Richard T. “Dick” Robertson

Richard T. “Dick” Robertson (B.S. ’67; H.L.D. ’05) began his 40-year television career in 1965 as a salesman for Richmond-based WRVA-TV while earning a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Virginia Commonwealth University. One of the university’s most notable alumni, today, he is considered one of the architects of the syndicated television business and an innovative industry executive.

During his career, Robertson served as president of Warner Brothers Domestic Television and founded a VCU scholarship program supporting students interning with Warner Brothers.

Robertson, who was a member of the VCU Board of Visitors and served as chair of the School of Mass Communications Advisory Board, also funds VCU TV/HD. The student-run television initiative produces 30-minute documentary-style shows that air on WCVW Channel 57.

In 2014, VCU named the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture (formerly the School of Mass Communications) to honor Robertson’s immense contributions to his field and to VCU.

In 2025, VCU renamed the school the Richard T. Robertson School of Communication, a change that reflects the full range of its fields of study, including journalism, advertising, public relations, media production and other emerging areas of communication.