Education category, Page 53
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...
Roberto Clemente book deemed ‘appropriate,’ returns to Fla. school district shelves
An illustrated children’s biography of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente is back on shelves in Florida’s Duval County Public Schools after being reviewed and approved for use in classrooms and libraries. The school district said in a news release that its certified reading specialists are in the process of reviewing...
Norwin board members file suit over superintendent assessment
Four members of the Norwin School Board have sued the board president and two other directors, alleging a 2022 assessment of the superintendent was a fraud. The assessment excluded their comments and scores of his performance, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Westmoreland County court. Directors Christine Baverso,...
Can college abroad actually save you money?
When Emma Freer was a high school senior in 2011, her impression of American campus culture — sororities, football games, broad course requirements — didn’t appeal. Her parents had saved enough money to cover her in-state tuition, but, she says, “I knew I didn’t want to go to Ohio State.”...
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...
As chronic absenteeism rises in schools, officials search for ways to entice students to stay in the classroom
It’s not by the power of the pen or a symbolic sword that Highlands School District administrators are fighting chronic student absenteeism but rather a Golden Spatula. The trinket is awarded each month during the RAMS Roundup rewards party, where behavior expectations are reviewed and student successes are acknowledged. To...
Metalworking apprentices from across Pittsburgh region compete as demand for jobs remains strongVideo
The sound of milling machines filled the air Friday morning at Westmoreland County Community College’s Advanced Technology Center in East Huntingdon, as eight apprentices competed for the title of Best Metalworking Apprentice in the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Tooling and Milling Association. It was music to the ears of...
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...
What the public can and can’t know about Four Diamonds, beneficiary of Penn State THON’s fundraising
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — For years, thousands of Penn State students have participated in a grueling...
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...
Amid ChatGPT outcry, some teachers are inviting AI to class
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Under the fluorescent lights of a fifth grade classroom in Lexington, Kentucky, Donnie Piercey instructed his 23 students to try and outwit the “robot” that was churning out writing assignments. The robot was the new artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, which can generate everything from essays and haikus...
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...
Show goes on for Elizabeth Forward High School band, musical after blaze
School districts from across the region and beyond are chipping in to help raise money to ensure Elizabeth Forward High School’s musical production goes on after a massive fire destroyed the auditorium, band and choir rooms. James Benedek Jr., the school’s musical director, on Monday said the school’s production of...
Local districts await fallout from Pa. court ruling on school funding
Funding Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts was never going to be an easy equation to solve. The diverse nature of the state — rural and urban, wealthy and poor — coupled with funding decisions enacted by Pennsylvania lawmakers resulted in a lawsuit being filed eight years ago, claiming bias in the...
‘College Now’ program gives high school students a chance to earn early associate’s degree
When Jacinda Floyd first heard about the “College Now” program at Westmoreland County Community College during her freshman year at Franklin Regional Senior High School, she said she “kind of overlooked it.” “I was thinking, ‘I’m a freshman and have a lot of time to go before college,’” Floyd said....
State approves first Black-owned pre-apprenticeship program in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute has been approved as the city’s first Black-owned, state-certified pre-apprentice program for the skilled trades. The APRI’s “Breaking the Chains of Poverty” program is designed to help people build the skills necessary to earn a career in the building and construction...
Leon Ford shares story of ‘moving forward’ despite adversity with students from 9 local high schools
Leon Ford wheeled himself in front of a group of high school students on Friday and told them his story. “I was pulled over by the police. I was shot multiple times. I’m paralyzed. I was 19.” A Pittsburgh police officer shot Ford during a 2012 traffic stop in Highland...
Schools become flashpoint for Republicans eyeing White House
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has called for parents to elect and fire school principals. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has banned instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. And Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador who is expected to announce her White House...
Pitt withdraws from participating in U.S. News & World Report law school rankings
The University of Pittsburgh said Friday it will withdraw from participating in the U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, joining a revolt now spreading nationally among public and private schools over the rankings’ methodology. The U.S. News Best Law Schools ranking system “is systematically flawed and harmful to...
Pitt names interim law school dean
Haider Ala Hamoudi has been named interim dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law following Amy Wildermuth’s resignation on Jan. 23. Employed at the school since 2007, Hamoudi had been overseeing daily operations as acting dean while an interim dean was put in place, Provost Ann Cudd said....
