Education category, Page 21
Point Park University faculty give initial vote of no confidence in its president
The assembly representing Point Park University faculty passed an initial vote of no confidence this week regarding President Chris Brussalis, citing issues including inadequate communication and lack of shared governance. Of the 80 faculty present during Monday’s closed session, 63 later voted in favor, 11 opposed, and six in attendance...
A couple’s passion for early childhood learning spawns hub at PennWest California
Giving children an early jump on learning is about to become a more visible endeavor on Pennsylvania Western University’s California campus thanks to the latest gift from a couple who has championed the cause. Tom Rutledge, a 1977 alumnus who headed Charter Communications, and his wife Karen Rutledge, announced a...
Greensburg Central Catholic to host open house for prospective students
Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School will host an open house on Nov. 3 for prospective students. The open house will start at 1 p.m. Students and their parents will be able to tour the campus and classrooms, connect with members of student clubs and sports teams, meet the faculty...
Point Park University unveils proposal for sports and recreation venue
When he was named Point Park University president last year, Chris Brussalis touted his school’s potential to spark a “Downtown Renaissance 3” with targeted development including a new venue for sports and recreation. On Thursday, Brussalis unveiled a sizable part of that vision for the Golden Triangle. He and the...
Pennsylvania state system seeks $40.3M funding boost, eyeing 7th year of frozen tuition
The board governing Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities is asking for a 6.5% increase, or $40.3 million more, in next year’s state budget. This increase could allow for a seventh annual tuition freeze. The request for 2025-26, approved unanimously by the State System’s Board of Governors Thursday, would bring the state...
Carnegie Mellon reports decrease in Black and white enrollment after race admissions ruling
The portion of Black and other students of color declined in this fall’s entering class at Carnegie Mellon University, following the first recruiting cycle since the U.S. Supreme Court barred consideration of race in admissions. The share of new students who are white also slipped, but Asian student enrollment rose,...
Carnegie Mellon among 40 private universities named in federal price-fixing lawsuit
Forty of the nation’s leading private colleges and universities, including Carnegie Mellon University, are accused in a federal class-action lawsuit of conspiring with the College Board to, in effect, overcharge students. The suit was filed Monday in Chicago before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The...
Oklahoma amends request for Bibles that initially appeared to match only version backed by Trump
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma has amended its request for 55,000 Bibles to be placed in public schools that initially matched a version of the holy book endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The request was amended Monday and no longer requires the Bibles to include U.S. historical documents such as...
Pitt offloads sprawling but underused Harmar research park for $5 million
Even as it plans for growth, the University of Pittsburgh has reduced its footprint by 85 acres through the sale of a sprawling but underused research park in Harmar. The $5 million transaction of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (U-PARC) in Harmar was completed Sept. 24, said Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer....
Private school vouchers opposed by more than half of Pa. voters, poll shows
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania voters don’t support using taxpayer dollars to create a private school voucher program, a new Spotlight PA poll shows, an idea...
Financier’s $4M gift helps Duquesne University create new nursing simulation lab
A nearly $4 million gift will enable Duquesne University to open a second nursing simulation lab on its campus, which also enrolled its inaugural class in osteopathic medicine this fall. The Joanne Barkett Conway Simulation Center is scheduled to open in 2026 on the sixth floor of Fisher Hall, university...
‘This isn’t the worst thing’: Western Pa. students, teachers adapt to cellphone restrictions
When Plum Senior High School announced in August it would require students to turn in their cellphones at the start of each class, Dhruv Thakkar could not have been more opposed to the change. “Me and my friends immediately jumped to the fact that our senior year was going to...
A year into the Israel-Hamas war, students say a chill on free speech has reached college classrooms
WASHINGTON — As a junior at George Washington University, Ty Lindia meets new students every day. But with the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war hanging over the Washington, D.C., campus, where everyone has a political opinion, each new encounter is fraught. “This idea that I might say the wrong thing...
2 Westmoreland schools recognized by Special Olympics for inclusive programming
Two Westmoreland County schools were recognized by the Special Olympics for offering inclusive programming for students of all abilities. Mt. Pleasant and Hempfield Area high schools are two of 11 schools in the state to receive national recognition for their Unified Champion Schools programs — where students in special and...
Exiting chancellor of Pa.’s state-owned universities encouraged by enrollment numbers
Enrollment across Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities appears essentially flat this fall versus last — an elusive milestone for a system now 30% smaller after 13 consecutive yearly declines since 2010, Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said. The State System of Higher Education expects to release official numbers early next week. Greenstein told...
Hempfield to reevaluate high school library following resignation of librarian
Hempfield Area High School is reevaluating how to use its library space, district officials said. The high school’s librarian submitted a letter of resignation a few weeks ago, working her last shift Friday. But the district is holding off on hiring a new full-time employee for the position. With sights...
Health department cites violations at Point Park dining hall after student newspaper report
Images appearing in Point Park University’s student newspaper this week show unsanitary conditions that the publication says it found in the Downtown campus’s dining facility inside Lawrence Hall. One of the photos published Wednesday in The Globe depicts a red pepper “appearing to be moldy in the salad bar.” Another...
Enrollment dropped by 600 students at state-owned universities in Western Pennsylvania this fall
Enrollment at state-owned universities in Western Pennsylvania dropped by more than 600 students this fall compared to last year, even though one of the region’s three institutions saw growth for a third straight year. That school, Slippery Rock University, registered a headcount increase of 32 students to 8,394, up from...
McDonald’s fundraiser to benefit 131 schools in tri-state area
Local schools across Western Pennsylvania will benefit from a McDonald’s restaurant fundraiser next week. From open to close on Wednesday, Oct. 9, dubbed Arch Support Digital Fundraiser Day, schools will earn 20% of all sales purchased through the McDonald’s app at their partner restaurant. Across the tri-state area, 131 schools...
Experts say focus on mental, behavioral health paramount in combating school threats
Eli Majocha knows firsthand the strain a school threat can have on students’ mental health. The 2023 Highlands High School graduate remembers how news of threats against his school or a nearby school made him feel. “It’s unpredictable in nature,” he said. “When (it happens), you sit back and put...
CERN still fascinates, discovers on its 70th anniversaryVideo
GENEVA — The research center that is home to the world’s largest particle accelerator is celebrating its 70th anniversary on Tuesday, with the physicists who run it aiming to unlock secrets about dark matter and other mysteries to promote science for peace in today’s conflict-darkened world. Over the last seven...
New dean joins Carnegie Mellon science college
Carnegie Mellon University’s Mellon College of Science has a new dean, Barbara Shinn-Cunningham. Her tenure begins in January. Shinn-Cunningham came to Carnegie Mellon in 2018 as founding director of the Neuroscience Institute. A faculty researcher and an engineer by training, she is a professor of auditory neuroscience. Shinn-Cunningham heads two...
Free speech group urges Penn State to apologize for removing newspapers, newsstands
A free speech advocacy group says Penn State University should publicly apologize to its student newspaper staff for removing dozens of newsstands and newspapers from campus over what the school has called a violation of advertising rules. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) says it is “gravely concerned”...
‘Microschools’ growing as option as more families seek school choice
In the fast-changing landscape of education, where school choice is increasingly valued by families across the political spectrum, a new model is growing in popularity: the microschool. Typically, microschools serve a small group of students, ranging from five to around 20 per school. These schools emphasize personalized learning experiences and...
Trump campaign billed $40K for IUP rally
Indiana University of Pennsylvania billed the campaign of former President Donald Trump $40,000 for its use of the 5,000-seat Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex for this week’s rally. The state-owned university on Friday provided a copy of the invoice agreement in response to inquiries this week from TribLive. The total...
