News / Administration

Rachel Coombs was conducting research in a biology lab in late July when she found herself enraged by an email from Pitt Provost Patricia Beeson. Coombs, a Ph.D. student studying biological sciences, read Beeson’s letter outlining the Pitt administration’s opposition to the grad student union efforts. Beeson said the union wouldn’t be in the best […]

Susan Rogers — who was appointed Pitt’s vice chancellor for communications just 18 months ago — is no longer employed by the University of Pittsburgh, a spokesperson confirmed Monday.  After this story was first published Monday evening, Joe Miksch — the University’s director of media relations — confirmed Rogers has left the University. He wouldn’t comment […]

Two Pitt deans announced their resignations during the summer months, giving the University two positions to fill by the start of the 2018 academic year. Gerald Holder — dean of the Swanson School of Engineering — announced his intent to return to the faculty in May, following two decades in the position. Law dean William […]

Speaking on behalf of the University, Pitt Provost Patricia Beeson came out against a graduate student union Thursday, claiming that a union would not be in the best interests of students. Beeson’s letter is the first direct criticism the administration has levied against the unionization efforts, which formally began in January of 2016. The University […]

Pitt trustees voted Monday to increase in-state tuition by 2.5 percent and out-of-state tuition by three percent, along with an increase to the University’s operating budget. In-state students enrolled in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences will see their tuition increase by $442, while out-of-state tuition will increase $864, starting in the fall. The […]

Pitt’s Board of Trustees elected four new members, approved construction projects and renamed Pennsylvania Hall at their June 30 meeting. Pennsylvania Hall — which has held that name since its construction in 2004 — is now named K. Leroy Irvis Hall to honor K. Leroy Irvis, a Pitt alumnus and long-serving speaker of the Pennsylvania […]

The dean of Pitt’s law school, William M. Carter Jr., is stepping down to return to teaching full-time, becoming the second Pitt dean ending their tenure next spring. Carter’s decision comes soon after engineering dean Gerald Holder announced in May he will step down and return to the faculty. Carter and Holder will leave their positions as […]

The Pennsylvania auditor general harshly criticized Penn State after a recent audit, raising some concerns that apply to other state-related universities, including Pitt. In his 112-page audit report, Auditor General Eugene Depasquale cited several issues including skyrocketing tuition, a lack of transparency, a decrease in in-state enrollment and an oversized board of trustees. In a […]

Brian Primack, a Pitt alumnus and professor in the School of Medicine, gained another title earlier this month when Pitt named him to replace Edward Stricker as dean of the University Honors College. In anticipation of the beginning of his tenure, set to start July 1, The Pitt News asked Primack to discuss his plans […]

Pitt’s annual financial disclosure, which it released last month in compliance with the Right to Know Law, revealed a pay structure with University athletics once again at the top. The University, which legally qualifies as a non-profit organization exempt from tax, nevertheless must still file a publicly available 990 report with the Internal Revenue Service. […]