What's in a Name?

One of the first things you notice on the Robert Morris University campus is that every building is named for someone. Some of these names are easily recognizable: Jefferson, Franklin, Revere, Adams, Hancock, etc. Other ones, however, may not be as familiar: John Jay, Braddock, Benjamin Rush, Wayne, Sewall, Gallatin, Washington…oh wait, scratch that last one.

So who are these people, and what did they do to get a building named after them? More important, how can I get a building named after me?? That’s what I wanted to know. Since I thought you might want to know, too, I decided to do a little research to find out.

Our first stop on the “Tour de Names” is Massey Hall – home to RMU President Dr. Gregory Dell’Omo, the School of Business, and many of the institution’s full-time professors. In addition, the building is also the home of RMU's Colonial Theatre. Massey Hall is named for Harris B. Massey.

According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, the late Massey and his wife, Doris, were leaders in the Pittsburgh business community. They were also the owners of the Massey Buick Co., which at one time was the largest Buick volume dealer in the country. During his life, Massey initiated and led several other successful businesses, while donating much of his time to serve in active roles for various civic organizations.

The Masseys established a trust fund in 1968 which, since their passing in 1984, has been active in supporting community programs in the city of Pittsburgh and throughout Allegheny County. The trust now provides support in the areas of education, health, arts and culture, conservation, religion, and human services. In 2003, the trust gave $500,000 for RMU’s Partners for Progress campaign to enhance the School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science, which used the gift to create two new laboratories in John Jay Center.

The Massey Charitable Trust also supports programs for at-risk children, as well as the Pittsburgh Promise. In 2007, The Pittsburgh Foundation established the Pittsburgh Promise program with a $100 million commitment from UPMC, $10 million of which went to support the 2008 graduates of Pittsburgh Public Schools. The remaining $90 million was meant to stimulate support and contributions, with a goal to raise an additional $135 million. In June 2008, the Massey Charitable Trust provided a $1 million grant to the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund to help the program fulfill its important mission.

As we've mentioned before, 33 Pittsburgh Promise students enrolled at RMU in fall 2008—more than any other private school available to them. These students now have an average GPA of 3.0, right around the university average for all students and freshman students. They are active in campus activities and have become some of our most enthusiastic boosters. (If you'd like to meet some of them, click here.)

So there you have it. The story behind the name of Massey Hall. Quite an inspiring story of generosity, if I do say so myself.

Stay tuned for more on the RMU Tour de Names, coming soon…

– Valentine J. Brkich

A Stroll Through the Magical Forest

I still remember the first time I saw those towering pines standing guard just outside Massey Hall. It was a cold day in January and it was my first time ever on the RMU campus. A thin layer of snow blanket the ground and built small drifts on the sidewalk as the winter wind whipped through the trees. And that sound—you know, the whooshing sound the wind makes as it pushes through a pine tree—it made me feel like I was a thousand miles away out in the wilderness, rather than just 15 minutes from Pittsburgh.

There was a lamppost there, too, within the trees, and it got me to thinking. At that moment, if a half-human, half-goat would have emerged from behind the trees, I could’ve been in Narnia rather than Moon Township. Then again, if a half-human, half-goat had emerged from behind the trees, I would’ve screamed and ran away and never come back to RMU again. Luckily that didn’t happen.

If you’ve ever been to Robert Morris University, you probably know what trees I’m talking about. Covering an area that stretches from Massey Hall almost all the way over to Nicholson Center, these majestic giants create a miniature forest, if you will, and make up one of the more unique and peaceful spots on campus. And there’s even a cement pathway running right through the middle of them, providing a delightful trek in an enchanted setting. I’ve even heard people refer to these trees as the “Magical Forest,” and it’s easy to see why.

Being a writer, I’m not really a numbers guy. Heck, I need my wife’s help just to figure out how much to tip when we go out for dinner. But ever since I first saw these huge pine trees, I was curious to know just how many there were. So, one day I went out and counted them, not once but three times. And of course, I came up with three different numbers. But let’s just say there’s around 200 of these trees out there (at least, there were before three of them blew down in a windstorm last fall).

I was also curious to find out just what type of trees these were and approximately how old they might be. So I consulted RMU’s Department of Science and its resident tree expert William J. Dress, Ph.D. Dress, the department head and assistant professor of science, told me there’s a few different types of pines in this grouping. “There are several white pine and hemlock,” he says, “but there are probably at least one or two more types as well.” As for the age of the trees, he couldn’t be sure without cutting one down and counting the rings, which would be somewhat contrary to the point of my inquiry. But he estimates that most of them are at least 50 years old.

If you’ve never gotten a chance to walk through RMU’s “Magical Forest,” I urge you to do so. Just be on the lookout for any half-human, half-goat creatures. I’m still not convinced.

- Valentine J. Brkich

The Joe Walton Celebrity Golf Classic

I’ve been golfing for 22 years now. You’d think that after so much practice I’d be on the PGA Tour, duking it out with the likes of Tiger, Phil, and Sergio (Garcia, not Mendes). You’d be wrong. What's strange is that I was actually a better golfer in my early teens than I am now (somewhere beyond my late teens).

So when my boss asked if I’d like to play in the Joe Walton Celebrity Golf Classic, I hesitated at first. After all, I didn’t want to embarrass myself. But then I found out that the tournament was on a Monday, i.e., a workday. So I figured I could handle a little embarrassment, as long as it meant I could get out of the office for a while.

The Joe Walton Celebrity Golf Classic is an annual charity event that benefits RMU Colonial Football. Its host, Joe Walton, has been the team’s head coach for 16 years. He actually started the football program back in July 1993. Since then, Coach Walton has led the Colonials to five Northeast Conference titles and a pair of mid-major national crowns. In 2004, RMU honored him by naming the university’s new football stadium after him.

In the past, this scramble-style golf tournament has drawn such famed sports legends as Joe Namath, Franco Harris, Joe Theismann, Yogi Berra, Chuck Noll, Jack Ham, and Lynn Swann. This year it was held at the Beaver Valley Golf Club in Beaver Falls, Pa. (Coach Walton’s hometown), and the list of sports icons was equally impressive, with names like John Banaszak, Steve Blass, Dave Robinson, Andy Russell, Foge Fazio, Hank Fraley, Hugh Green, and Babe Parilli.

Each foursome is paired up with a different celebrity, and we were honored to golf with Tito Francona, former MLB star and father of Terry Francona, manager of the Boston Red Sox. Although he played for many teams, Francona played the majority of his career (1959-1964) as a Cleveland Indian.

If you’ve ever played in a golf tournament, you’ll understand why I wasn’t the least bit surprised when I duffed my first drive about 20 yards off to the left and into the high rough. I've duffed many a first drive in my 22 years as a duffer, and there were many more duffs to follow throughout the afternoon. Fortunately, we had Mr. Francona batting clean-up, and he saved us time and time again with his down-the-center drives and dead-on putting. He also treated us to some incredible stories of his time in the major leagues—stories about legends like Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, and Ted Williams. I was captivated.

That was two days ago and I’m still pretty sore. Yesterday it hurt just to sit at my desk and type. Maybe golf’s just not the game for me. Luckily it only took me 22 years to figure that out.

- Valentine J. Brkich

The whole story

The Chronicle of Higher Education's news blog had an item yesterday about the decision of our Faculty Federation to give up some of the raise that was due them next year in order to provide more aid for students. The Chronicle makes a reference to last year's tuition increase that calls out for more context.

The fact is that RMU has the third-lowest tuition of any private university is Pennsylvania, and is the most affordable private university in Allegheny County. This year's tuition increase of 3.95 percent is the lowest since 1997, and it will go entirely to programs and improvements that directly benefit students. The bottom line is that we endeavor to keep RMU as affordable as possible, and the actions of our faculty speak to that.

- Jonathan Potts

We bring you the world

Students and faculty in RMU's School of Nursing and Health Sciences leave this week for a trip to China, and you can follow them at their own blog, http://rmuinchina.wordpress.com/. Upon their return we also hope to have some video to share, which we'll post at our YouTube channel, here. And our tech savvy nurses have their own YouTube channel, here.

- Jonathan Potts

Invasion of The Strange Blue Metal Thingy

You’d think summertime on a university campus would be a quiet, peaceful time. After all, what is a university, really, but a community of students. With commencement last weekend, the last of the remaining students on campus packed up their futons, PlayStations, and shower shoes and rode off into the sunset, so to speak.

For a couple days, things really were quiet around here. The parking lots were empty, the Food Court was closed, and it seemed like I had the entire 230-acre campus to myself.

But here at RMU, there’s always something going on, no matter what time of year it is.

When I came to work on Tuesday, the previously bare parking lots were now packed with vehicles, the majority of them pick-up trucks. There was also some sort of contraption – I call it The Strange Blue Metal Thingy – planted in the parking lot just across the street from the Sewall Center. At lunchtime I went for a walk to do a little investigating and found out that the reason for all these cars (and The Strange Blue Metal Thingy) was the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable (EGCR). The EGCR, according to its website, “is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to provide the Natural Gas Industry with cost effective training programs,” and it was holding its annual conference right here in RMU’s Sewall Center.

Inside the 36,000-square-foot arena, 140 or so exhibitors had set up booths and were sharing information on their services, training programs, and all the latest innovations in the industry. I thought about asking someone about The Strange Blue Metal Thingy, but I didn’t want to reveal my ignorance about the natural gas industry in front of so many experts. So I just let it be.

Apparently, the EGCR conference is just one of the thousands – yes, thousands – of events that RMU hosts each year. Andrea L Plummer, RMU’s senior manager of Conference and Facility Services, said the EGCR conference is just one of over 2,000 events held in the Sewall Center this fiscal year alone. “We have back to back major events until middle of June,” she says, “and then we have to get ready for summer camps. People don’t realize how busy we are around here. The summer, in particular, is very active.”



In the next month alone, RMU will be hosting a baseball card show (May 15–18), the Y108 Country Cares for Cops benefit concert (May 18), a coin show (May 22–24), Basketball Stars of America (May 29–31), Montour High School’s graduation (June 3), Quaker Valley High School’s graduation (June 4), the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam (June 6), and Moon High School’s graduation (June 12). Whew!

The reason so many events come to RMU is because of its scenic grounds and spacious facilities. The Sewall Center, itself, is the second largest exhibit space in Pittsburgh. I’ll let you guess which facility is number one.

I never did find out what The Strange Blue Metal Thingy was. But that's okay. Sometimes mysteries are more romantic, especially when it comes to natural gas.

- Valentine J. Brkich

The Great Outdoors...at RMU

The other day I stepped out of the office for a little fresh air, when I saw a wild turkey. It came around the side of the building and scampered along the sidewalk for a bit before cutting across the grass and disappearing into the woods. Being that it was just about lunchtime, visions of stuffing and cranberry sauce danced in my head.

Although it was a little strange to see a turkey running around in the middle of the day, seeing a wild animal here on RMU’s Moon Township campus was no big surprise. After all, there’s 230 rolling acres up here, and much of it is surrounded by forest.

I’ve had a few offices in my day, each one of them with a different view. At one of my first jobs, my office was in the boiler room, where, besides breathing in metal dust and enjoying a constant 90 degree temperature, I had a wonderful view of…well, the boiler. At other jobs, the only view I had was the wall of my cubicle. I actually used to draw a fake window on my computer, print it out, and then hang it on the wall to try and trick myself. Sad but true.

My current office here at RMU offers, by far, the best view I’ve ever had. My window in Lafayette Center (a real window, by the way) looks out into the woods and gives me the feeling that I’m a hundred miles from civilization. It’s like I’m writing from the comfort of a secluded cabin (an air-conditioned cabin with genuine pine smell provided by a plug-in air freshener). Last fall as I was sitting here working when a group of 10 or 12 deer came bounding from the direction of campus and went right past my window before vanishing deep into the woods. Now that’s something you don’t see in your average corporate office.

I’ve seen all kinds of animals up here, from deer and turkey, to hawks and foxes, to groundhogs and “grinnies” (Pittsburghese for chipmunks). Heck, it’s like we’ve got our very own wildlife preserve, just without any of those pesky man-eating predators, which can really put a damper on your outdoor experience.

I find a lot of people are surprised when they first visit RMU and see what a scenic, expansive campus we have. What’s great about it is that in just 15 or 20 minutes you can be right in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, if you're in the mood for a more urban atmosphere. Then again, if you’re looking to find a secluded place to throw down a blanket, do some reading, or maybe even take a quick snooze, there’s plenty of room here to spread out and relax. Our students really have the best of both worlds.

As for me, now that I'm working at RMU, I no longer have to stare out fake windows or endure sweltering temperatures while I’m working…which is nice.

— Valentine J. Brkich