Mark Nordenberg a family man, Pitt’s chancellor

Michael Ringling

Assistant News Editor

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg is a man devoted to two… Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg is a man devoted to two things.

“My life, in the main, consists of the University of Pittsburgh and my family,” Nordenberg said. “If you asked if I have any hobbies, I would say the answer to that question is no.”

He doesn’t fish, like his father did, and he doesn’t collect stamps, but Nordy — as he is affectionately known by students at Pitt — is an avid reader of newspapers and magazines. He has always been interested in current events, and he has always been focused on work.

Nordenberg, whose office is in room 107 of the Cathedral of Learning, has served as Pitt’s chancellor since 1995, but he was involved with the University long before that. He joined the law faculty in 1977 and has held various positions throughout the University during his tenure, including dean of the School of Law, interim provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Now, his duties include serving as the representative of the students, staff, faculty and administration to the Board of Trustees — a group of people who meet to decide how to advance the University. As Pitt’s 17th chancellor, Nordenberg sets challenging goals for the University and monitors its progress. And while he works to improve the University as an institution, he builds relationships with students, faculty and the community.

During Nordenberg’s time as chancellor, the University has undergone significant structural changes and has had many students receive awards for various levels of academic excellence.

In 1999, the University demolished Pitt Stadium, the former home of Pitt’s football, basketball and other athletic teams. Since the demolition, Pitt erected the Petersen Events Center, the home of the basketball team and a venue for non-athletic events, such as concerts and performances.

Furthermore, University housing expanded during the chancellor’s tenure. Bouquet Gardens and Panther Hall joined Pitt’s housing ranks, while a former version of Pennsylvania Hall was demolished and then reconstructed.

And since Nordenberg took the reins in 1995, four Pitt undergraduates have won the Rhodes Scholarship, a prestigious award given to students who display academic excellence, commitment to their peers and a strong character. Numerous other students have earned Marshall and Goldwater scholarships.

Pittsburgh ties

Born on July 12, 1948, in Duluth, Minn., Nordenberg served as his father’s assistant for household projects and auto repairs as a kid. Nordenberg didn’t pride himself on any particular skills that could aid his father with such projects, but the future chancellor did serve as a tool-grabber and wrench-retriever when they worked together.

Nordenberg moved to Pittsburgh in his teenage years and graduated from North Allegheny High School. He started his academic career at Thiel College, a liberal arts school associated with the Lutheran Church in Greenville, Pa., and it was there that Nordenberg met his wife, Nikki Pirillo.

Mr. and Mrs. Nordenberg had a biology class together. During the first week, she introduced herself to him and eventually began trying indirectly and unsuccessfully to get him to ask her out. Eventually, she switched her tactics.

“I stole his biology lab book. I just put my books on it, picked it up and left with it,” Mrs. Nordenberg said. “I told him, ‘I have your book.’ And he said, ‘Oh, why don’t you bring it to class?’ And I said, ‘Why don’t you come get it?’”

She said that there wasn’t much to do in Greenville, so they spent a lot of time walking and talking. More than 40 years later, the couple has three children and three grandchildren.

The chancellor said he always made it a point to stay involved in his childrens’ lives. His career in academia allowed him to schedule his time around special events, so he could make it to plays, parent-teacher conferences and athletic events. He also had other methods of assuring himself that he would attend their events.

“I felt that if I signed up as a coach or agreed that I was going to be an official of one kind or another, it made it harder to say, ‘Well, I’m pretty busy today. I’ll get to the game or the meet next week,’” Nordenberg said. “I had a commitment, and actually had a series of commitments, so that was one form of discipline I brought to my professional life.”

Now his kids are grown and spread out across the country and the world. His daughter Erin works at Pitt, and his sons Michael and Carl are currently in South Korea and New York, respectively.

Team of professionals, friends

In his professional life, Nordenberg is well respected by his co-workers. Members of his administration call him diplomatic and political. As head of the University, Nordenberg acts as a representative for the institution in all public matters, a job which earned him a base salary of $561,000 in 2012.

Executive Vice Chancellor Jerome Cochran was once a student of Nordenberg’s in Pitt’s law school, but today, he works with his former teacher. Cochran said that Nordenberg has an incredible memory and can remember minor details about conversations he has with people.

Cochran said this ability transferred into the classroom, and Nordenberg kept the class interested in the topic of discussion.

“There wasn’t a waste of a minute in his class,” Cochran said. “There were never any side tracks. He stayed focused on the lesson of the day.”

Because of his many years and daily life spent at Pitt, most of Nordenberg’s friends come from within the University.

James Maher, who was the provost and vice chancellor from 1994 until 2010, has grown close with the chancellor over the years. Their relationship extends outside of the University, and they’ve spent significant time together traveling and at social functions.

Maher said that he and the chancellor tell similar types of stories, and that even during social functions, the chancellor remains focused.

“He and I tend to tell stories that illustrate the point that we are telling at the time,” Maher said. “Sometimes [the stories] are funny, some think they are jokes, but they are also relevant to the discussion.”

Maher added that the chancellor mainly focuses on the University and the challenges associated with running it, and that Nordenberg has built a solid team to maintain the quality of the University.

Nordenberg takes a lot of pride in the current state of Pitt, and he said that his proudest accomplishment is the shift in perception of the University during his 17 years as its chancellor. But he doesn’t take all the credit for himself. He said the University wouldn’t be the way it is today if he didn’t have the support of those around him.

“What drove much of this was putting together an absolutely spectacular team that was committed to the advancement of the University of Pittsburgh,” Nordenberg said. “[A team] that was unrelenting in the pursuit of these goals in good times and bad.”