This is an exciting time to be starting my presidency at Rider.
Though it’s been a while since I was a full-time student, you might say that I never got over my college experience. I still enjoy the buzz that accompanies the fall semester — new classes, new faces, new opportunities to create real and lasting change. The first-year students look startled and amazed; the seniors have confident, loping gaits that suggest they know exactly where they are going. At Westminster, students make their way to class with a staccato-like spring in their steps. Regardless of their focus or standing, they all project a sense of excitement at the chance to start anew.
I am hopeful that you too will be energized by what you see in the pages of this magazine. Within this issue, we close our 150th anniversary celebration with a story of our first-known African American graduate, Herbert Hubbard, who received his degree in 1894. You’ll also find a point/counterpoint between two of our most politically savvy faculty members as they debate the 2016 presidential election. In addition, if you are so inclined, you can learn a little bit more about my Jersey roots, and why I feel so fortunate to be part of the Rider community at this moment.
You might also be captured by the photo of the newly renovated clock tower at Westminster, feel a rush of nostalgia at the collection of commencement caps or reconnect with an old friend through class notes. In short, this issue offers you the chance to discover more about the Rider of today, and ideally will remind you of what you loved most about your time in Lawrenceville or Princeton.
Over the coming months, I’ll be making my way around the country to visit with alumni, parents and friends. I’ve found that the best way to truly understand a place is to get to know its people. What I have already discovered since arriving is that the individuals who are drawn to this University — our bright students, hard-working faculty and staff and dedicated alumni — are what make Rider University an exceptionally vibrant living and learning community.
I now count myself among those who bleed cranberry and white. I am honored to be serving as your president as we look toward the future, together.
Sincerely,
Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D.
President, Rider University