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A Message From The President

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 President
It is with great joy that I welcome you as you learn more about our fine institution. There is no better time to become a member of the Pitt-Johnstown family. While the challenges of the world around us can seem daunting at times, the promise of a high-quality education offered by the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown will provide the essential skills to succeed in the real world. We recently received additional evidence of our commitment to being a leading college at the forefront of public and private baccalaureate colleges in the northeast with our ranking as a “Best Regional College” by U.S. News and World Report.

Choosing a university is one of the more challenging decisions that a young person will make. Our highly ranked institution is the first and largest regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh, a world-renowned center of knowledge and research. Our focus at Pitt-Johnstown is to prepare students for the real world, and our RealWorld Action Program empowers them to develop a customized personal and professional action plan to achieve their individual goals, and to develop as agents of positive change in our communities and our world. We are proud to provide a high-quality educational experience that enables our students to graduate with the knowledge and skills of an educated person – attributes critical to safeguarding our democracy and competing in a highly competitive world in which local and global are increasingly interconnected.

Understanding the financial commitment of attending, we strive to make tuition affordable to our students, and our Financial Aid staff members are ready to assist you with your individual needs. More than 85% of Pitt-Johnstown students received some form of Financial Aid during the 2009-2010 academic year.


During the 2010 academic year, the Academic Success Center worked with hundreds of students to improve their performance in the classroom. Given the often-challenging transition to collegiate life, our advisors give additional support to our first-year students. Our staff are poised and ready to encourage, counsel, and support their navigation through the academic and co-curricular experience. Specific measures designed to assist first-year students experiencing academic difficulty are the Early Alert program, and the availability of mid-term grades. These programs provide important feedback to students regarding their academic standing at key times during the semester. Furthermore, our wide-ranging tutoring services offer the support needed to help our students who are struggling with their coursework, as well as assist students seeking to improve their already well-positioned academic standing. It is a valuable service to students of all academic backgrounds and success levels.  

Inside and outside the classroom, our students are making the most of their collegiate experience as they acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions for successful lives in the real world. We are dedicated to making resources available to ensure that more of our students find employment upon graduation. Our University Scholarship class assists students and enhances awareness about the importance of career and professional preparedness across the continuum of a student’s collegiate experience.  

Outside of the classroom, our students are continuing to achieve their fullest potential and promise. The RealWorld Action Program was designed to empower our students and provide them with meaningful opportunities to engage in service. Their cumulative efforts, which totaled more than 10,000 hours of service last year alone, brought our campus the distinction of being named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. Among last years projects were Habitat for Humanity Alternative Spring Breaks to four sites throughout the southern United States.

We are delighted that you and your son or daughter are considering the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. We look forward to becoming lifelong partners with you to help your student achieve the goal of a college education. I’m sure you will find that Pitt-Johnstown is a compelling choice for students who have many options for a quality education. At Pitt-Johnstown we recognize that we must prepare for change and adapt, and must immerse our students in scholarship and creative activity that will illuminate their minds, transform their lives and ready them for success in the real world.

Mountain Cat Proud!
Jem Spectar
President

 


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