More than 100 academic offerings on PennWest’s chopping block
Pennsylvania Western University could end more than 100 academic programs as the college prepares to adapt to demographic and enrollment declines impacting schools nationally. In a Dec. 12 email to faculty and obtained by TribLive, Interim Provost James Fisher recommends more than 100 academic programs to be placed in moratorium...
All 750 Clairton City students get grocery gift cards for Christmas
Every student in Clairton City School District went home with a $50 grocery gift card to help fill their pantry over the holidays thanks to a partnership between two local nonprofits. The Will Allen Foundation, founded by the former safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with the Eden Hall Foundation,...
Student loan borrowers in default may see wages garnished in 2026
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it will begin garnishing the wages of student loan borrowers who are in default early next year. The department said it will send notices to approximately 1,000 borrowers the week of January 7, with more notices to come at an increasing...
Hempfield Area joins Chartiers Valley in piloting AI weapon detector created with Carnegie Mellon research
Hempfield Area will join a group of 15 school districts nationwide expected to pilot an AI-driven weapon detection system designed with the help of a Carnegie Mellon University scientist. CurvePoint, based in Pittsburgh’s North Shore, was launched about a year ago by CEO Skip Smith and Chief Scientist Dong Huang,...
Pitt staff union members to get 2.5% wage increase
University of Pittsburgh staff represented by the United Steelworkers will receive 2.5% salary increases, retroactive to Aug. 1, starting with their paychecks in mid-January. That was the agreement reached between Pitt and the union last week. University spokesman Chuck Finder directed a reporter to Pitt’s staff unionization information website for...
Wilkinsburg educator tapped for Penn-Trafford High School assistant principal role
Penn-Trafford’s newest administrator is in for more than a career change. Megan Flaherty, a former administrator and special education teacher from Wilkinsburg School District, was hired last month as Penn-Trafford High School’s next assistant principal. She will replace Jim Simpson — who has been a transitionary principal at the high...
Pitt’s new AI hub aims to make artificial intelligence practical for students and their careers
The University of Pittsburgh’s strategy surrounding artificial intelligence will be practical, supporting students and the workforce, said Michael Colaresi, newly named director of the academic Hub for AI and Data Science Leadership. “We’re going to be a welcoming and visible front door for AI in the academic mission,” Colaresi said...
Students say arts programs at PennWest California are in jeopardy
Students at Pennsylvania Western University’s California campus fear that planned academic program changes could result in the loss of its art programs. Koa Knopsnider, 19, is petitioning the university to not sunset the arts programs at the California campus. The online petition has purportedly reached more than 1,100 signatures within...
Quaker Valley School District communications director recognized for outstanding service
Quaker Valley School District communications director Michelle Dietz was recently recognized for outstanding service by a national program. Dietz was named one of the 2025 EDmarket NexGen Rising Stars by the Education Market Association. The program honors exceptional young professionals under the age of 40 who have demonstrated passion, creativity...
Pitt chancellor gets 32% raise but vows to donate it to student, faculty causes
Pleased with her accomplishments and in an effort to retain her, a group of University of Pittsburgh trustees voted to increase Chancellor Joan Gabel’s base salary to $1.25 million next year, a 32% raise. Pitt’s compensation subcommittee voted Thursday to increase Gabel’s base pay, effective Jan. 1. She was hired...
Upper St. Clair High School senior class has 16 sets of twins
One might do a double-take looking at the list of seniors at Upper St. Clair High School. There are 16 sets of twins in the 2026 graduating class — roughly one in every 10 members of the 299 students is a twin. Thursday is doubly special as it is National...
Rural schools hit by Trump’s grant cuts have few options for making up for the lost money
SHELBYVILLE, Ky. — When the funding for Shannon Johnson’s job as a school mental health counselor came to an abrupt end, two years into a five-year grant, she thought about the work left to be done. Johnson taught elementary and middle-school students in rural Kentucky how to navigate conflict, build...
Pittsburgh Public Schools to ban cellphone use during school day
Cellphones will soon be banned during the school day at all Pittsburgh Public Schools. The Pittsburgh Board of Public Education voted Wednesday night to update the district’s Electronic Devices Policy — prohibiting the use and possession of electronic devices by students during the school day on district property. This includes...
Pittsburgh-area natives share their stories of Brown University shooting
Nate Chinman was studying for a math final Saturday when a warning text from a friend just five minutes away in Brown University’s engineering and physics building upended everything: Don’t come by the engineering building. Chinman, a 19-year-old Squirrel Hill native and graduate of Allderdice High School, was one of...
Some fees waived for students at closing Penn State branch campuses
Students at the closing Penn State Commonwealth Campuses can take more classes than normal in their next three semesters and save some money while doing it. With the New Kensington, Fayette, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, DuBois, York and Mont Alto campuses scheduled to close after the Spring 2027 semester, students there can...
IUP trustees approve doctorate for proposed medical school
INDIANA, Pa. — Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has received a new boost from the school’s council of trustees. The governing board acted Thursday to approve a new doctorate in osteopathic medicine program, which would be offered through the future medical school. “This step is a...
New Penn State building will remain closed next semester after ‘structural issue’
One of Penn State’s newest buildings will remain closed next semester because of a “localized structural issue.” The university’s $128 million Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building is scheduled to remain out of service for the entire spring 2026 semester. Though the building has been determined safe for limited reentry, it...
Rare cancer diagnosis didn’t stop Pitt student from graduating early
Sarah Pine’s college experience at the University of Pittsburgh was typical, until it wasn’t. From Savannah, Ga., Pine came to Oakland in fall 2022 to pursue writing, seeking a different atmosphere than the south. “I went in with all these positive thoughts and ideas, ready to conquer the college experience,”...
Popular Penn State New Kensington programs to open elsewhere as college prepares to close in 2 years
A trio of Penn State New Kensington’s most popular academic programs has found new homes as the university plans to close the Upper Burrell campus at the end of the Spring 2027 semester. Penn State announced this week that three programs — biomedical engineering technology, electro-mechanical engineering technology and radiological...
Pittsburgh Public Schools enrollment continues to shrink
Student enrollment at Pittsburgh Public Schools this fall declined 2% over last fall, and 23 of the district’s schools enroll less than 250 students, according to data released this week by the school district. PPS enrolled 17,937 students from Kindergarten to 12th grade this fall; a decline of 375 students...
New Quaker Valley High School opening pushed back
The projected opening of a new Quaker Valley High School has been pushed back for the second time this year while school district officials continue to seek federal and state permits related to its construction. Administrators initially had hoped to open the doors of the proposed 167,000-square-foot facility in June...
Penn State faculty file for union representation
Faculty at Pennsylvania State University soon could be part of a union. Members of the Penn State Faculty Alliance on Tuesday said they turned in thousands of union authorization cards to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board’s offices in Harrisburg. The alliance petitioned to represent all faculty, including at University Park,...
Planned $68M health sciences building at Duquesne University to open in fall 2028
Duquesne University officials say a new, $68 million health sciences facility will locate clinical services, consolidate programs and strengthen the college’s role in regional health care. Duquesne announced Tuesday that it plans to build a new, 80,000-square-foot health sciences facility at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Magee Street that...
New administrator sees growth potential at PennWest University
The new vice president for strategic enrollment management at Pennsylvania Western University believes strong admissions recruitment and providing a solid student experience can turn the tide of declining enrollment there. Darren Wagner was named to the post at PennWest — which includes campuses at Clarion, California and Edinboro — Dec....
Without closures, Pittsburgh Public Schools projects $6M deficit with 4% tax hike
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials plan to move into the new year with a more than $6 million projected budget deficit despite a proposed 4% tax hike. In a budget hearing Monday night, multiple district residents implored school board members and administrators to find creative ways of raising revenue beyond the...
