Monday, Sep 26, 2022
Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D., recognized for second consecutive year
by Rachel Stengel '14, '20
Rider University President Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D., has been named to the NJBIZ Education Power 50 list for 2022. This is his second consecutive year on the list.
The annual list recognizes influential leaders in education from around the state. This year’s list was weighted toward individuals working in health care contexts, helping to elevate those from underserved communities and dedicated to enhancing the trades. While those on the list represent a range of expertise, every leader helps ensure “that the next generation – and the one after that – will be equipped to move the state forward.”
“It is an honor to be represented among all these incredible leaders in education,” Dell’Omo says. “I share this honor with all of my colleagues at Rider who make it such a special place. Our students thrive because of the support they receive from Rider’s dedicated community.”
NJBIZ noted many of the recent, innovative programs that have been instituted under Dell’Omo’s leadership.
These programs include Lifting Barriers, a series of new measures announced in 2020 intended to strengthen the overall value of a Rider education, including a 22% reduction of annual undergraduate tuition and robust support for career preparation and academic success.
In the spring of 2021, Dell’Omo led the launch of Rider’s Cranberry Investment program, which guarantees that Rider’s undergraduate students who fulfill their responsibilities will obtain an entry-level job related to their field of study or be accepted into graduate or professional school within six months of graduation.
I share this honor with all of my colleagues at Rider who make it such a special place."
NJBIZ also highlighted two major funding opportunities Rider recently acquired to further enhance student learning and professional development. The University was recently awarded a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will continue funding the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at Rider over the next five years. The program prepares students from under-resourced and underrepresented backgrounds for the pursuit of post-baccalaureate studies leading to a doctoral degree.
This past April, Rider renamed its Science and Technology Center the Mike and Patti Hennessy Science and Technology Center, following a $9 million renovation. The project was made possible through the generosity of a $4 million leadership gift from Mike Hennessy '82, who passed away unexpectedly last November. The gift was the largest ever received for the sciences at Rider and the catalyst behind the project. Hennessy made the gift in honor of his late wife Patrice “Patti” Shelmet Hennessy ’82.
Dell’Omo became Rider’s seventh president in 2015. Last year, he was named the vice chair of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey, or ICUNJ, and he serves on many other boards and organizations that advocate for and support higher education, including the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, New Jersey Presidents’ Council’s Executive Committee and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Presidents’ Council.