Pitt-Greensburg Elects New President

On July 1, Dr. Robert Gregerson was elected the new president of Pitt-Greensburg. President Gregerson succeeds Sharon Smith, who served as president from 2007 until her retirement in June.  

President Gregerson was previously dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University, as well as acting provost and vice president for academic affairs. Prior to his employment at Florida Gulf Coast University, he worked as a professor of biology and department head at Armstrong State University, later becoming the dean of the College of Science and Technology there. 

President Gregerson was drawn to Pitt-Greensburg because of its small size and the unique benefits the campus offers as part of the university system. 

“I took this job and I was interested in this job because of the scale of the university,” President Gregerson said. “I wanted to be in a place where you develop relationships with faculty, students, staff, community members, and it’s hard to do that if you’re at a massive university. … The relationship with Pitt’s main campus [and] the fact that we do have the resources of a major research university, not many small colleges have that. So, that was really important to me.” 

President Gregerson is looking forward to living in Greensburg and the new experiences he can gain while doing so as well. 

“I like living in smaller towns. I’ve lived in big cities, I’ve lived in small towns, and this feels right.” President Gregerson said. “I think you have to be open to new experiences. … And, this place is beautiful. I love the natural beauty here. I can’t wait to see what this campus looks like in a month when all the leaves start changing; I’m really looking forward to that.” 

In addition to enjoying the campus, he has multiple goals for his presidency and is excited to begin working on them with the campus community. 

“We have a great need for a new science center, and that’s … at the top of my list. We have a really important need for a new residence hall, and that’s at the top of the list. Our athletics facilities need some upgrades – our sports teams deserve that.” President Gregerson said. “We also need to have a greater percentage of our students being successful, making it to graduation, and going off with that college diploma.” 

He is primarily motivated by what he can do to help students succeed in college and beyond. 

“Student success is what motivates me. And, when I talk about building buildings, it’s not about having shiny, pretty buildings, it’s about what students and faculty can do in those buildings,” President Gregerson said. 

President Gregerson will be meeting with students monthly to discuss their experiences at Pitt-Greensburg. On Sept. 23 at 8:30 a.m., he will be in the Coffee House and will be paying for coffee for students interested in speaking with him. President Gregerson will be posting details about later meetings on his Twitter, @pittgbgpres.