Carlow University names Rhonda Maneval as provost
Carlow University has elevated Rhonda Maneval to the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs. Maneval joined Carlow in 2022 as dean of the College of Health and Wellness and began also serving as interim provost in fall 2023. Her appointment as provost was announced Wednesday. “Rhonda stands...
Women technology experts give advice to South Fayette students
High school can be like a buffet when it comes to career exploration, says Ethan Hudson, a sophomore at South Fayette High School. “You have to try a little bit of this and that, so you know what it’s like,” said Hudson, 15. That was part of the thought process...
How much energy does AI really need? Anthropic official weighs in at CMU Energy Week
It’s obvious that energy industry leaders have been talking about artificial intelligence a great deal late, said Benjamin Della Rocca, national security lead at Anthropic, a leading AI company. But it’s still uncertain, Della Rocca said, exactly what AI’s energy needs are going to be in the upcoming years. “AI’s...
Pitt’s ‘homegrown’ approach to training rural dental providers aims to make it easier to access care
This story first appeared in Talk of the Town — a free newsletter with the news that matters from the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA. Sign up for curated local stories and unique events at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. A new initiative from the University of Pittsburgh will train future dental...
Penn State Greater Allegheny social work program earns accreditation
Penn State Greater Allegheny’s bachelor’s of social work program has earned national accreditation. Greater Allegheny’s program earned accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation, the university announced this month. Located near McKeesport, Greater Allegheny is the only Penn State campus where students can complete an undergraduate...
Pittsburgh Public Schools plan online learning during NFL Draft
Students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools will learn remotely from April 22 to 24 as the city hosts the NFL Draft. PPS officials say shifting to asynchronous learning will reduce transportation challenges, minimize disruptions to the school day and ensure students learn safely and effectively. As many as 700,000 people...
Mt. Lebanon school district faces a $1.2M million shortfall next year
Mt. Lebanon school officials have a few weeks to make up a $1.169 million shortfall in the district’s budget for next year. Patricia Connolly, the district’s director of operations, told the school board this week she is projecting just above $130 million in expenses and $128.8 million in revenues next...
Keystone Oaks plans renovation projects at its 3 elementary schools
The Keystone Oaks School District is undergoing a multimillion-dollar project to renovate its three elementary schools. The district plans general maintenance upgrades like HVAC, electrical and window and door replacements at Fred L. Aiken, Dormont and Myrtle Avenue elementary schools over the next couple of years. “The schools have not...
Penn State police crack down on e-scooter use
Penn State police will be cracking down on students’ e-scooter use following spring break. In a Facebook post before spring break, Penn State University Police and public safety asked those who currently use an e-scooter on campus to “please take it and leave it at home when you return.” “Police...
College of 2nd chances: Professor who has taught at CCAC since it opened reflects on 60-year tenureVideo
Microbiology professor Francis Maxin has taught at Community College of Allegheny County since it opened its doors 60 years ago. He has no plans to retire anytime soon. “How can I retire? The college can’t afford my retirement present,” Maxin joked. “I want a BMW with a heated steering wheel.”...
With SATs optional for many colleges, are the tests still relevant?
Greater Latrobe senior Autumn Blozowich took the SAT three times before and during her junior year, yet when she applied to Pitt, Kent State and Penn State, she didn’t submit her scores once. “I wasn’t really happy with my scores,” she said of the standardized entrance exam. “If you don’t...
Students share thoughts on AI, mental health at Woodland Hills summit
A group of Pittsburgh-area high school students challenged each other Friday to think about the future of artificial intelligence. Students from 25 area high schools — from Belle Vernon Area to Aliquippa — discussed issues ranging from academic integrity to human loneliness and whether AI should replace human employees. “It’s...
When DOGE unleashed ChatGPT on the humanities
When the Trump administration went looking last spring for National Endowment for the Humanities grants to cut, it turned to a familiar scourge of professors: ChatGPT. Last March, two employees from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency arrived at the agency with the mandate of canceling previously approved grants that...
As future hangs in the balance, Duquesne City School District continues to adapt
Adapting to change has been Duquesne City School District’s story throughout the years. “We’re resilient,” said Jennifer Yocca, a 30-year employee of the district. “We always have intentional leadership, but it changes a lot.” Duquesne, working through financial struggles, is a district down to just one school, a K-8 building...
Westmoreland County schools invite public to view screening of documentary on career-based learning
After remaining stagnant for decades, K-12 education is due for a revamp, said Hempfield Area Deputy Superintendent Emily Sanders. “If you think about our schools, they haven’t changed much in the last 100 years, from the way they look to the way that they operate,” she said. That’s a problem...
Battle of the Books tests Pittsburgh middle school students on literary works
Reading was a team sport Thursday at Pittsburgh’s Brashear High School. Forty students from Pittsburgh Public’s CAPA, South Brook, Carmalt and Sterrett middle schools participated in the Youth Battle of the Books contest, which tested students’ knowledge from six books they were tasked with reading. The initiative returned after a...
Budget deficit leads Mt. Lebanon School District officials to consider tax hike, potential staff furloughs
A projected $4.2 million deficit in Mt. Lebanon School District’s budget next school year has officials considering a property tax increase and a plan that, they say, would enable them to furlough staff if needed. The school board Monday will consider a resolution that would allow administration to furlough up...
Young kids missed the pandemic’s school disruptions. Their reading scores are still behind
WASHINGTON — When covid-19 wrought havoc on society in early 2020, today’s youngest schoolchildren were infants or yet to be born. Now in their early school years, researchers are beginning to see how the pandemic years have shaped their education, even though many had yet to set foot in a...
East Deer native gifts $1 million to IUP’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine
Terry A. Serafini, an East Deer native and Pittsburgh businessman, has donated $1 million to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine as the university plans a fall 2027 opening for the new school. “I have a soft spot in my heart for IUP, and I appreciate...
Westmoreland County detectives investigate finances of Hempfield Area parent-teacher organization
Westmoreland County detectives are investigating the finances of a Hempfield Area School District parent-teacher organization, state police Trooper Steve Limani said Monday. Rumors about Fort Allen Elementary School’s parent-teacher organization circulated on social media late last week, alleging the group’s bank account balance is lower than expected. Attempts to contact...
Butler County Community College to launch radiologic technology program
Butler County Community College officials say a new radiologic technology program will prepare students for a high-demand career. The college plans to launch a radiologic technology program in August 2027. “We saw, across the board, a need for radiological technologists,” said Julia Carney, Butler County Community College’s dean of nursing...
Legislation would boost tech school capacity as enrollment spikes
Jason Lucia took over in late 2020 as administrative director at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Stanton, beginning the school year with 990 students. When the doors opened last fall, that number had shot up about 50% to 1,500. Direct paths to high-demand jobs have skyrocketed enrollment...
Pittsburgh colleges expand their footprint to meet demand
Ted Black admits the former YWCA on Wood Street — right in the thick of Point Park University’s campus — is “quite frankly a bit of an eyesore.” But Black, Point Park’s senior vice president of institutional advancement and strategy, also notes the opportunity the property represents. The Downtown school...
State studying future of Duquesne City School District
The state’s Department of Education is studying the future of the Duquesne City School District, which could include a consolidation with a nearby district. Duquesne schools spokesman Jeremy Tepper said the district is “actively cooperating” in the study. “The district remains committed to providing a high-quality educational experience for its...
Greensburg Salem aims to open latest comprehensive plan for public review next week
Early-level literacy, student engagement, work-based learning experiences and student mental health could be Greensburg Salem’s primary focuses for the next three years. The school board will vote next week on whether to release a proposed comprehensive plan — a guide for district operations — for a monthlong review by parents...
