On July 1, 2004, Dr. Robert Ivany became the eighth president of the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic, Basilian university in the heart of Houston. Ivany came to the university after a thirty-four year career in the United States Army.

Prior to his retirement with the rank of Major General, he had presided over one of the nation’s most respected institutions for the education of strategic leaders: the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA. There for three years, he instituted programs to develop the next generation of military and civilian leaders from the United States and forty-two foreign countries to meet the challenges of a drastically altered national security environment.

During his various commands as an armored cavalry officer, he led soldiers in the United States, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Federal Republic of Germany and Vietnam where he was wounded in action and decorated for valor.

When not assigned to troop units, he assisted several nations in the transformation of their armed forces. In 1990, Ivany was the first senior military officer invited to Hungary to contribute to the democratization of their defense establishment. He lived in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with his family, advising military and civilian leaders on the modernization of their military forces following Desert Storm. In Kuwait, he headed the American effort with a team of forty-five advisors managing a $1.2 billion program to improve their education, training and logistics.

Ivany also served in a number of unique positions including the Army Aide to the President of the United States and an assistant professor of history and football coach at the Military Academy at West Point. As the Commanding General of the Military District of Washington, he directed a diverse organization of 5,500 civilian and military employees based on seven installations in three states and the District of Columbia.

After completing his Army service in October, 2003, he joined the faculty of the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University as an adjunct professor in Executive Education. He worked with senior executives in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States in leader development and strategic planning.

Ivany has spoken on the topic of leadership to varied audiences such as the Cleveland City Club, the 2002 Peter F. Drucker Conference for Nonprofit Management, the Union League of Philadelphia, the First Friday Club of Cleveland, the Atlanta Rotary, the Northeast Regional United Way Conference, Quanex Corporation, CenterPoint Energy, Walt Disney Resorts, Houston Junior Achievement and the Houston Partnership Board.

He has been interested in the leadership challenges facing military and civilian leaders for several years. His article, “Soldiers and Legislators: A Common Mission” appeared in Parameters in 1990 and received the General Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence in Military Writing.

In addition to earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy, he received a Ph.D in History from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

He is the past president of the Army Football Club, and a former Chairman of the Board of Mental Health America of Greater Houston. Ivany has received the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom, the Humanitarian Medal from the Chapel of the Four Chaplains Association, the Americanism Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the George Washington Award for Distinguished Service from the Sons of the American Revolution, the Director’s Award from the United States Secret Service, the Admiral Thomas J. Hamilton Award for Leadership, and together with his spouse, the Aaron and Hur Award from the United States Army Chaplaincy. He was named a distinguished graduate of St. Ignatius High School, Cleveland, Ohio, and has earned numerous military awards.