Thursday, February 6, 2014

Dr. Edward Nicholson Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

"Humble" and "private" are two words that describe Dr. Edward Nicholson.  After retiring from his 16-year stint as the President of Robert Morris University, Dr. Nicholson happily took up a quiet post teaching one to two classes a semester while working for various boards. However, it was not always as calm and pristine as it is now.
The adventure for Dr. Nicholson started in 1989; he was Executive Vice-President of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, when he got the call to see if he wanted to help lead the then Robert Morris College in a new direction.  Someone nominated Dr. Nicholson for the post, and to this day Dr. Nicholson still does not know who did. But the mystery person clearly knew what he or she was doing.
In 1989, Robert Morris College was a narrowly focused business school with 97% of the student population from Western Pennsylvania. Some buildings were in needed of upgrading, the endowment was barely existent, and competition was fierce.
Seeing the challenges ahead, Dr. Nicholson started an aggressive growth campaign to help shape Robert Morris College into an institution he foresaw that could compete with larger Universities in the area.  In order to help the College grow at the rate he saw fit, the scope of the institution needed to grow beyond the realm of business.  Many other institutions at the time were developing or redeveloping their business school programs and in order for Robert Morris to keep their competitive advantage the institution needed to adapt.  Without sufficient money, RMC could not grow. This is when Dr. Nicholson decided that RMC needed to become a more broad-based university and offer degree programs in the humanities, engineering and the medical sciences field.
To help entice students for these programs, Dr. Nicholson expanded the Division I athletic programs.  In an interview with Smart Business, Dr. Nicholson said, “Our strategy was to leverage our one big competitive advantage, and that was to expand our Division I athletic programs. The first thing I did was start a football program.”
The football program was only the start. Over time RMC’s athletic program grew to 23 different programs. As comparison, the University of Pittsburgh program spans only 21 disciplines.
Thanks to the work in expanding the athletic programs, the student population grew slightly in proportion and students seeking bachelor degrees grew.  To help promote the athletic programs on campus and sustain the strategy in the DI programs, Dr. Nicholson proposed that the College buy what was to become the Neville Island Sport Complex.  The complex would provide better facilities for the various sports teams to practice on-and-off season and provide students with another outlet when things became too stressful (mini-golf is a great stress reducer).
With the growing number of students that were arriving on campus year after year, six buildings were renovated while five more were built.  230 acres are not nearly as big as one might think it is when it comes to new construction.
To help with fund-raising problem, Dr. Nicholson knew that if he excelled at his job, the money would come.  During his tenure, he developed an Office of Development and started attracting more alumni to help their alma mater.  At the time of his departure, the endowment had grown to $15 million, and donations were around $4.5 million for the year (FY2004). Thanks to the groundwork done by Dr. Nicholson, current President Gregory Dell’Omo was able to build the endowment to over $24.7 million in 2012, and Robert Morris University was able to build credibility and compete against institutions like University of Pittsburgh, Penn State, Slippery Rock, and Grove City College.
For his diligent work to help make Robert Morris University into what it is now, the St. Barnabas Leadership Conference awarded Dr. Nicholson their Lifetime Achievement Award.  When asked about his work here at RMU and the award, Dr. Nicholson said, “I feel honored and pleased that St. Barnabas presented me with this award. I have great respect for this organization. My days as President of RMU were the highlight of my long career in higher education. The university has become an important academic institution in Pittsburgh and I am pleased to see that it continues to do well.”
When asked about his work here at RMU and the award, Dr. Nicholson said, “I feel honored and pleased that St. Barnabas presented me with this award. I have great respect for this organization. My days as President of RMU were the highlight of my long career in higher education. The university has become an important academic institution in Pittsburgh and I am pleased to see that it continues to do well.”
When you walk around campus and you begin to talk to the Professors that were here when Dr. Nicholson was President, you can really appreciate all that he has done.
Dr. Nell Hartley said that Dr. Nicholson was one of the most purpose driven people she has ever known. “Telling him ‘no’ was seldom, if ever, an option. In retrospect I appreciate his persuasiveness.”
His persuasiveness helped build the Bayer Center for Non-Profit Management to what it is today. Dr. Michele Cole was recruited for the program in 2003 and helped Dr. Nicholson advocate the program to the state to get it certified. Dr. Cole remarked that Dr. Nicholson was a caring and funny man but knew when he had to be tough. “He (Dr. Nicholson) was a pleasure to be around, and he was always the consummate professional,” said Dr. Cole.
Dr. David “Budda” Budziszewski noted that Dr. Nicholson was never afraid to reach out to faculty for information. A personable leader, not rash to make decisions, but worked diligently to make the right decision. “He had a vision on where RMU was going…He was the ultimate marketer of RMU.
Dean John Beehler, Ph.D., CPA had this to say of Dr. Nicholson’s achievement, “Professor of Management and former RMU President Ed Nicholson is very deserving of this Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to RMU and our School of Business as well as for his service to academic over may years. I would like to thank him for having such a great impact on many people over his lifetime.”
Dr. Edward Nicholson's legacy can be felt today, his name hovers over the one of the largest buildings on campus and his portrait hangs in the lobby, the AACSB accreditation the School of Business holds and the Communication Intensive he helped culture. Those who have seen the campus evolve hold Dr. Nicholson in great regard and appreciate the diligent work he accomplished, for without him Robert Morris University might not be what it is today. Because of the work done by Dr. Nicholson, RMU's future is bold and bright and remains on strong footing to compete with the other Universities in the area.
Thank you Dr. Nicholson, thank you for all your hard work.

Post written by Ian Munroe, sources from a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article from 2004 and Smart Business Online Profile.

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