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Summer 2003

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University president Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A. ’58, announced at the 2003 annual Christmas party at Steinway Hall that the University received a $1 million commitment from John M. Robins ’70 to establish the Robins-O’Sullivan Family Endowed Chair in the College of Engineering. This gift, combined with his earlier commitment of $570,000 for a research grant in the College of Engineering, will have a major effect on the future of the College and the University.

“John’s commitment will have a significant impact on the College of Engineering,” Fr. Dobbin said. “It will help to attract educators who strive for a high level of engagement in the classroom and who possess a genuine ability to motivate students to become stewards of society.”

Reflecting on what the gift means to him and his family, Robins said, “My commitment to the faculty endowment is inspired by the leadership, teachings, and scholarly works of Dr. Robert Lynch, former dean of the College of Engineering. He was a demanding educator who emphasized ethics and social responsibility as important elements in the development of a well-rounded professional engineer. This is in keeping with Villanova’s emphasis on values, and it is a tradition that Dean Johnson has kept very much alive in the College.”

“The individual chosen to hold the chair will be a leader in the field, with a distinguished teaching and research record,” said Barry C. Johnson, Ph.D. ’70, dean of the College of Engineering. “This faculty endowment will have important implications for engineers, policy makers, and business organizations. The holder will also serve as a key member of the College’s faculty in the collaboration of research, course design, and curriculum development.”

Robins serves as president of the joist division of SMI Steel Products/SMI Joist, an Arkansas-based company that specializes in cellular and castellated beams and prefabricated steel joists.

In 2000, Robins announced a five-year partnership between SMI Joists and Villanova’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with the establishment of a Steel Beam Research Grant worth nearly $570,000.

Gerald S.J. Cassidy, Esq. ’63, chairman of The Campaign noted the significance of Robins’ commitment to The Campaign. “John and his family have demonstrated a spirit of generosity that will serve as a model to many as we enter the final year of the quiet phase of The Campaign. They understand the vision of Villanova as one of the nation’s premier Catholic universities and have made a strategic choice to ensure that vision will be realized,” said Cassidy.

John M. Elizandro, vice president for Institutional Advancement, in speaking of the impact of the gift said, “The Robins-O’Sullivan family commitment represents the kind of close ties that many donors feel to the values that were so instrumental in their success. The Campaign allows them to identify priorities among the strategic needs of the University that have meaning based on their personal histories.”

The Robins-O’Sullivan family has a long tradition of Villanova graduates. Robins was a member of the Naval ROTC and graduated from Villanova with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Robins’ sister, Margaret Robins-Garrett, Esq. ’72, graduated from Villanova’s College of Nursing, and his brother, James ’73, graduated from the College of Commerce and Finance. James’ wife, Suzanne ’72, also graduated from Villanova’s College of Nursing.

Robins’ wife, Dr. Patricia Stark O’Sullivan, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Villanova’s peer school, Rosemont. Her family’s long-standing tradition of attending Villanova dates back over 50 years with her father, Walter R. O’Sullivan II ’48, earning a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Ms. O’Sullivan’s brothers, Walter ’66 and Kevin ’78, graduated from the College of Commerce and Finance and the College of Engineering, respectively. Mr. Robins’ and Ms. O’Sullivan’s son, Seamus ’01, graduated with a bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. Their daughter, Aisling, and niece, Erin Garrett, are currently freshmen in the College of Engineering.

In addition to Robins’ personal donations to the Alumni Fund, Annual Fund, and The Villanova Campaign, he served on the selection committee for a new dean of the College of Engineering.