Dr. Robert J. Dillman
Dr. Robert J. Dillman was named the 12th president of East Stroudsburg of Pennsylvania by the Board of Governors of the State System of Higher Education in January 1996. He began his duties at the university in July 1996, succeeding Dr. James E. Gilbert who had served as president from 1987 to 1996.
President Dillman previously served as president of Fairmont State College in Fairmont, West Virginia. At Fairmont, he spearheaded numerous improvements and modifications to academic and administrative programs and developed new initiatives to enhance the goals and mission of the institution. New programs and accomplishments at Fairmont included: enhancement of the General Education core requirements; new academic programs in nursing and aviation; a unique Aerospace Scholars Program associated with NASA, the Russian Space Center, and the West Virginia Department of Education; special education programs for NASA, the FBI, the West Virginia High Tech Consortium; and an Academic Advising Center.
Dr. Dillman served at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts as vice president for academic affairs for seven years and acting president for one year. At Bridgewater, he also served as acting dean of Graduate and Continuing Education, chairperson of the Earth Sciences and Geography Department, and acting chairperson of the Department of Management Science and Aviation Science.
President Dillman has held positions as state director of the Massachusetts Energy '80 Program and as director or associate director of seven major grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
He received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz, his Master of Science degree in geography from Penn State University and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in geography from Clark University in Massachusetts. He has served as a member of the teaching faculty in geography at both Fairmont State College and at Bridgewater State College.
Dr. Dillman has demonstrated extraordinary leadership at East Stroudsburg University and has positioned the university as a key economic development force in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
During his tenure, ESU has become the first university in the U.S. to offer an undergraduate degree in computer security. At his direction, the university also established its award-winning Business Accelerator Program, which has joined the Ben Franklin Business Incubator Network and the University City Science Center’s Port of Technology. President Dillman led the development of the new Center for Research and Economic Development that is a resource for technology-based entrepreneurs. He also is leading the establishment of a world-class Science and Technology Center that will emphasize computer security and biotechnology. An avid supporter of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Dr. Dillman has championed Ben Franklin business infrastructure investments involving ESU, which total nearly $3 million.
President Dillman and his wife, Roseann, are the parents of four children: Deirdre Buckley, Siobhan Tarley, James, and John. They also have nine grandchildren. He is a native of Brooklyn, New York.