GREENSBURG, PA — The Rotary Club of Greensburg recently named Carl Rossman, vice president for Administrative Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, its Rotarian of the Year.
“The Rotary Club of Greensburg marks its 100th anniversary in 2016, and the Board of Directors anticipates many celebrations commemorating our centennial through the recognition of the contributions of leaders like Carl,” said Jeanne Burth, EdD, president of the Rotary Club of Greensburg. “Our membership includes so many individuals who do not seek recognition or accolades while they work to contribute to the success of our organization. Carl is one example of those service-oriented individuals. The spirit of Rotary is alive in these members as they seek ways to bring goodwill to others.”
Rossman, a resident of Greensburg, was recognized for his 15 years of service to the organization that include having served as a member of the club’s board of directors, as president, and as a Paul Harris Fellow, a designation which recognizes individuals who contribute or who have made contributions in their own name of a specified dollar amount to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
In his presentation remarks, Mark Barnhart, treasurer of the Rotary Club of Greensburg, described Rossman as a “doer” who “never said ‘no’ when asked to undertake any project for the club.”
Rossman also has chaired the Rotary Youth Leadership Award in District 7330 for many years and hosted the event at Pitt-Greensburg before it was moved to a new location in recent years. More than 300 students have attended and benefited from the program during his chairmanship.
For the past 12 years, Rossman also has overseen the Greensburg club’s participation in the World Affairs Institution for Student Leaders, an annual collaborative project of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and Rotary International that engages high school student leaders in a discussion of key issues in international affairs so that they can understand and think critically about their world. He has coordinated with Greensburg Salem, Greensburg Central Catholic, and Hempfield High Schools to secure students to attend the Pittsburgh event, providing transportation for those students, as well.
He has assisted with the Greensburg Kansas Rotary Exchange that allows high school students from Greensburg, PA, and Greensburg, KS, to visit each other’s cities for approximately one month each year. The exchange is the result of the relationship built between the two Rotary clubs that share a name and was established after the May 4, 2007, F-5 tornado destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg, Kansas. Since the program’s inception eight years ago, Rossman has hosted the Greensburg, KS, exchange students, taking them to Williamsburg, Yorktown, Norfolk Naval Yards, Busch Gardens, and Washington, DC, as part of their visit to the region.
“Rossman is the epitome of an upstanding leader in the Rotary Club of Greensburg,” said Burth. “He works diligently on projects with our aspiring youth, seeking to give young people opportunities to gain leadership and global experience.”
The retired U.S. Air Force Colonel has served as the vice president of Administrative Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg since 1999. Through those nearly 20 years, he has worked with two presidents, Frank A. Cassell, PhD, and Sharon P. Smith, PhD, and overseen the construction of multiple buildings on the Hempfield Township campus.
In addition to his Rotary activities, Rossman has served as a past committee member of Westmoreland Hospice, a past Walk Coordinator for the March of Dimes, and past district chairman of the Boy Scouts of America. He also has served on the WMCA Board of Directors and as Commander of AMVETS Post 94.
He also is a member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers, where he has served on numerous committees and chairmanships.
Rossman is a Command Pilot with more the 5,000 pilot hours flying B-52s and T-38s. He has held a variety of positions during his U.S. Air Force career that included serving as Associate Dean of Faculty Development, AFSC; Chief of the Safety Division with the 8th Air Force Division Headquarters, and Head of the North Atlantic Section of the United States Atlantic Command. He also served as Commander of the 42nd Transportation Squadron and Deputy Commander of the 42nd Combat Support Group at Loring Air Force Base. His Air Force base assignments have included Norfolk, VA; Barksdale; LA, March, CA; Carswell, TX; Moody, GA; Randolph, TX; Loring, ME; and Ramstein, Germany.
The recipient of multiple ribbons for his military service, he has received numerous military awards, including the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (2 OLC), the Air Force Commendation Medal (1 OLC), Air Force Outstanding Achievement Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Medal, National Defense Service Medal (1 OLC), Combat Crewmember Medal, and Southwest Asia Service Medal.
He earned a BS from the Citadel and an MS in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. His professional military education includes Squadron Officers School, Armed Forces Staff College, Air War College, and National Security Management.
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