CMU to launch AI platform designed to assist students in introductory courses
Some area college students can boost their studies with a Carnegie Mellon University initiative that uses artificial intelligence to improve learning in introductory courses. The $55 million investment between CMU and the Gates Foundation will launch Learnvia, Inc., free AI-enabled courseware for students that combines lessons, homework and an AI...
Yale to waive all costs for new undergraduates from families earning less than $100,000
Yale University is eliminating tuition and other costs for all new undergraduates from families earning less than $100,000 a year, joining a growing number of elite campuses that are slashing costs for middle- and lower-income families. The Ivy League school announced the change Tuesday and said it will take effect...
Freeport Area educator appointed to Burrell School Board
A Lower Burrell man who is a Freeport Area School District educator is the newest member of the Burrell School Board. Robert W. Harris was appointed by the board to fill a vacancy, Superintendent Shannon Wagner said. “I have committed my life to public education, as it is something that...
Winter storm provides Western Pa. schools a chance to show flexible instruction in action
After a massive snowfall Sunday, Western Pennsylvania school districts are grappling with how to approach instruction while maintenance crews continue clearing roads and meteorologists forecast frigid temperatures for the week ahead. About 10 to 12 inches of snow coated Allegheny and Westmoreland counties by Sunday night. This marks the first...
Proposed PennWest program cuts spark union concerns
Campus union presidents at Pennsylvania Western University are concerned about the university’s future as the college weighs a proposed academic array that cuts dozens of programs. “We agree that thoughtful planning is necessary,” said Mario Majcen, faculty union president at PennWest California. “However, decisions about academic programs must be data-informed,...
The Weeknd, Point Park partner to grow creative talent in Pittsburgh
A new partnership between Point Park University and HXOUSE, an initiative by artist Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and his creative director, La Mar Taylor, aims to provide an innovative, creative education for aspiring artists at the Downtown Pittsburgh college. “Both HXOUSE and Point Park also understand that, now more than...
Hempfield Area High School air quality safe from mold, superintendent says
Hempfield Area High School’s air quality is safe despite visible water leaks and ceiling damage, according to Superintendent Mark Holtzman, who cited a third-party assessment conducted four months ago. While photos and videos of water-stained tiles and collection buckets have circulated on social media, Holtzman said a report finalized in...
Leet resident Richard Warburton pens book on dowsing
Richard Warburton takes a wire coat hanger, cuts the hook off, cuts and straightens the wires and bends the metal into two “L” shaped rods, also known as dowsing rods. He walks with one rod in each hand in search of finding hidden things underground and the rods crossing indicate...
Pitt plans new 400-bed dormitory for 1st-year students amid growth
The University of Pittsburgh plans a 400-bed dormitory for first-year students on property it owns near Fifth and Ruskin avenues in Oakland. The university is in a design-build selection process for a first-year residence hall at a parking lot adjacent to the Music Building and annex, said spokesman Jared Stonesifer....
Hempfield Area School Board reopens bidding for $150M high school projectVideo
Hempfield Area School District is soliciting new bids for its high school renovation, a massive undertaking now carrying an estimated $150 million price tag. The move marks a formal restart for the project, which has been stalled for about 30 months after initial bids exceeded the district’s projections. Superintendent Mark...
Community feedback sought for proposed New Kensington-Arnold building realignment
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Christopher Sefcheck says a proposed realignment of the district’s buildings is “the most serious undertaking this district has taken in years” — and officials are seeking the public’s input for those plans. Sefcheck plans to send notifications to parents, staff and community members Thursday morning seeking volunteers...
Highlands teachers seal 5-year, early-bird contract
Highlands School District teachers locked up a five-year contract that awards them a 3.5% average salary increase each year through 2030. The school board on Tuesday approved the contract with the Highlands Education Association, well ahead of the current agreement’s June 30 expiration. “The deal is the result of a...
Point Park to expand mental health initiatives, suicide prevention
Expansion of Point Park University’s initiative to improve mental health and suicide prevention on campus aims to be more proactive and meet a growing need. “We want to make mental health more visible, accessible and more a part of everyday campus life,” said Cassandra Moffat, director of the university’s counseling...
Plans advance for Chartiers Valley High School renovation project
A renovation project at Chartiers Valley High School is moving forward. The school board voted Tuesday, Jan. 20 to proceed with the first phase of the renovation project, which includes a complete upgrade of the school’s gymnasium and moves administrative, special education and business offices currently at the intermediate school...
Greensburg resident, former Hillandale Farms CEO, donates another $53.5M to Pitt
With his latest donation, $53.5 million, former Hillandale Farms CEO Orland Bethel has continued his tradition of supporting the University of Pittsburgh. Bethel, who splits time between Greensburg and Florida, has donated nearly
$100 million to the university since 2018. The reason, he said, is simple. “Of course, Dr. Lee’s...
‘Potential deals emerging’ at some closing Penn State campuses, trustee says
Penn State officials say the process to repurpose seven of its closing commonwealth campuses is making “steady progress.” “There are three or four potential deals emerging, arrangements emerging, a few others that we are still working to hammer out — who will be the anchor, who will be the tenant,...
PennWest says proposed cuts streamline education, meet workforce needs
Pennsylvania Western University officials say their proposal that slashes dozens of academic programs will ultimately improve students’ college experience, enhance their learning and respond to the region’s workforce needs. The university — which has campuses in Clarion, California and Edinboro — released an updated proposed academic array that includes: •...
Is remote learning effective? Western Pa. researchers, education experts weigh in
For Kelly Marsh, the pandemic wasn’t just a global health concern — it was a constant battle between a toddler’s curiosity and a kindergartner’s digital classroom. Nearly six years ago, the covid-19 pandemic forced schools worldwide to close doors and adapt to remote learning, almost overnight. Marsh was left to...
Pitt, IUP launch initiatives to transform campus culture through dialogue
For the most part, students weren’t afraid to have difficult conversations on controversial topics when Gwen Torges started teaching at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1997. That’s no longer the case. “There has always been, and will always be, people who say ‘that’s not me,’ but there were always...
‘We want to be thoughtful’: New Kensington-Arnold to consider realigning grades
Primary school buildings in the New Kensington-Arnold School District could look different in two years. According to Superintendent Christopher Sefcheck, the school board’s Education Committee will meet next week to consider a plan that would place: • kindergarten and first grade at Martin Elementary; • second and third grades at...
Point Park University classes to go remote during NFL Draft in April
In anticipation of Pittsburgh hosting the 2026 NFL Draft, Point Park University has decided to move classes to a remote model from April 20 to 25. Some 500,000 to 700,000 people are expected to attend the football fan event, held April 23-25 around Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park. The...
Penn State board deliberated its business in public more often this year, Spotlight PA analysis shows
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 Talk of the Town, a daily newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. The...
Narcan in schools? Educators react to proposed legislation
Public school officials statewide administered medication to reverse an opioid overdose 32 times during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Who received the naloxone dose and in which schools it was administered were not made public by the health department. But the growing impact of...
Carnegie Mellon’s AI-driven speech reconstruction tool aims to bridge gap for children’s speech disorders
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University hope an AI-driven speech reconstruction tool can bridge the gap between a growing population of children with speech disorders and a significant shortage of speech-language pathologists. The tool combines machine learning with human speech to create audio clips of correct speech that sound like the...
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...
