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The University of Scranton will present the President\u2019s Medal to Robert S. \u201968 and Marilyn A. Weiss at the President\u2019s Medal Gala Thursday, Oct. 1, at Pier Sixty, Manhattan\u2019s largest waterfront event venue.\u00a0Watch a short video message featuring Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president, announcing the University\u2019s intent to honor Bob and Marilyn here.<\/a><\/p>\n The event is the premier annual fundraiser for the University, and proceeds from the dinner benefit the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund, which awards four-year, full-tuition scholarships to incoming first-year students with outstanding high school records and notable community involvement. The University presents the President\u2019s Medal to individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and who have demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others. All alumni, parents and friends of the University are welcome and encouraged to register here for this year\u2019s event<\/a>.<\/p>\n Scranton has held a special place in the hearts of Bob and Marilyn ever since they met at a \u201cU Dance\u201d at the Gunster Memorial Student Center in 1966. Their 2015 gift of $1.25 million resulted in the creation of the Robert and Marilyn Weiss Pediatric Low Vision Research and Training Suite, and their 2016 gift of $1 million established Robert and Marilyn Weiss Field as a first-class home for Scranton\u2019s soccer, lacrosse and field hockey teams. In 2024, their gift of $10.5 million, the largest single donation in the history of the University, blossomed into the four-story, 90,000 square-foot Robert S. and Marilyn A. Weiss Hall. The building houses the University\u2019s Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology, the Department of Psychology, Student Health Services, the Center for Health, Education and Wellness, the Small Business Development Center, the University of Success, and the state-of-the-art IDEA Center, which features woodworking, 3D printing, laser engraving, sewing and audio recording capabilities.<\/p>\n A native of Lake Ariel, Bob became the first person in his family to attend college when he began studying accounting through the University\u2019s ROTC program. As a U.S. Army Captain, he was awarded two Bronze Stars and the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Vietnam. He became a certified public accountant and began working as an assistant corporate controller in 1977 at Cooper Laboratories Inc., which would eventually become The Cooper Companies, Inc., a multinational manufacturer and marketer of specialty healthcare products with annual revenues exceeding $4 billion.<\/p>\n Bob rose through the ranks at Cooper during a remarkable 41-year career, serving as corporate controller, treasurer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, president of Coopervision, and, ultimately, president and CEO. During Bob\u2019s time at the company, Cooper had a number of industry-defining breakthroughs, including the development of intraocular lenses and Lasik surgery, two advancements that have helped millions see more clearly. Under Bob\u2019s leadership, the company sought to address the approximately 50% of children and young adults aged 5-22 who are suffering from progressive myopia, a condition that often leads to eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and macular degeneration later in life, by developing MiSight, a soft contact lens that was ultimately approved by the FDA in 2019 for myopia management in children aged 8-12. Bob was named the \u201cMost Admired CEO of 2012\u201d by the San Francisco Business Times, and he was recognized with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017-2018. After retiring in 2018, he became the chair of Cooper\u2019s board of directors through January of 2026, and he remains on its board today.<\/p>\n Bob was honored by the University with the Frank J. O\u2019Hara Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008. As a University trustee, he became informally known as \u201cthe pizza guru\u201d due to his unabashed love of and enthusiasm for the pizza of Northeastern Pennsylvania. He also sponsors the Pediatric Refractive Error Training Center, an eyecare clinic in Hanoi, Vietnam, that trains optometrists to fight the growing pandemic of myopia.<\/p>\n A native of South Scranton, Marilyn studied at the University through the Scranton State General Hospital School of Nursing. She served as the head nurse at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York and as a pediatric nurse at Bayside Pediatrics in Pleasanton, California.<\/p>\n Bob and Marilyn are frequent sponsors of local charitable causes in the San Francisco East Bay area, including Goodness Village, which provides tiny homes and supportive services to the Tri-Valley\u2019s formerly unhoused neighbors, Valley Humane Society, and the Bay Area Military Classic & The Joey Graves Memorial Golf Tournament, which supports Gold Star Families.<\/p>\n The couple are the proud parents of three children, Chris, Kim and Doug, and they are blessed with two grandchildren, Kylie and Jayden. They reside in Pleasanton, California.<\/p>\n An Ambitious Goal<\/strong><\/p>\n At last year\u2019s gala, Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president, announced an ambitious University-wide effort to permanently endow the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund by raising an additional $7 million through the 2025 and 2026 President\u2019s Medal Galas, which would bring its lifetime total up to $30 million.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2002, The University of Scranton embarked upon a marathon endeavor when it held its first award dinner in support of the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund,\u201d\u00a0said Father Marina in a video announcing the initiative.<\/a>\u00a0\u201cWe are only $7 million away from securing the future of The Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund and ensuring that our Presidential Scholars will continue to thrive at the University forever.<\/p>\n \u201cHelp us write the ending this 25-year marathon deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n Visit this link to support Presidential Scholarships<\/a>\u00a0at The University of Scranton.<\/p>\n For more information on the President\u2019s Medal Gala, contact Associate Vice President of Development Eric Eckenrode at\u00a0eric.eckenrode@scranton.edu<\/a>\u00a0or Executive Director, Annual Giving & Campus Partnerships Brad Troy \u201902 at\u00a0bradley.troy@scranton.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n