January 14, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to share an important update regarding the University’s graduate and professional education infrastructure—one that builds on strong collaboration to date and positions us for even greater success moving forward.
Since Pitt EDGE was established in Fall of 2024, the Pitt EDGE team—under Tony Delitto's leadership—and the Office of the Provost’s Graduate Studies team—under the leadership of Amanda Godley—have worked closely and constructively to advance our shared goals. Their partnership has clarified a natural division of strengths that will now guide a thoughtful reconfiguration of responsibilities.
Pitt EDGE will assume responsibility for recruitment and enrollment management across all master’s and professional programs, for both in-person and online offerings. Graduate Studies will be responsible for PhD recruitment, recognizing that doctoral recruitment is distinct in its processes, audiences, and faculty engagement. Graduate Studies will also continue to oversee admissions for all graduate and professional programs. Both teams will continue to collaborate closely with University Communications and Marketing, Pitt Digital and the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.
To support this expanded, University-wide recruitment and enrollment management function, the University has selected Slate as Pitt’s new customer relationship management (CRM) system. This modern platform will allow us to streamline processes, enhance communication with prospective students, and bring greater consistency and data-driven insight to our enrollment efforts.
The Graduate Studies team, working with April Belback's academic support team, will focus on student success for all graduate and professional students, regardless of modality. This alignment allows our academic experts to devote their full attention to the student experience—from orientation through graduation—strengthening retention, academic progress, and overall support. To support this effort, we have added additional staff so that the Pathways student success platform can expand to serve graduate and professional programs across the University.
This reconfiguration reflects what we have learned through sustained collaboration: that aligning recruitment and student success with the teams best equipped to support them will strengthen our programs and benefit our students. It allows us to operate with greater clarity, consistency, and efficiency, while elevating the services we provide to prospective and current students alike.
I am deeply grateful to both Pitt EDGE and the Graduate Studies team for their thoughtful partnership and their commitment to serving our programs and students. I look forward to the continued progress we will make together.
Regards,
Joe
Joseph J. McCarthy
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor
William Kepler Whiteford Professor
University of Pittsburgh