Christopher B. Howard, Ph.D. has begun his first day as the eighth president of Robert Morris University.

“Today is my first day as the president of Robert Morris University, and it is a privilege to be able to write the next chapter of the RMU story with each of you — the students, faculty, staff, and alumni who have built this outstanding institution,” Howard said in an email.

President Howard discussed his plans for the coming years which include the construction of the new events center and transforming the university into “a center of excellence in emerging fields like cyber security.” He also plans to be an advocate for the issues important to RMU such as college affordability, serving veterans and empowering women in the Robert Morris community.

He began his presidency Monday as he signed the American Council on Education’s “Moving the Needle” pledge in an effort to have half of all college and university chief executives be women by 2030.

“I signed this pledge because RMU has made the empowerment of women a strategic priority and has demonstrated time and again its leadership on this issue,” Howard said. All five deans of RMU’s academic schools are women, he noted.

Howard plans to be the voice of RMU and wants the campus community to to hear the Robert Morris story through social media, videos and his blog.

“RMU already has a great story, and a big part of my job as president is to tell that story far and wide,” said Howard in a press release.

Howard formerly served as the president of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. He was chosen to succeed former president Gregory Dell’Omo in September of last year. Dell’Omo left the university after 10 years to become the president of Rider University in New Jersey.