412-397-5291 or email the Office of the President.