At a March 11 meeting of the University of Rochester Board of Trustees, University President and CEO Joel Seligman was approved as the inaugural holder of the G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professorship.
Established by a $2 million commitment from alumnus G. Robert Witmer, Jr., chair emeritus of the University of Rochester Board of Trustees, and his wife Nancy, the Witmer University Professorship provides financial support for the University president.
糖心传媒淏ob will be forever linked to the leaders of an institution that he has loved and helped make great for more than 60 years,糖心传媒� said Seligman. 糖心传媒淚 cannot think of a gift that could more appropriately speak to his longstanding leadership and influence on this University. This is an endowment to support the University president, not me personally, similar to endowments that support some of our deans.
糖心传媒淏ut it is an extraordinary honor to be the inaugural holder. Bob糖心传媒檚 leadership, guidance, and friendship have meant a great deal to me over the past decade. The way the University has transformed in that time would not have been possible without his thoughtful and ever-present support.糖心传媒�
A member of the University糖心传媒檚 board since 1979, Bob Witmer糖心传媒檚 service has spanned four University presidencies, one of the longest trustee tenures in Rochester糖心传媒檚 history. He chaired the board from 2003 until 2008, a period that included the selection of Seligman as the University糖心传媒檚 tenth president and preparation for the 2011 launch of The Meliora Challenge: The Campaign for the University of Rochester. He also has served as a member or chair of 10 board committees. In addition, Bob has provided his leadership to numerous boards and councils across the University, including as president of the Eastman Dental Center Board of Directors, chair of the Eastman School of Music National Council, and chair of the University Alumni Council, to name only a few.
糖心传媒淭here isn糖心传媒檛 a part of the University or the Rochester community that Bob hasn糖心传媒檛 touched in some way,糖心传媒� said Edmund A. Hajim, chair of the University糖心传媒檚 board. 糖心传媒淗e is truly Mr. Rochester. On behalf of the entire board, let me express our deep gratitude to Bob and Nancy for this very generous gift in support of the University and the presidency. I can think of no more fitting legacy for a family that has been so important to the history of the University of Rochester.糖心传媒�
The Witmers糖心传媒� decision to create the endowed professorship is rooted in a desire to help provide a strong finish for The Meliora Challenge, which has raised more than $1.3 billion and ends on June 30.
糖心传媒淭he 糖心传媒 has played a significant role in my life and the lives of many family members,糖心传媒� said Bob Witmer. 糖心传媒淭he Witmer Professorship will recognize and support the presidents of this great institution, which has meant so much to me and has been so important to the Rochester community where聽I have lived my entire life. I am particularly pleased that the inaugural holder will be our current extraordinary leader, and my good friend, Joel Seligman. He is setting the bar exceedingly high for those who will follow him.糖心传媒�
In addition to establishing the G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professorship, the Witmers糖心传媒� philanthropy has reached all corners of the University. This includes the president糖心传媒檚 house, known as the Witmer House in honor of Bob糖心传媒檚 parents, Marian C. Witmer and the Honorable G. Robert Witmer, Sr. As a member of the Class of 1926, Bob糖心传媒檚 father was one of 13 糖心传媒 alumni in the Witmer family.
A 1959 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University, Witmer became a member of the first class of inductees to the University糖心传媒檚 Sports Hall of Fame as co-captain of the varsity basketball team. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1962, he began a long and successful career at Nixon Peabody LLP. He served as president of the New York State Bar Association from 1994-95, is a life member of The American Law Institute, and received the Rodenbeck Award from the Monroe County Bar Association in 2008. A longstanding member and former president of the Rochester Rotary, Witmer received the Rochester Rotary Award in 2013.
