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Provost Announcements

Dr. Bruce Childers to serve as Special Assistant to the Provost for Data Science

September 13, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

Over the course of the last year, as I’ve established my priorities as Provost, the area of data science has emerged as one that is central the University’s forward progress. From scientific and mathematical discoveries through computation and pattern recognition, to the visualization and analysis of demographic and linguistic data, and the analysis of texts and images, the continuing expansion of digital data and our ability to store, retrieve, and analyze it is bringing about an epistemological revolution.

New Latinx Initiative

June 24, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

When I first came to the University as Provost nearly a year ago, I set diversity and inclusion as key priorities for our work ahead. 

It’s clear that demographics in Pittsburgh and in the United States as a whole are shifting—and it’s equally clear that it is critically important that the University of Pittsburgh community and our educational offerings reflect those changes.

I am pleased to announce a significant new initiative that will assist us as we move that agenda forward. 

New Leadership Announced for Pitt–Greensburg

May 1, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, after more than a decade of influential leadership, Sharon Smith last year announced her intention to retire. In planning for the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg's new chapter, we conducted a national search to identify her successor.  

Today, I am delighted to announce that Dr. Robert G. Gregerson has been named President of Pitt-Greensburg, effective July 1, 2019.  He will also join the faculty as a full professor in the Division of Natural Sciences at Greensburg. 

Academic Year 2019–2020 Will Be the Year of Creativity

April 30, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to announce that 2019–20 will be the Year of Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Creativity unites all of the University’s intellectual and artistic endeavors, from neuroscience to sculpture, from legal scholarship to computer science, from music to pharmacogenomics. No single virtue better describes what humans do best than creativity. I look forward to a year devoted to encouraging the creative spark in all of us.

Pitt–Bradford and Titusville President Announced

April 1, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, we have been conducting a national search to identify an outstanding educational leader to serve as President of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville.  This has been a transitional time for both campuses and I am very grateful for the leadership that Larry Feick has provided during this academic year.  He has provided excellent continuity and a forward trajectory since Livingston Alexander retired. 

Provost Approves Student Onboarding Plan

November 19, 2018

As an outgrowth of initial discussions two years ago, Admissions and Financial Aid and Student Life have been reexamining, with the guidance of a task force working with Vice Provosts Marc Harding and Kenyon Bonner, the framework and delivery for onboarding new undergraduates—from the approach to academic orientation to the transition to campus life. I am pleased to share that I have approved the task force’s recommendations, including the establishment of the Office of New Student Programs to oversee: 

Academic Year 2018-2019 Will Be the Year of PittGlobal

Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that the forthcoming academic year will be the Year of PittGlobal.

As stated in Embracing the World: A Global Plan for Pitt, “For those of us in higher education, global engagement is not a choice. It is an imperative. We are a world coming closer together, so we need to engage and connect more than ever before. We believe that the world at its healthiest is an exchange of ideas and values, and our responsibility is to keep this exchange flowing.”