It was a rainy, gloomy Sunday leading up to the formal inauguration ceremony installing Richard T. Esch as president of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and Pitt-Titusville.

But remarks by speakers — from the chancellor of all the Pitt campuses to a former Pitt-Bradford president — highlighted how bright Esch has shined in his nearly 30 years of service to the Pitt-Bradford campus, as well as how bright its future looks under his leadership.

Dr. Patrick Gallagher, Pitt chancellor, noted that both campuses in Bradford and Titusville are essential parts of the Pitt system, while the Bradford campus “in particular is one our most beautiful,” blessed with talented and dedicated faculty and staff.

“This is a place that inspires the sense of community and loyalty and those who come here to learn and teach, to inspire and fundamentally make the world a better place through knowledge,” Gallagher said. “So I can’t think of anyone more fit than Rick Esch to to lead this organization in the mission of changing lives for the better.”

Esch is the fifth president in the 59-year history of Pitt-Bradford and the sixth president to lead Pitt-Titusville.

Serving as interim president of the campuses for a year after the resignation of former president Catherine Koverola, Esch was appointed president on July 1. He began his Pitt-Bradford career as director of auxiliary services in 1995 and was named chief business and administrative affairs officer in 1999.

He was promoted to vice president of business affairs in 2003, being appointed to the president’s cabinet, and in 2011 he added VP for business affairs of Pitt-Titusville to his duties. Having earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences from Pitt-Bradford, as a commuter student, and an MBA from Pitt’s Katz School of Business, Esch is the exception to most college and university presidents in that he is not a PhD.

Esch, after receiving a standing ovation and cheers from the faculty, staff, students and supporters in attendance, said he was “deeply honored” to be entrusted with the leadership of the two campuses as well as “humbled by the words that have been spoken today.” He called the day as much a celebration of the institutions and their history as it was his inauguration day.

He honored the past presidents of Pitt-Bradford, including the first, Dr. Donald Swarts, and the longest serving, Dr. Richard E. McDowell, while saying a special thank you to Dr. Livingston Alexander, Pitt-Bradford’s president for 15 years (2003-18) as well as president of Pitt-Titusville from 2012-18, who returned to the campus Sunday for Esch’s inauguration.

He recalled a quote from Christa McAuliffe, the New Hampshire teacher and astronaut who was lost in the Space Shuttle Challenger launch in 1986: “I touch the future, I teach.”

Esch used the words “touch the future” to frame his mission in leading the campuses, which must employ every best new technique possible regarding student growth and development. Academic, athletic and student affairs programs each must be developed to such a level that the Bradford and Titusville campuses’ futures will be assured by stronger recruitment and enrollment, with students and professors alike attracted by a dynamic learning atmosphere.

He noted the now-under-construction George B. Duke Engineering and Information Technologies Building, which received wide community support, including a $2 million gift from Duke and additional contributions from the Bradford area, and will be the center for creative and innovative academic programs in health care, the environment and technology.

Alexander said Esch has been an important part of the history of the Bradford campus, where Alexander declared he and his wife Evelyn experienced “the very best and happiest times” of their lives.

“He gained my respect, trust, and admiration very quickly after my appointment as president in 2003,” Alexander said of Esch. “Even then — and I’m sure long before — his life evolved around Pitt-Bradford — its buildings, its infrastructure, its greenery and landscaping, its campus master plan, and its employees — not necessarily in that order of course.”

When Alexander and his administration were asked to lead the Titusville campus as well, he and Esch often travelled together between campuses, “sharing our dreams and aspirations for Pitt-Bradford” while also assessing the challenges they faced.

“I could always count on Rick for a candid, no-nonsense perspective on any issue,” Alexander said. “Although finance was always top of mind when assessing problems or potential new initiatives, Rick never overlooked the impact of the faculty, staff and students, or people in the community who might also be impacted.”

Dr. K. James Evans, retired vice president and dean of student affairs at Pitt-Bradford, called the inauguration as president a Pitt-Bradford alum “cause for celebration.”

Evans noted Esch was not the typical traditional-aged student in that he worked full-time to put himself through and had little time for co-curricular activities. But his busy schedule helped him develop the ability to balance many demands on his time — a skill that proved essential during his arc to university president.

Pointing out that Esch personally knew or knows every individual for whom the campus buildings are named (with the exception of eight residence halls named for famed American writers), Evans pointed out that the new president “never applied for a job, but for every position he held, he was recruited. Why is that? Because his reputation preceded him.”

Evans said Esch’s time at Pitt-Bradford gradually ceased to be a career — and Evans noted Esch had other attractive opportunities away from Bradford — and became a vocation.

“…When there was a critical need for new leadership at Pitt-Bradford and Pitt-Titusville just over a year ago, independently, members of the faculty and staff at both campuses, along with members of the Advisory Board, Alumni Association, retirees, community leaders, donors and supporters, and individuals in government, business and industry all said, ‘Rick Esch’s time has come — he has everything it takes that would make an outstanding president.’”