Education category, Page 37
IUP set to open $90 million classroom hall
Hannah Borys and her classmates may feel like time travelers once their Indiana University of Pennsylvania science classes move from a dated 1960s hall into a gleaming venue designed to promote collaboration across disciplines. The $90 million John J. and Char Kopchick Hall at IUP is set to open in...
Multimillion-dollar anonymous donation benefits Catholic high school students in Greensburg and Pittsburgh dioceses
The generosity of an anonymous donor is helping to bridge the financial gap faced by some Catholic school students as they seek to continue their Catholic education into high school. The same donor has contributed nearly $7.5 million to the St. Pope John Paul Tuition Opportunity Partnership over the past...
Boys graduate high school at lower rates than girls, with lifelong consequences
BUFFALO, N.Y. — They attend the same classes with access to the same programs, and even come from the same families. But girls consistently are outperforming boys, graduating at higher rates at public high schools around the country. The gap between them is wide, often as wide as the achievement...
Higher education haunts: Ghostly tales abound at local colleges and universities
The great thing about university ghost stories is that you don’t have to believe in the paranormal to derive a thrill from the tale, according to “Paranormal Pitt” author Matt Swayne. Instead, you get “ghostlore,” — folklore that centers on ghosts or spirits — or stories where people claim to...
Private colleges in Western Pa. eye shared services, cooperative purchasing
Apparently for colleges in and around Pittsburgh, the idea of joining forces is worth a look. With enrollment at many colleges dropping and cost pressures growing, several private colleges in Western Pennsylvania have been considering whether they ought to form a consortium to share services and make joint purchases. For...
Number of freshmen seeking bachelor’s degrees at U.S. colleges drops 6%, report says
The number of college freshmen enrolling in bachelor’s degree programs nationally declined this fall by 6% from last year, but overall enrollment rose 2.1%, according to a report released Thursday. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report offered a mixed enrollment picture as higher education emerges from the pandemic. The...
Westmoreland County Community College president will resign in summer 2024
Westmoreland County Community College’s first female president announced her resignation at the college’s board of directors meeting Wednesday. Tuesday Stanley, 55, who joined WCCC in 2014, will remain in her position at the school near Youngwood through June 30. She will have served as president for exactly a decade. Stanley...
Owner’s rep will evaluate stalled Hempfield Area high school project
Hempfield Area School District’s new owner’s rep, McKinley Architecture and Engineering, will assess the district’s stalled high school renovation project over the course of the next two months and return with their findings. The school board approved the new owner’s representative contract with a not-to-exceed fee of $30,000 for the...
Hempfield mulls librarian feedback on book posting policy
Hempfield Area School District librarians are requesting a portion of the district’s policy on book acquisition be changed in order to potentially save the district money on reading materials. Approved in August, the policy requires school librarians to post lists of books they intend to purchase 30 days before they...
Parents like private school vouchers so much that demand is exceeding budgets in some states
In some states, higher-income families can now use taxpayer money to cover private school tuition — and more people than projected are taking the offer, which might force scrambles to shore up state budgets. It’s especially an issue in states like Arizona and Iowa, where at least some families whose...
Murrysville lawmaker to propose later start to school days for Pennsylvania students
The school day for secondary students in Pennsylvania could not start earlier than 8:15 a.m. under legislation a state representative from Murrysville intends to introduce. If passed into law, the requirement would start with the 2026-27 school year, state Rep. Jill Cooper said in a memorandum seeking co-sponsors for her...
Alumni group raises $500,000 in push against admission of girls at The Kiski School
Some alumni of The Kiski School have been raising money in an attempt to get the all-boys boarding school in Loyalhanna Township to reverse course on welcoming girls in fall 2024 — ending a storied 136-year tradition. Joseph Garcia, a 1985 alumnus, is the chairman of the Friends of Kiski...
West Deer man receives national science medal from President BidenVideo
A West Deer man and University of Pittsburgh professor was awarded one of the nation’s highest science honors on Tuesday by President Joe Biden, just a few days before he is inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame on Thursday. Rory Cooper was among 10 recipients of the National...
$43M CCAC facility to focus on robotics, other advancing technologies
Justin Starr spent years working in Pittsburgh’s robotics industry and saw first-hand the disconnect between the skills students often leave colleges with and those his industry desperately sought. “We always had great success on the engineering end, but when it came to getting technicians to do things like actually build...
Hempfield Area considering search policy changes in wake of gun incidents
Hempfield Area School District may soon have more leeway on how frequently students can be searched for contraband, amid rising parent and student concerns following security incidents at the district. A new section to the district’s search policy, defining rules for the use of metal and weapons detectors, was approved...
Bus driver shortage leaves schools, public transit agencies scrambling
A shortage of drivers is pinching school bus companies and public transit agencies that are left scrambling to transport students and workers, fill vacancies and keep their current stable of employees from burning out. “It’s just hard to get drivers. We just can’t figure it out,” said James Varner, manager...
Hempfield school board candidates talk safety, book policies, high school renovation
There are nine candidates for five seats on the Hempfield Area School Board in the Nov. 7 general election. A field of 15 sought the positions during the primary race in the spring. The district is rehashing a major renovation project, and there’s been lengthy discussion on topics including library...
PennWest, other universities weigh options for unused student housing
“Live here, live well.” That’s the online pitch promoting “Vulcan Village” apartments near PennWest University’s California campus in Washington County. The student complex has a resort-inspired outdoor pool, around-the-clock maintenance and a fitness center. But these days, there aren’t enough students living there. Fewer than half of its 770 beds...
Pa. higher ed system seeks 6.5% boost in state funding to maintain tuition freeze
The board overseeing Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities said Thursday it aims to freeze tuition for a sixth consecutive year in 2024-2025, provided the state boosts the system’s funding by 6.5%. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s board of governors voted to send Gov. Josh Shapiro an appropriation request of...
Backpacks, metal, weapons detectors discussed at Hempfield security committee meeting
Hempfield Area School District’s new security committee met for the first time this week and mulled ways the district can improve safety. It was formed in response to recent security incidents at Hempfield and is made up of administrators, school board members Mike Alfery, Scott Learn, Diane Ciabattoni and Jeanne...
Penn State hires architect, construction managers for $700M renovation of Beaver Stadium
Penn State has awarded a contract for architectural work on its planned $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium to a firm versed in major sports construction projects, including on Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills stadium now being built. Monday’s announcements of hiring Populous to handle...
Israel-Hamas war has roiled U.S. campuses. Students on each side say colleges aren’t doing enough
America’s colleges aspire to be places where ideas meet and common ground emerges. As the death toll rises in the Israel-Hamas war, they have become seats of anguish. Many Jewish students and their allies, some with family and friends in Israel, have demanded bold reckonings and strong condemnation after the...
Black student disciplined over hairstyle hopes to ‘start being a kid again’
For over a month, Darryl George, a Black high school student in Texas, spent each school day sitting by himself in punishment over his hairstyle. This week, he was sent to a separate disciplinary program, where he’s been told he will spend several more weeks away from classmates. In an...
Hempfield Area preps for homecoming festivities
Hempfield Area School District is getting ready for its upcoming homecoming game Friday by focusing on the district’s past and present. This year’s homecoming parade has a theme of “Community.” Floats representing each of the schools in the district will participate in the parade. Before the game, representatives from each...
PennWest interim president says new university has hit ‘enrollment floor,’ will rebound
PennWest University charges the same tuition and recruits heavily from the same region as fellow state-owned institutions Slippery Rock University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, yet PennWest’s enrollment plunged again while its two peers have grown. In an interview with the Tribune-Review, PennWest leaders, including interim President R. Lorraine “Laurie”...
