The proof is in the numbers.
When Robert A. Chernak, Ed.D. ’97, senior vice provost and senior vice president for student and academic support services, came to George Washington in 1988, the university’s undergraduate population was under 7,000 and the acceptance rate was more than 81 percent.
Today, there are more than 9,500 undergraduates on campus, and the university has an admissions rate of 32.6 percent, the second lowest in university history.
In 1988, the GW men’s basketball team had a 1-27 record, GW women’s basketball had a 9-19 record, and the university had a total of 16 varsity teams. Today, there are 22 varsity teams, and both men’s and women’s basketball have since reached the NCAA tournament 23 times.
In 1988, there were approximately 13 residence halls. Today, there are more than 29 residence halls— most recently LEED-certified West Hall and South Hall—14 Greek townhouses and three Scholars Village townhouses.
Much has changed at the university since 1988, and a lot of that is due to Dr. Chernak, who is retiring at the end of this academic year after 24 years at George Washington. He will take a six-month sabbatical before joining the faculty of GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development, where he received a doctorate in higher education administration in 1997.
“I always said that when I was ready to step out of administration, I’d like to go back to the beginning and finish my career in the classroom,” said Dr. Chernak. “And that’s what I now have an opportunity to do.”
President Steven Knapp called Dr. Chernak an “inspirational and visionary leader” who has “done as much as anyone to lead this institution’s evolution into a highly selective university.”
“In his 24 years of service to GW, Bob has transformed our enrollment practices and improved all aspects of student life. He has developed a parents’ organization and a student orientation program that are national models,” said Dr. Knapp. “He has overseen a dramatic renovation of our athletic facilities and the development of a new strategic plan for all our athletic and recreational programs. Bob is a strong advocate for students and a beloved member of our community. I am glad that he will now continue to serve GW as a faculty member in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development.”
Dr. Chernak’s areas of responsibilities at GW have included oversight of undergraduate admissions, student financial assistance, athletics and recreation, dean of students and student life departments, including international student services, disability support services, career center, student health and counseling. In the past, Dr. Chernak also oversaw the Office of Alumni Relations, the University Police Department and the Marvin Center.
During his tenure at GW, he created GW’s Division of Student and Academic Support Services, as well as the Office of Campus Recreation, Office of Parent Services, the Multicultural Student Center and GW Housing Programs.
As a leader, Dr. Chernak said he promotes idea sharing to help people “think outside the box and expand their understanding of what is possible.”
He said he wanted to improve the quality of life for students on campus, in part to develop “a greater sense of community, a greater sense of affiliation and pride with the institution.”
Senior Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Peter Konwerski said no one else “cares more or fights harder to support students” than Dr. Chernak.
“Bob Chernak has literally helped build our campus community, creating a vibrant sense of school spirit and instilling a winning tradition at GW,” said Dr. Konwerski. “Bob Chernak is a great mentor and friend, and I feel lucky to have worked with him, learned from him and supported his vision of creating a truly unique student experience for GW Colonials.”
Integrating the Mount Vernon Campus, a former women’s college that became part of GW in 1999, into the George Washington University was a special project for Dr. Chernak.
“I tried to do everything I could to really make it a successful transition and, at the same time, to preserve the history of Mount Vernon as a women’s college,” said Dr. Chernak, who served on the Mount Vernon College Board.
More than 600 students now live on that campus, which hosts fitness centers, a black-box theater, state-of-the-art classrooms, the University Writing Program and the University Honors Program.
It also houses GW’s soccer/lacrosse and softball fields, the Mount Vernon Tennis Complex and a six-lane outdoor swimming pool.
Another one of Dr. Chernak’s goals was to make George Washington a university that academically-competitive and diverse students wanted to attend.
The university has become more selective as well as demographically diverse in its admissions process; last year’s class was the most academically impressive as well as the most ethnically and racially diverse in GW’s history.
Diversity, said Dr. Chernak, adds to “a richness of the experience; hopefully, students get exposed to people from all over the country and from all over the world.”
Dr. Chernak, along with Executive Vice President and Treasurer Louis Katz, also spearheaded the creation of the GW Family Grant, which provides a tuition discount for siblings, and GW’s innovative Fixed Tuition Plan.
Dr. Chernak also wanted to make sure new students felt welcomed into the GW community. In 1990, he created Colonial Inauguration, an orientation program for incoming students held over the summer.
During each three-day Colonial Inauguration, which is run by a group of current GW students called the Colonial Cabinet, incoming students meet with advisers and faculty from their individual schools to learn about majors, study abroad opportunities and internships; tour the residence hall where they will be living in the fall; learn about all the different student organizations on campus; and practice registering for classes.
“The key that drives the program is that it is student planned and student executed,” said Dr. Chernak, adding that the program has gotten incoming students “in the right frame of mind to start school.”
Another university tradition started by Dr. Chernak is the annual Colonials Weekend, when thousands of families and friends visit campus and participate in three days of activities. Some of the famous personalities that have headlined Colonials Weekend include Jay Leno, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and the Beach Boys.
Executive Director of Parent Services Rodney L. Johnson said the creation of the Office of Parent Services, which organizes Colonials Weekend, in 1992 was born out of conversations between himself and Dr. Chernak about the importance of the university both connecting with and representing this “special constituency.”
“Without Bob Chernak and his vision for the future, there would be no Office of Parent Services or Colonials Weekend at GW,” said Mr. Johnson. “My thanks to Bob Chernak for recognizing the need for an Office of Parent Services and for giving me an opportunity to do something I passionately love.”
One topic Dr. Chernak talks a lot about is athletics. A passionate Colonials fan, Dr. Chernak oversaw the creation of the 189,000-square-foot Lerner Health and Wellness Center, the recent multimillion-dollar transformation of the Charles E. Smith Center and helped lead efforts to develop the 2012-16 strategic plan for athletics and recreation. The university’s varsity sports program has added women’s lacrosse, softball and men’s and women’s cross country and squash, among others. There are more than 400 GW varsity-student athletes, 1,000 club sports athletes and 3,000 intramural participants.
Since 1988, men’s and women’s basketball have earned six Atlantic 10 Championship titles, with the women’s basketball team reaching the NCAA Elite Eight in 1997, and the men’s team reaching the Sweet 16 in 1993.
A former athletics director, conference commissioner and basketball referee, Dr. Chernak can often be seen on the sidelines cheering for the Colonials. Also a devout Boston sports fan, Dr. Chernak said he and the late Red Auerbach, a former GW basketball player, Boston Celtics coach and Dr. Chernak’s “boyhood idol,” attended many GW basketball games together.
“Athletics is a big part of building student community and enhancing alumni sense of affiliation with GW,” said Dr. Chernak. “I love watching our students compete on the court, on the field and in the pool. I admire their commitment to their sport and for representing this university with distinction both in athletics and in the classroom.”
When asked to reflect upon his 24 years at George Washington, Dr. Chernak said his interactions with members of the GW community—including his more than 250 employees—has been “a big part” of his focus.
Special Assistant Sherlyn Simmons Solomon has worked with Dr. Chernak for 26 years, beginning at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, where in his last position he served as vice president for administration and student services.
“Bob has been a wonderful friend, mentor and confidant,” said Ms. Simmons Solomon. “I feel privileged to have shared in the great work he has done here at GW and wish him all the best as he embarks upon this new chapter in his life.”
In recognition of all that Dr. Chernak has contributed to the university, an anonymous donor has established the Robert and Linda Chernak Endowed Scholarship fund, as well as made a large commitment to GW’s Barcroft Park project, in recognition of Dr. Chernak’s service.
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Mike Morsberger said Dr. Chernak has been a “constant source of support and advice,” noting the endowed scholarship is a “demonstration of the love the collective GW family has for this man.”
“In my role as the university’s chief fundraiser, I cannot begin to tell you how often alumni, parents and various other friends and donors bring up Bob's name,” said Mr. Morsberger. “Bob is an administrator, a faculty member, a legend in the field of enrollment management, an alumnus, a donor, a vocal Colonials fan, an advocate for all things GW— Dr. Chernak is an institution!”
While Dr. Chernak is proud of the advancements the university has made since 1988, he said it’s what students learn outside the classroom that truly prepares them for life after GW.
“It’s the invisible part of a GW education that is beyond the facts you learn,” he said. “That invisible part prepares students for a ‘life worth living’—a successful career, sense of family values, financial acumen, a good sense of citizenship and being a valued member of the community. These are all parts of an invisible education.”
“That’s the value when I talk about value added; those are the kinds of attributes I like to see GW graduates have when they leave that make them very special and very identifiable as someone who has a GW degree.”
As student association president from 1989-1990, John Morris, B.A. 1990, M.P.A. 1993, worked closely with Dr. Chernak to create the Presidential Administrative Fellowship program in 1989, which offers high-achieving seniors the opportunity for professional development and a master’s degree at the university.
He said Dr Chernak’s “strategic vision for campus life, his personal relationships with hundreds of student leaders over the years and his talent for growing enrollment” have transformed George Washington.
“There are hundreds of former student leaders over two decades who have learned so much from Bob, have been personally mentored by him and have watched in awe as he and his team helped achieve one of the most dynamic stories of admissions growth and creation of a strong sense of community by current students in all of higher education,” said Mr. Morris. “Some of the hidden fruits of his labor will be seen in the generations of alumni who are maturing and will be giving back at record levels to a place they love.”