Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025
VP for University Operations leaves lasting impact on campus
by Rachel Stengel '14, '20
Longtime member of the Rider community Mike Reca will retire on Nov. 11 after 35 years of service to the University. In honor of his dedication to Rider, he was granted emeritus status by the Board of Trustees.
The Vice President for University Operations has, quite literally, managed every physical area of Rider’s campus footprint — all 300 acres, 60 buildings and over 1.5 million square feet of it — for more than three decades. In his role, Reca has overseen the offices of Facilities Management and Auxiliary Services and Programs, campus planning and construction, dining and vending services, transportation, mail and printing services, camps and conferences, event management, Public Safety, the Office of Information Technology and the Westminster Conservatory of Music.
Reca has made a noticeable and significant impact on Rider’s campus. He has managed over $250 million worth of construction and renovation projects, spanning residence halls, academic and student-centered buildings and athletic facilities. Notable projects include the construction of the Student Recreation Center, Lynch Adler Hall, Beckett Village, Hank and Bonnie Moore Hall, the basketball practice facility and the Michael P. Brady Track and Field Complex, and renovations of eight residence halls, Cranberry’s, Muller’s Pub, Daly Dining Hall and the $9 million expansion of the Mike and Patti Hennessy Science and Technology Center.
Reca and his team have established Rider as a top institution for sustainability by implementing eco-friendly standards that have earned 15 years of recognition by The Princeton Review. Some of the efforts include an on-campus Trigen power plant, a 740-kilowatt solar array, a SEED food waste digester in Daly’s, electric vehicle charging stations throughout campus and two LEED-certified buildings. The University has also adopted an energy master plan and a plan to become carbon neutral by 2050.
The most rewarding aspect has been the ability to see so many students make Rider their home."
Rider’s dining services have received numerous national awards under Reca’s leadership. In the past three decades, dining services and facilities have undergone a number of transformations to expand variety, increase the number of allergen-free options and modernize services. Major projects include the addition of national brands like Starbucks, Jersey Mike’s and Wendy’s on campus, the creation of a Teaching Kitchen in Daly’s through Rider’s dining provider Gourmet Dining, the implementation of the Grubhub app for mobile ordering and the establishment of a student-run Saxbys cafe to underscore the University’s commitment to real-world learning opportunities.
Reca has also created a number of critical programs and partnerships, some designed to help vulnerable members of the Rider community and beyond, while others generated revenue and expanded the University’s local and global footprint. Reca helped establish the Rider Resource Pantry on campus, which provides food, toiletries, clothing and academic supplies to students in need. He also developed partnerships with Meals on Wheels of Mercer County to utilize campus dining facilities to prepare thousands of meals each week for local residents and HomeWorks Trenton to provide housing for young women from marginalized communities. In 2005, he developed a summer study tour program that ran for more than a decade and helped thousands of international students earn their English language certification.
Rider has been more than just a workplace for Reca. He earned his master’s degree in human services administration from the University and his two children are Broncs as well. His daughter Casey ’19 earned her master’s degree and his son Drew ’16 ’19, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and serves as Rider’s associate director of major gifts.
Reca is a steadfast supporter of Rider Athletics. As students, Casey ’19 was a member of the track and field team and Drew ’16 ’19 competed for the wrestling team. In 2023, Reca and his wife Cheryl made a $100,000 pledge to support the Gary Taylor Wrestling Center. Reca wanted to make a meaningful tribute to Taylor — the legendary head coach who passed away the previous year — whom he counted as a personal friend in addition to being a colleague.
Looking back on his time at Rider, Reca says, “I have worked with so many fantastic colleagues over the years and am proud of what we have accomplished together for the University. The most rewarding aspect has been the ability to see so many students make Rider their home, embrace everything it has to offer and begin their journey into successful futures.”