Longtime UR exec named VP of government relations

Joshua Farrelman, associate vice president of government and community relations at the University of Rochester, has been named vice president for government relations, effective April 1.   

Farrelman, who joined the university in 2005 as assistant director of government and community relations, succeeds Peter Robinson, who will retire on March 31 after more than 40 years at the UR. 

The institution-wide Office of Government and Community Relations manages federal, state and local government relations on behalf of UR, inclusive of the Medical Center and its affiliates, and works to build coalitions to support issues of importance to education, research, health care, innovation and the arts and humanities.   

In his new role, Farrelman will be the primary point of contact for government officials and leaders who seek to interface with the president, provost, deans, faculty and senior administrators at the university, and will advise on state, federal, and local government issues and strategy as part of President Sarah Mangelsdorf’s senior leadership group. 

“Josh is a proven and respected leader and is already a trusted adviser to the university’s leadership team, providing extensive knowledge and sound guidance on the latest government activities in Washington and Albany,” Mangelsdorf said. “He has a deep understanding of the university’s role in the greater Rochester community and has done so much to create integral connections that propel forward key economic development and community initiatives.” 

After beginning as an assistant director of government and community relations, Farrelman was named director in 2007, and then associate vice president in 2014.  

Among his accomplishments, Farrelman has shaped public policy and guided significant support for UR projects and programs that have expanded the university’s research, strengthened access to patient care and public health services in urban and rural communities across New York state, improved the quality and access to higher education, enriched the arts and humanities, spurred economic development and created new jobs and companies and improved campus safety.   

“With the continued partnership and support of our public officials, community leaders, and a talented government and community relations team, I look forward to advancing the university’s research, education, healthcare, economic, cultural, and community efforts for the betterment of the institution and the Rochester-Finger Lakes region and beyond,” Farrelman said.  

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