Dr. Michelle Patrick has been named the ninth president of Robert Morris University, the school announced Wednesday morning. Dr. Patrick, former dean of the School of Business, is the first woman to ever garner the role.

Dr. Patrick has been the Interim President since April after Dr. Mary Ann Rafoth stepped down from the role and announced her retirement.

Patrick has served as the Business School’s dean since 2016 and has transformed the school’s MBA program. It was ranked No. 15 in the nation among online MBA programs by Fortune Magazine.

Under her leadership in the School of Business, Robert Morris launched the Center for Sales Excellence and the Rockwell Fellowship in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Patrick also helped reestablish the Massey Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Just last week, the School of Business earned AACSB accreditation for its accounting program and is the only school in Western Pennsylvania to hold the accreditation.

Before her time at Robert Morris, Dr. Patrick was the Dean of Business and Public Management at West Chester University. She earned a Marketing Degree and an MBA from Youngstown State University and a Ph.D in marketing from Kent State University.