Men and women who will shape your years at Pitt

By Pitt News Staff

Mark Nordenberg

Chancellor

107 Cathedral of Learning

(412) 624-4200

On June 20,… Mark Nordenberg

Chancellor

107 Cathedral of Learning

(412) 624-4200

On June 20, 1996, Pitt’s Board of Trustees elected Mark Nordenberg to be the 17th chancellor and chief executive officer of the University by a unanimous vote. During the preceding academic year, he served as interim chancellor.

Nordenberg joined Pitt’s law faculty in 1977, was awarded tenure in 1980 and eventually became a full professor in 1983. In 1985, he was named interim dean of the Law School and was officially given the position two years later.

In 1984, Nordenberg became the first recipient of the Excellence in Training Award, an honor now bestowed annually by Pitt’s Student Bar Association. Nordenberg was also awarded the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, which recognizes teaching excellence University-wide, in 1985.

As chancellor, Nordenberg oversees all University policies and coordinates major fund-raising initiatives.

James Maher

Provost

801 Cathedral of Learning

(412) 624-4223

After receiving a doctorate in physics from Yale in 1969, James Maher became a post-doctoral research associate at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois before coming to Pitt in 1970. Maher became provost in 1994.

As chief academic officer, Maher oversees all degree and certificate programs at the University, and his office is in charge of the review process for awarding tenure to professors. Also, all of the deans report to him.

Jack Daniel

Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and Dean of Students

801 Cathedral of Learning

(412) 624-4221

Jack Daniel first came to Pitt in the 1960s as the first chair of the Africana Studies department.

In his free time, Daniel enjoys fishing — a hobby he has shared with his son, Omari, since he was a young boy. The two worked together on a father-son collaboration, “We Fish,” which contains essays written by Daniel and poems by his son.

Daniel’s primary responsibility is to oversee undergraduate programs. He ensures that students are satisfied with their undergraduate experiences. Daniel is also the chairman of the University-wide enrollment management committee.

Last October, Daniel announced that he would resign from his position as dean of students, effective September 1. At time of press, a student affairs replacement for Daniel has not been announced.

John Cooper

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

917 Cathedral of Learning

(412) 624-6090

After attending Balliol College, Oxford, from 1969 to 1976, and leaving with a bachelor of arts in philosophy and a doctoral degree in chemistry, John Cooper was a professor of chemistry and natural sciences at Harvard. He came to Pitt in 1986.

In 1989, Cooper became chair of the Pitt’s department of chemistry and in 1998, he was named dean of the faculty of arts and sciences. He is responsible for attaining affordable excellence at the undergraduate level. At the faculty level, he strives to maintain scholarly excellence.

Betsy Porter

Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

120 Alumni Hall

(412) 624-7164

Having joined the University of Pittsburgh staff in 1978, Betsy Porter is now the director of the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

Students interested in attending Pitt and their parents visit OAFA to receive academic information on undergraduate programs available and take campus tours given by Pitt Pathfinders. Students already enrolled visit to receive financial counseling.

Deborah Furka

Residence Life Director

203 Bruce Hall

(412) 648-1154

On Feb. 2, 1998, Deborah Furka began her career here as Chief of Police. In 2001, she became the director of public safety. Prior to coming to Pitt, Furka had filled the same position at Kean College in Union, N.J.

Currently, she is the residence life director, a position she took over on Oct. 1, 2003. According to Furka, she is “responsible for the residential living of students.”

For 16 years before her appointment at Kean, Furka had been at Kent State University, where she served various positions dealing with campus safety, security and police. From 1991 to 1995, Furka was the assistant to the director of police at Kent State.

Furka received a bachelor of science in law enforcement administration and a master’s degree in education administration from Kent State.

At Pitt, Furka interacts directly and indirectly with students who live on campus, dealing with their concerns and working on program efforts.

Tim Delaney

Chief of Pitt Police

G1N30 Posvar Hall

(412) 624-4216

Tim Delaney, who attended Pitt in the 1970s, is a second-generation police officer at Pitt. He is in charge of overseeing the daily operations and administration of Pitt’s police department.

Jeff Long

Director of Athletics

3115 Peteren Events Center

(412) 648-1980

After five months with no athletics director at Pitt, Chancellor Nordenberg appointed Jeff Long to the position on May 16, 2003. As athletics director, Long oversees all activity in the athletics department.

Before coming to Pitt, Long spent two years with the Sooners program as the senior associate athletic director at Oklahoma University. He has more than 20 years of experience with collegiate athletics.

Kenyon Bonner

Director of Student Life

130 William Pitt Union

(412) 648-1196

Last year Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies and Dean of Students Jack Daniel selected Kenyon Bonner to replace Birney Harrigan as the director of student life. Bonner, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Jefferson College and a master’s from Kent State University, said that he looked forward to leading and learning from the student body.

As director of student life, Bonner oversees many undergraduate programs at Pitt.

Robert Hill

Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs

433 Craig Hall

(412) 624-8891

If you hear or read a statement about the University’s policy on anything, chances are it came through Robert Hill.

Hill joined Pitt’s public affairs staff in October 1999, and was promoted to the newly created vice chancellor position in December 2001. Since then, he has continued to be the main voice of the chancellor and the University to the outside world.