The players wait, focused on the objective

This is my first dispatch from the road. For the next few days I’ll be accompanying the RMU Colonials Men’s Basketball team as they invade the state of Connecticut. This may be my first trip with the team, but I’m certainly qualified for this assignment. After all, I was the third best guard on the second team of the Sts. Peter & Paul Pacers during the 1986-87 season. I also started in my high school Spanish club’s first annual picnic basketball tournament back in 1993.

So, yeah, I know my way around the hardwood.

Our journey began yesterday morning as we boarded the tiny commuter jet in Pittsburgh. The players fanned out inside the plane, their spirits high despite the vertical challenges inside the cabin. I sat in the window seat next to a man named Dirk, who, after I questioned him, claimed to be a “consultant.” Of what, he didn’t reveal. From then on, I avoided conversation, just in case Dirk – if that was his real name – was working for the other side.

After landing in Hartford, it didn’t take long to realize we were in unfamiliar territory. Riding in the charter bus, I noticed that the roads were smooth and conspicuously devoid of potholes or orange cones. A roadside sign read, “NO BREAKDOWN LANE AHEAD.” I was still trying to figure out what a “breakdown lane” was, when another sign warned that something called a “Train Station” lay just ahead. Obviously we weren’t in Kansas, i.e., Moon Township, anymore.

Discipline was swift and stern. “NO VANILLA ICE!” declared Coach Toole, setting the tone for the rest of the mission.

Before long we arrived at our destination–Sacred Heart’s William H. Pitt Center. (No relation the namesake of our beloved Pittsburgh, but a welcome omen nonetheless.) As the team prepped for practice, Coach Toole, always the recruiter, watched as a young man named Daniel showed his stuff on the court. After Daniel swished his only shot, Coach Toole swapped cell numbers with him and told the boy to give him a ring in 12 years.

All in all, it was a productive first day. But I know today will bring new challenges. I can only hope we’re up for it. (By we, I mean the team. I’ll just be joting notes in my little notebook like always.)

To be continued…

Now, on what may be my greatest adventure yet, they’re sending me to….Connecticut.

That’s right, Connecticut—Land of Insurance Companies, birthplace of  Gary Burgoff, and home of the first collapsible toothpaste tube (1892).

Beginning this Thursday, I’ll be embedded with the Robert Morris University Men’s Basketball Team – Pittsburgh’s perennial powerhouse of the parquet (sorry) – as they travel to the Constitution State to battle Sacred Heart (Feb. 23, 7 p.m.) and Quinnipiac (Feb. 25, 11 a.m.).

Follow me on Twitter (@rmu) and on the RMU Blog (rmu.edu/blog), as I learn what it’s like to be a NCAA Division I basketball player…or at least what it’s like to ride on a bus with one.

–Valentine J. Brkich

Teresa, Jeremy, and Bobby if front of the White House after our visit with President Obama

This past spring, Jeremy Carr, 23, was helping his mother, Teresa, and her fellow Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 862 members with a road clean-up detail. Jeremy, who has Down Syndrome, asked his mother if she thought President Obama would be proud of him for his volunteer work with the Beaver County chapter of the VVA. He wanted her to write a letter to the President to ask him.

Teresa wrote that letter, and on November 11, 2011, President Obama answered Jeremy in his Veteran’s Day speech from Arlington National Cemetery.

“Well, Jeremy, I want you to know, yes, I am proud of you,” said Obama. “I could not be prouder of you, and your country is proud of you. Thank you for serving our veterans by helping them to continue their service to America.”

Jeremy’s younger brother, Bobby, 18, is a freshman student in RMU’s Sport Management program, and on Friday, January 13, he joined his family as they got to meet President Obama in the Oval Office of the White House.

“To me the experience was a once in a lifetime chance to not only meet the president but to be in the Oval Office,” says Bobby. “I would love to go back to D.C and go on a tour of the rest of the White House.”

Bobby standing behind his brother, Jeremy, after receiving an award from the Board of Directors of the National Vietnam Veterans of America

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that Bobby will be able to pass down to his family someday,” adds Teresa.

While in Washington D.C., the Carrs also met Eric Shinseki, secretary of Veterans Affairs, at the National VA office.

“This was such a wonderful time to share with my sons,” adds Teresa, “and I hope they will both have great memories of their experience.”

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RMU participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans that have been awarded 100% benefits for their Post 9/11 G.I. Bill. For more information, visit rmu.edu/militaryveterans.

You can read more about the Carr’s meeting with the president in this Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article by Mike Wereschagin.

RMU Pittsburgh Promise students Ciera Wilson, Francine Whitman, and Allyson Vignone, with Brett Keisel and James Farrior.

On January 10, RMU trustee and president and CEO of Gateway Financial David Malone, along with Richard Harshman, RMU alumnus, trustee, and CEO of Allegheny Technologies Inc., hosted RMU at the Penguins game vs. the Ottawa Senators.

The event was a celebration of RMU’s first graduating cohort of Pittsburgh Promise students (16 will graduate in May).

Other VIPs in attendance included Saleem Ghubril, head of the Pittsburgh Promise; David Morehouse, CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Franco Harris, who serves on the Promise Board; Pittsburgh Steelers Brett Keisel and James Farrior; Steelers president and co-owner Art Rooney II; and RMU trustees Barbara A. McNees, Frank A. Molinero, Gary Sukulski, and Gregory R. Spencer.

If your life was changed as a student at RMU, or if your RMU education has helped you go forth and change the lives of others, we’d love to hear about it.

Send us a brief, testimonial-type video (1 min. max) on how RMU changed your life or helped you effect positive change in other people, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a new Amazon Kindle FIRE!

There are three ways to enter:

1) Upload your video to your Facebook page and tag Robert Morris University (make sure you “like” us first)

2) Post your video on  the Robert Morris University Facebook page wall

3) Email it to brkich@rmu.edu.

Video submission deadline is March 19. Contest is open to all students and alumni of Robert Morris University.
You must be a current student or alum in order to be eligible.

Robert Morris University…changing lives now for over 90 years.

Now if there were only a respected, AACSB-accredited M.B.A. program that was grounded in a problem-solving orientation to real-time issues; one that could enhance your ability to identify and implement strategic and tactical solutions and provide problem-solving and management skills to help you work more effectively in the accelerating marketplace of ideas….

Can you say RMU?

“Suddenly, my vision of my future was compressed into a finite set of years,” says DeNardis. “All I could think about was how it would impact my wife and three young children. There was still so much I wanted to do with my family, so many more moments I wanted to share.”

Today, despite chemotherapy treatment and life-threatening relapses, DeNardis, who holds a B.S.B.A. in accounting from Robert Morris University, is still going strong and doing what he can in the fight to find a cure for the disease.

DeNardis works full-time as a management information systems administrator at the University of Pittsburgh and part-time as a lecturer at Penn State Beaver. He also works part-time as a computer and information systems instructor at RMU. In addition, he volunteers more than 40 hours per month for the International Waldenstorm’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF), a non-profit devoted to support, education, and research about the disease.

“My intent is to raise awareness about the disease,” he says, “and perhaps spur others to support our efforts for this and other diseases. I just want to pay it forward for all the assistance I’ve received.”

Recently DeNardis was given the Jefferson Award, a prestigious national recognition honoring community and public service. The Jefferson Awards has more than 150 media partners across the country. DeNardis’ award was presented by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and the Heinz Endowments.

A board member of the IWMF since 2007, DeNardis also serves as their discussion list manager, providing emotional support to fellow patients. In addition, he reviews the limited research about WM and shares it with doctors, patients, and other caregivers in the hopes of improving treatment and finding a cure. DeNardis even helped to revamp IWMF.com and is working on expanding an online database that captures and consolidates medical data from patients around the world.

“Perhaps someday, all lymphomas will be manageable, curable illnesses,” he says. “But until then, we fight on.”

Written by Valentine J. Brkich

For more information about how you can support the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation, visit iwmf.com.

Aimee (on right) and Carrie Moniot (photo by Sarah Smith '11)

Less than a year ago, Aimee Morgan ’11 was studying journalism at Robert Morris University. Now she’s writing stories that are being read by thousands of people all around the world.

“The fact that I can pitch an idea, and then, the next day, see that idea published on an international website is incredible,” says Aimee, who’s working as a staff writer and customer service specialist for AccuWeather in State College, Pa. “One of my stories had over 16,000 views in a few days; another had 7,000 within the first few hours. It is an incredible feeling.”

Aimee, who grew up in Mechanicsburg, graduated with a degree in journalism from RMU last May. “RMU gave me the chance to jump right into journalism the moment I got there,” she says.

During her first semester, Aimee was the host of “RMU-Tonight”; she helped produce the show during her second semester. She also worked on “RMU-Live”, the university’s news program, as an anchor and producer. In addition, she wrote for the school newspaper, The Sentry, working as a features editor.

During her time at RMU, Aimee interned with Steel City Media, the Pennsylvania Society of Newspaper Editors, and WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, and was a member of the Society for Collegiate Journalists and the undergraduate student honor society of the National Communication Association. She also played Ann Putnam in the Colonial Theatre production of “The Crucible”, and travelled to Ireland and Paris as part of RMU’s Study Abroad program.

Aimee has always had an interest in writing, thanks to her mother, who earned a master’s degree in mass communications. “I guess the old saying ‘like mother, like daughter’ rings true in my case,” she says.

In high school Aimee developed her writing skills while working for the school newspaper. After watching the 1992 Disney film “Newsies” during her Journalism I class, she knew what she wanted to do with her career. “One of the best things about journalism is being able to share people’s stories with the world. It’s a powerful thing. I want to share the stories that may otherwise go unnoticed.”

While she was still an undergrad, Aimee’s media management professor, Carrie Moniot, told her about an opportunity at AccuWeather. Due to her work experience, Moniot knew a key point of contact at the weather forecasting organization, and it ended up helping Aimee during the interview process. “Carrie and I had discussed where I wanted to go with my career and what my plans were,” says Aimee. “I had told her that I was no longer interested in being a broadcast journalist, but more of an online journalist, producing content for a major magazine or website, because that is where journalism seems to be heading. Producing cross-platform packages was my newfound love.”

RMU’s professors provided the personal attention that Aimee needed to find a good job in her field. But Morgan will tell you that it was something that happened during her senior year at RMU that truly changed her life.

At the time she had a lot of bills to pay, could barely afford to eat, and couldn’t afford to pay for her books. Then her car broke down, and she didn’t have enough money to fix it. On top of all that, her mother was laid off and her father was on disability. Morgan says she has always been a positive person, but she was at her breaking point. She considered leaving school. “I could feel myself getting hopeless,” she says. “I literally had nowhere to go for assistance.”

That was until Tara Monahan, her financial aid officer, told her about RMU’s Student Emergency Fund, which helps provide money to needy students. Aimee wrote to John Michalenko, vice president for student life, and explained her situation. “He helped me with open arms,” she says. “The program paid for the work on my car, for my books, and even provided me with one of the best meal plans available. I can’t thank RMU and President Dell’Omo enough for what they did for me.”

Today Aimee stays connected with RMU through a mentoring relationship she built with her journalism professor and head of the Department of Communications, Andrea Frantz, Ph.D. “I’m lucky to call her both a mentor and a friend,” says Aimee.

In 2010, Frantz recruited students to participate in Heinz Endowment’s Student Journalism Competition, and she selected Aimee for RMU’s team. “We all benefited from her intelligence, experience, and faith to go outside of our comfort zone,” says Aimee. RMU’s team ended up winning the competition, and Aimee says it was Frantz’s tough-love approach that really made the difference. “She was hard on us,” she says. “In fact, she tore our first draft of our news story apart. She wanted us to focus on the human-interest element of the story.”

Today Aimee says that her favorite aspect of journalism is the human-interest element to every story she writes. In the near future, she hopes to become a fulltime online journalist at AccuWeather. Her dream job, however, would be writing for O, The Oprah Magazine. “I love human-interest, feature-length stories,” she says, “and Dr. Frantz has a lot to do with that. She is the human-interest to my life at RMU. She is my story.”

Written by Valentine J. Brkich

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Please consider helping other deserving students like Aimee by donating to RMU’s Student Emergency Fund.

Now you can visit the Robert Morris University website on your smartphone at…

www.rmu.edu/mobilesite

Read about RMU’s academic programs, fill out an application, or even make a gift to the university right from the palm of your hand!

Check it out today and let us know what you think.