University News

This Hoo Went From Grounds to the Pentagon and Back

When Robert Neller arrived at the University of Virginia as a first-year student in 1971, he didn’t imagine his path would lead him to a distinguished 44-year military career and serving as the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Now the retired Marine Corps general has joined the UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies’ Center for Public Safety and Justice as a professor of practice.

Neller’s Marine Corps service and his time at UVA happened through a mix of happenstance and parental influence. Initially planning to attend a small college in Michigan, where he’d been recruited to play golf, Neller applied to UVA more to placate his mother than out of any grand ambition.

“My mother ... she wanted me to apply,” he said, noting her admiration for UVA’s legacy and connection to Thomas Jefferson.

The conditional acceptance he received in the middle of his high school senior year forced him to refocus on academics.

Robert Neller participating in a panel discussion at UVA

Neller, second from right, takes part in a panel discussion with colleagues from the UVA Center for Public Safety and Justice, part of the School of Continuing and Professional Education. From the left, they are Ben Haiman, center executive director; Tracie Keesee, associate professor; Neller; and Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, an instructor in the UVA Master of Public Safety program. (Contributed photo)

“I was flunking one class,” he recalled, adding that he buckled down, fixed his attendance and asked teachers for “a little consideration” to help him improve his grades.

Neller succeeded and joined the University’s first fully coeducational class. He described his time at UVA as transformative. “It turned out to be a great fortuitous decision. I had a great time, met lifelong friends, and got a really good education.”

He also found his future. Neller’s entry into the Marine Corps stemmed from a chance encounter with a recruiter in Newcomb Hall.

“A buddy and I had aspirations to go to law school,” he said. “The recruiter told us we could be lawyers in the Marine Corps and suggested we try (Officer Candidate School) that summer. I didn’t get into the law school I wanted, and I needed a job. So, I took the commission.”

Initially planning to serve just three years, Neller found the camaraderie and mission of the Corps compelling.

“For the most part, I was very fortunate with the people I served with,” he said. “I had good leaders around me, particularly the senior enlisted guys. ... As a junior officer, I’m sure I was very difficult.”

Neller made the journey from junior officer to commandant, leading 225,000 Marines and managing a $43 billion budget. Earlier this year, the Marine Corps dedicated the Gen. Robert B. Neller Center for Wargaming and Analysis in Quantico.

During a recent UVA panel on public service in an era of polarization, Neller said military leaders should do their job and stay out of political commentary.

“When you’re retired, you can pretty much do whatever you want,” he said. “Active duty is very different. You cannot make comments about decisions by senior officials. I don’t do policy. I execute orders.”

Since retiring, Neller has dedicated himself to improving public safety, collaborating with police departments and teaching leadership coursework in UVA’s public safety and justice programs. He noted the rise of misinformation, disinformation and the fragmentation of social media, recommending public safety leaders create shared knowledge within their agencies.

“I think it’s very important that all of us get the facts to the best of our ability, so my first advice would be to find out what’s really going on. Communicate with your personnel … so that they understand what’s going on,” Neller said.

“Trust your judgment. Get the facts, share information, engage with the media … and then try to figure out, anticipate what you’re going to do if, and when, something happens,” he said. “Easy to say, hard to do. … Listen to people, even if you don’t like the news.”