Bill Schackner stories, Page 12
University of Pittsburgh doctor, professor sues school; alleges retaliation over his affirmative action views
A University of Pittsburgh cardiologist has filed a new civil complaint in federal court alleging retaliation and discrimination against him over affirmative action views expressed in a paper published and later retracted by the Journal of the American Heart Association. Norman C. Wang is on the faculty of Pitt’s School...
Joan Gabel to become first woman to serve as Pitt chancellor
Joan Gabel, president and chief executive of the University of Minnesota system and its Twin Cities campus, has been named as the University of Pittsburgh’s 19th and first woman chancellor. Pitt’s board of trustees voted Monday at a special meeting to make her chancellor-elect. She will succeed Patrick Gallagher, 60,...
Pitt on verge of naming new chancellor; vote expected at Monday trustees meeting
University of Pittsburgh trustees have called a special meeting for Monday and are expected to vote on a resolution to name a successor to Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. The 11 a.m. main campus meeting inside Alumni Hall’s Connolly ballroom is to be livestreamed and will include “Remarks of the Chancellor Elect,”...
Slippery Rock’s incoming president says university is well-positioned for success
The woman poised to become Slippery Rock University’s next president said she passionately believes that education is fundamental to success in life. “It changes lives,” said Karen Riley, whose career in education has spanned nearly four decades. Currently the provost of Regis University in Denver, Riley, 60, began her career...
Pitt students gear up for March Madness game against Iowa State with cautious optimism
So, maybe it’s not full-on madness — at least not yet. But with the University of Pittsburgh’s men’s basketball team set to face Iowa State University on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Panthers fans who haven’t had a tournament win to celebrate since 2014 are...
Pitt events on gender issues draw criticism, but university says it’s committed to protecting free speech
A free expression-versus-hate speech quandary looms over planned events at the University of Pittsburgh that critics contend will “advance a platform of hate and transphobia.” Pitt, however, says the events must be allowed — even if some deem them offensive. A petition that has drawn more than 7,000 signatures is...
Reliving Mazeroski’s historic World Series homer perched atop the Cathedral of Learning
Woody Turner couldn’t concentrate. He was working on an assignment, perhaps for a Roman history class, but he’s not sure. What mattered on Oct. 13, 1960, was that the University of Pittsburgh senior chose to be in — of all places — the library on the fifth floor of a...
Pitt Provost Ann Cudd leaving for Portland State University
University of Pittsburgh Provost Ann Cudd is leaving to become president of Portland State University. Leaders of the Oregon institution with 22,000 students named her Friday as the school’s 11th president, succeeding Stephen Percy, who is retiring. The appointment is effective in August after Cudd finishes up her duties in...
Former Pa. Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar to join Pitt as visiting scholar
Former Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar is joining the University of Pittsburgh as a visiting scholar and adjunct professor, campus officials announced Thursday. She will work in Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security and also teach as an adjunct in the university’s School of Law. Boockvar’s work will...
Advocacy group says higher ed funding in Shapiro’s proposed budget shows ‘appalling neglect’
A Pennsylvania group that advocates for public education says it is “deeply disappointed and concerned” by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed funding support for state-owned universities in his first proposed state budget. Shapiro’s 2% increase includes neither the funding that system leaders sought to freeze tuition for a fifth straight year...
State university scholarship initiative not included in Shapiro’s budget, nor is aid sought to freeze tuition
Leaders of Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities said boosting Commonwealth funding by 3.8% to $573.5 million would enable them to consider freezing tuition across the 85,000-student system for a fifth straight year this fall. But when Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled his proposed state budget for 2023-24, he included about half...
In race for technology, China has a ‘sometimes stunning lead’ over the U.S.
American higher education is touted as the world’s envy, but a new report says the United States and other Western countries have fallen dangerously behind China in research that results in leading-edge technology. The world’s most populous country has amassed a “sometimes stunning lead,” says the Australian Strategic Policy Institute,...
State System universities propose $56.5M in scholarships to ease Pa. teacher shortage
With Gov. Josh Shapiro a week out from submitting his first proposed Commonwealth budget, the State System of Higher Education has unveiled a plan to address Pennsylvania’s worsening teaching shortage that would use some of those funds. The State System is asking to channel $56.5 million for direct financial aid...
University of Pittsburgh provost is finalist for presidency at Portland State
University of Pittsburgh Provost Ann Cudd is one of two finalists for the presidency of Portland State University. Trustees at the public institution in Portland, OR. with 22,000 students met this week and have entered a negotiation phase, a confidential process typically lasting two to six weeks before a new...
Unionized Pitt faculty members protest pace of contract talks
About 200 University of Pittsburgh faculty members represented by the United Steelworkers rallied outside Friday’s board of trustees meeting to protest the pace of negotiations aimed at securing the union’s first labor pact there. Chanting at times as they held up signs that read “Fair Pay = Emotional Well-Being,” the...
Construction of $40M workforce center proceeds on CCAC’s North Side campus
The timing seemed right in November 2019 when the Community College of Allegheny County announced an ambitious workforce development initiative that included building a multi-story academic hall and expanding programming to steer more students into high-demand fields. The areas of study slated for the new Workforce Development and Training Center...
$11.5M preservation of Heinz Memorial Chapel’s spire planned
Generations of Pittsburghers know it as an exquisite wedding and worship space, a limestone cathedral that has 23 imposing yet beautiful stained-glass windows and an organ with 4,272 pipes. But that’s not what is drawing the most attention at the University of Pittsburgh’s Heinz Memorial Chapel these days. It’s the...
Carnegie Mellon, Rales Foundation embark on $150M effort to support underrepresented STEM students
Carnegie Mellon University and the Norman and Ruth Rales Foundation are unveiling a $150 million initiative to broaden the nation’s pipeline of “STEM” talent by tapping women, minorities and others who are underrepresented in science, technology engineering and math. The intent is to diversify those fields by offering not only...
Penn State plans to renovate, not replace Beaver Stadium
Penn State University has decided to renovate rather than replace Beaver Stadium, the storied home of the Nittany Lions football program for more than six decades and one of the most prominent venues in college athletics. “After significant consultation and research, the university has decided that rather than build new...
Carnegie Mellon reappoints Farnam Jahanian as president
Trustees at Carnegie Mellon University have reappointed Farnam Jahanian to a second five-year term as president. The board of trustees acted Thursday on the unanimous recommendation of a presidential review committee of six faculty members and six trustees. The panel’s recommendation followed interviews with about 70 people and other input...
College, university endowments report losses on their most recent balance sheets
A year ago, the nation’s college and university endowments shook off a pandemic-driven market slump to score impressive growth to support their schools’ academic missions. This time, in fiscal year 2022, the story was the same, say two organizations that closely monitor those funds — only the order was reversed,...
IUP, state system roiled by former student’s racist social media post
The chairwoman of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education on Thursday condemned a racist social media post made earlier this month by a former Indiana University of Pennsylvania student. The student posted the racist message in response to a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before a men’s basketball...
PennWest president announces departure
Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, founding president of Pennsylvania Western University, also known as PennWest, is leaving her position. She announced Tuesday she is transitioning to a new role with the State System of Higher Education as President-in-Residence and CEO for PennWest Investment. She is to begin the transition immediately and will assume...
Penn State sends support message to Michigan State University after mass shooting
Leaders of Penn State University expressed shock and sympathy over Monday night’s mass shooting at a sister Big Ten institution and assured their own campuses across the Commonwealth that safety and counseling services are available. The shooting that left three Michigan State University students dead and five critically wounded traumatized...
Penn State to remain SAT/ACT optional for applicants
High school students applying for undergraduate spots at Penn State University through fall 2025 won’t have to take the SAT or ACT for admission, as the state’s flagship public institution is extending its test-optional policy once again. Penn State introduced the program in 2020 as a one-year pilot during the...
