The Beauty

of a University

B

There are few earthly things more splendid than a university.

Walkway at the Cathedral of Learning

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AThe Splendor of a University

mong its many distinctive strengths, the University of Pittsburgh Press long has

played an important role in giving early exposure to poets who have later achieved great

stature. To give just a few very recent examples:

• oneofthefirstEnglishtranslationsoftheworksoftheSwedishpoetTomas

Tranströmer, who won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature, was published by the

University of Pittsburgh Press;

• boththefirstandmostrecentworksofRichardBlanco,theinauguralpoetfor

President Obama’s second inauguration, were published by our Press; and

• thefirstworksofSharonOlds,whowasawardedthe2013PulitzerPrizeinPoetry

and returned to Pitt to read last spring, were published here.

We also have nurtured great talent within our own student body and faculty. This fall, to

giveoneimportantexamplethatbridgesthesetwogroups,TerranceHayes(A&S’97G),

whoearnedhisgraduatedegreehereandwonthe2010NationalBookAwardforPoetry,

returned from the Carnegie Mellon University faculty to join ours.

This is the print version of Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg’s remarks delivered at the Fall 2013 Meeting of the Board of Trustees.

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Tomas Tranströmer

Richard Blanco at the 2013 inauguration of President Obama

Terrance HayesA trio of poets: Sharon Olds with Cornelius Eady and Toi Derricotte

Pho

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usan

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utIwanttobeginmyremarkstodaybyreadingfromJohnMasefield,apoetwho,

asfarasIknow,hadnoconnectiontoPitt.HewasBritain’spoetlaureatefrom1930until

1967andwrotethispoemforthe1946inaugurationoftheChancelloroftheUniversityof

SheffieldintheaftermathofWorldWarII.

There are few earthly things more splendid than a university.

In these days of broken frontiers and collapsing values,

when every future looks somewhat grim and the dams are down and

thefloodsaremakingmisery,

when every ancient foothold has become something of a quagmire,

wherever a university stands, it stands and shines;

wherever it exists, the free minds of men, urged on to full and fair enquiry,

may still bring wisdom into human affairs.

There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university.

It is a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know,

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg

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where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see;

where seekers and learners alike,

banded together in the search for knowledge,

willhonorthoughtinallitsfinerways,

will welcome thinkers in distress or in exile,

will uphold ever the dignity of thought and learning,

and will exact standards in these things.

They give to the young in their impressionable years,

the bond of a lofty purpose shared,

of a great corporate life whose links will not be loosed until they die.

They give young people that close companionship for which youth longs,

and that chance of the endless discussion of the themes which are endless,

without which youth would seem a waste of time.

There are few things more enduring than a university.

Religions may split into sect or heresy;

dynasties may perish or be supplanted,

but for century after century the university will continue,

and the stream of life will pass through it,

and the thinker and the seeker will be bound together

in the undying cause of bringing thought into the world.

To be a member of these great societies

must ever be a glad distinction.

—ByJohnMasefield(Britain’sPoetLaureate1930-1967)

AswecelebratedPitt’s225thanniversary,manyofuswerestruckinanevenmorepro-

nounced way by the enduring nature of our own University with a proud history that already

has spanned two complete centuries and parts of two others. Over that time, a school

bornonthefrontierhasenduredfloodsandfires,theCivilWar,twoworldwars,theGreat

Depression, and many other challenges to become a major force for good as a leading

21st-centuryresearchuniversity.

And in a very real sense, though we might not have expressed the thought so artfully,

we really have been celebrating the “stream of life” that has passed through Pitt over the

courseofthosenowmorethan226years.Andthroughourefforts,thatrichflowcontinues.

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The Donald M. Henderson Clock outside the William Pitt Union

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In these days of broken frontiers and collapsing values, when every future looks somewhat grim and the dams are down and

thefloodsaremakingmisery, wheneveryancientfootholdhasbecomesomethingofaquagmire, whereverauniversitystands,itstandsandshines; whereveritexists,thefreemindsofmen,urgedontofullandfairenquiry, may still bring wisdom into human affairs.

4 Architectural detail of the Stephen Foster Memorial

The Beauty of a University

ast month, on the second anniversary of her death, we dedicated a memorial garden

ontheCathedralofLearninglawntoWangariMaathai(A&S’65G).APittgraduate,she

wasawardedthe2004NobelPeacePrizeforherworkasthefounderofAfrica’sGreen

BeltMovementandasachampionofwomen’srights,democracy,andsustainabilityinher

native Kenya.

Thatgardenitselfisathingofphysicalbeautyandextendsoureffortstomakeallfiveofour

campuses as humanly appealing as we can. Our recent efforts, limited to just the historic

center of this campus, include:

• theplantingandtendingofothergardens;

• thecreation,inpartnershipwithothers,ofanewparkwhereanuglysurfaceparking

lot had stood;

• thereopeningofthegrandentrancetotheHillmanLibrary;

• theremodelingoftheStephenFosterMemorialtoincludetheCharityRandall

and Henry Heymann Theatres, places of beauty where performances of beauty

are presented;

• thereplacementofourhistoricstudentleadershipwalk,whichincludesthenamesof

TrusteesMikeBryson(A&S’68)andBrentSaunders(A&S’92)andEmeritusTrustee

RuggeroAldisert(A&S’41,LAW’47);

• thecleaningandrepairofwhathadbecometheCathedral’ssomewhatdingyand

damaged exterior;

• theilluminationofthespectacularstainedglasswindowsintheHeinz

Memorial Chapel; and

• theplacementofattractivesignsofsubstanceproclaimingthatthisis

Pitt andthatwehavebeendoingourgoodworkforalong,longtime.

Thatisalotofbeautificationactivityinacompressedgeographicspaceina

ratherconstrainedperiodoftime.And,asyouknow,furtherexamplescanbe

foundonourotherfourcampusesaswellasinothercornersofOakland.

Wangari Maathai and Chancellor Nordenberg

WangariMaathaiTreesandGarden, Cathedral of Learning lawn

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Portal monument

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Buttherealsoisadifferentkindofbeauty,tiedtoourinstitutionalmission,thatisrevealedin

theinspiringexampleofWangariMaathai.ShewasborninthecentralhighlandsofKenya

and educated in that country through high school before coming to America as a part of the

“AfricaAirlift”programin1960.HerinitialdestinationwasMountSt.ScholasticaCollegein

Kansas, where she earned her undergraduate degree.

HerfirsttriptoPittsburghcameinthesummerof1963,whenshestillwasanunder-

graduatebutreceivedascholarshiptoattendasix-weekleadershipcourseatPitt.That

experiencemusthavebeenagoodone,becauseshecamebackthefollowingyearto

pursuegraduateworkinthebiologicalsciences.ShereturnedtoKenyaafterearningher

master’s degree, so her time in Pittsburgh was short, less than two years. However, by her

own account, the impact of her time here was tremendous.

•Duringhersix-weekundergraduatesummercourseinleadershipatPitt,shewrote

apaperon“helpingwomeninruralareasworktogetherandpromotedevelopment

efforts.”“LittledidIknow,”shewroteinhermemoir,“thatIwouldbeputtingthat

theory into practice only a decade later, when I would be inspired by rural women to

initiatetheGreenBeltMovement.”

• Pittsburghalsogavehernewperspectivesontheenvironmentalissuesthatbecame

socentraltoherlife.Assheputit,“Inthemid-1960s,Pittsburgh,likeothermanufac-

turingtownsintheUnitedStates,wascomingtotermswithalegacyofpollutionfrom

TheCityofPittsburgh,circa1960(above) and present day (right)

Top: Mount St. Scholastica College yearbookphotoofWangariMaathai,circa1964

Above: Woman tending garden planted by the Green Belt Movement.

© G

reen

Bel

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a hundred years of the industrial revolution. This turned out to

bemyfirstexperienceofenvironmentalrestoration,because

thecitywasalreadyworkingtocleanupitsair....Today,

Pittsburghnolongerisshroudedinsmoke,butisoneofthe

most beautiful metropolises in the land.”

• Shefurtherreportedthatthelabskillsthatshehaddeveloped

at Pitt “proved pivotal less than two years later in Kenya.”

Withoutthoseskills,sheneverwouldhavesecuredaposition

as a research assistant in a Kenyan university lab. And without

thatfirstposition,shewouldnothavebecomethefirst

womantoholdtherankofassociateprofessorandtoserve

as a department chair in that part of Africa. And without her

academicplatform,therestofherimportantworkmightnever

have been done.

• Speakingmorebroadlyaboutthiscountry,shesaid,“Itisfair

to say that America transformed me: It made me into the person I am today. It taught

me not to waste any opportunity and to do what can be done—and that there is a

lot to do. The spirit of freedom and possibility that America nurtured in me made me

want to foster the same in Kenya, and it was in this spirit that I returned home.”

This brief biography of this very distinguished graduate underscores the wisdom of the

words written by Henry Adams more than a century ago: “A teacher affects eternity; he can

nevertellwherehisinfluencestops.”Butevenifprecisepredictionsoftheachievements

andimpactofparticulargraduatescannotbemade,weknowanothertruth,onethathas

guided our efforts and is supported by the resulting record here at Pitt: If we give all of our

students the chance to be the best that they can be, some of them will become the best

that anyone can be.

WhenProfessorMaathaireturnedtothiscampusin2006,havingwonwhatmanyconsider

tobethehighesthumanhonor,shesaid,“IfeelasthoughIambackhome.Iamdeeply

grateful for the gift that this institution gave to me. I felt I was prepared to go forth, ready

toservetheworld.”ShestandsasastunningexampleofwhatMasefieldwouldcallour

University’s “stream of life.”

“I feel as though I am

back home. I am deeply

grateful for the gift that

this institution gave to

me. I felt I was prepared

togoforth,readyto

serve the world.” Wangari Maathai

2013 Commencement at the Petersen Events Center

There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university. It is a place where those who hate ignorance maystrivetoknow, where those who perceive truth may strive tomakeotherssee; whereseekersandlearnersalike, bandedtogetherinthesearchforknowledge, willhonorthoughtinallitsfinerways, willwelcomethinkersindistressorinexile, willupholdeverthedignityofthoughtandlearning, and will exact standards in these things.

Theygivetotheyoungintheirimpressionableyears, thebondofaloftypurposeshared, of a great corporate life whose links will not be loosed until they die. They give young people that close companionship forwhichyouthlongs, and that chance of the endless discussion of thethemeswhichareendless, without which youth would seem a waste of time.8

There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university. It is a place where those who hate ignorance maystrivetoknow, where those who perceive truth may strive to makeotherssee; whereseekersandlearnersalike, bandedtogetherinthesearchforknowledge, willhonorthoughtinallitsfinerways, willwelcomethinkersindistressorinexile, willupholdeverthedignityofthoughtandlearning, and will exact standards in these things.

Theygivetotheyoungintheirimpressionableyears, thebondofaloftypurposeshared, of a great corporate life whose links will not be loosed until they die. They give young people that close companionship forwhichyouthlongs, and that chance of the endless discussion of the themeswhichareendless, without which youth would seem a waste of time.

There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university. It is a place where those who hate ignorance maystrivetoknow, where those who perceive truth may strive to makeotherssee; whereseekersandlearnersalike, bandedtogetherinthesearchforknowledge, willhonorthoughtinallitsfinerways, willwelcomethinkersindistressorinexile, willupholdeverthedignityofthoughtandlearning, and will exact standards in these things.

Theygivetotheyoungintheirimpressionableyears, thebondofaloftypurposeshared, of a great corporate life whose links will not be loosed until they die. They give young people that close companionship forwhichyouthlongs, and that chance of the endless discussion of the themeswhichareendless, without which youth would seem a waste of time.

Alumni HallAlumni Hall

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Top: Arrival SurvivalAbove: Lantern Night preparations

Incoming freshmen from the Class of 2017 gather to create a “living panther” in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for “The Largest Animal Image Formed by Humans.”

D The Stream of Life Passing Through It—the Learners

uringtheearlyweeksofeachacademicyear,weareregularlyremindedofother

dimensionsoftheMasefielddescriptionofthehumandimensionsofauniversity—thegiving

to the young of “a lofty purpose shared”; “that close companionship” for which they long;

and “that chance of the endless discussion of the themes which are endless, without which

youth would seem a waste of time.” Homecoming—when graduates return to reconnect

witheachotherandwiththeiralmamater—providesvisibleevidenceofMasefield’sgreat

andunifiedlife,“whoselinkswillnotbelooseduntiltheydie.”Andallofthis,ofcourse,

does depend upon the strength of the “stream of life” passing through the University.

On the student side, we acquire some sense of the strength of that stream when we assist

inArrivalSurvival,orattendFreshmanConvocationorLanternNight,orparticipateinany

ofarangeofotheractivities.Andknowingthatyoualwaysliketoreceivethesestatistics,let

mereportthatthisyear,616ArrivalSurvivalvolunteersdevoted8,204hourstohelpmove

7,568studentsinto20residencehallsonthiscampus.Inthatprocess,19,716icecream

treats,13,000bottlesofwater,7,932cupsofcoffee,6,240cansofsoda,4,000slicesof

pizza,and4,728doughnutswereconsumed.

Thehealth-consciousamongyouwillbe

relieved when I report that we measure

the strength of our stream of life through

somewhat different numbers, and as you

alreadyknow,wejustenrolledthebiggest

andbest-qualifiedfreshmanclassinour

history.Toputthatincontext,in1995,we

received7,825applicationsforadmissionto

the undergraduate programs on this campus.

Bythefallof2012,thatnumberhadclimbed

to24,871.Andbythisfall,thosenumbers

hadtakenanotherverybigjump,to27,634.

Averagetestscoresalsosoared,from1110in1995to1293thisfall.And

wehavenotbecomemoreselectivebyshrinkingthesizeofthestudent

body. Instead, the size of the Pittsburgh campus freshman class grew from

2,424in1995to3,922thisfall,anincreaseofmorethan62percent.And

ifyouwanttoknowwhatthesetalentedstudentsaredoingwithatleast

some of their time, consider a recent Pitt Chronicle headline announcing

round-the-clockhoursfortheHillmanLibrary.

Thenewsgetsevenbetter.Attheendoflastweek—justthefifthweek

ofourannualadmissionscycle—wehadreceived12,584applications

seekingadmissiontotheundergraduateprogramsonthiscampusfornext

fall.Atthesamepointlastyear—which,again,wasourrecord-breaking

year—wehadreceived7,054applications,soweareupmorethan5,500

applicationsorover78percent.DespitePennsylvania’schallengingdemo-

graphics,weareupmorethan60percentinapplicationsfromin-state

studentsandareupmorethan125percentinapplicationsfromout-of-

state students. And the quality of that growing pool also continues to rise,

becauseapplicantsknowthatadmissionsherearehighlycompetitive.

Average test scores are up 11 points, and the percentage of applicants in

the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes is up 2 percent.

Whatdrawsthesehardworking,high-achievingstudentsisthequalityoftheexperiences

associated with today’s Pitt—in and outside the classroom, on campus and in the broader

community. And we continue to deliver in ways that prompt expressions of appreciation. To

give just three recent examples,

• Aboutamonthaftertheirarrival,IspentaneveningwithfreshmenlivinginNordenberg

Hallwhentheyinvitedmetocomeandspeakaboutleadership.Idonotknowhow

anygroupcouldhavebeenmoreexcitedabouttheirfirstweeksonacampus.

• Lastweek,NikkiandIhostedourannualdinnerforstudentleaders,whotendto

bejuniorsandseniors.Again,Idonotknowwhereyoucouldfindahappier,more

impressive,orkindergroupofstudents.Showingbothgenerosityandtheiracademic

bent,theysurprisedmebyeachbringingthegiftofabook—toberead,Ipresume,

when my vocational responsibilities are less demanding—accompanied by a personal,

hand-writtennoteofthanksfortheirPittexperiences.

Above: Mark A. Nordenberg Hall in the shadow of the Cathedral of LearningBelow: Signs of gratitude in the windows of Nordenberg Hall

10

•Completingthecontinuum—fromfreshmentoupperclassstudentstorecent

graduates—whenIattendedourfootballgameagainstDuke,Ifoundmyselfseated

inthestandsnearlargenumbersofyoungalumni.Athalftimeandotherbreaksin

theaction(thoughina58–55game,therewerefewotherbreaksintheaction),they

came over in large numbers to tell me about what they were doing and to express

gratitude for the Pitt experiences that had made this next stage of their lives possible.

ThesearestrikingexamplesofwhatourMiddleStatesCommissiononHigherEducation

accreditationteamhaddescribedas“anethosofappreciationwhichevokeshumilityin

those of us who come to observe it.”

And our students also are people who already understand that the more fortunate have a

specialresponsibilitytogiveback.Forexample,4,500ofourcurrentstudentsaresigned

upforaSaturdayofcommunityservicethroughPittMakeADifferenceDay,whichwill

comeattheendofthismonth.Ironically,thereareonlyenoughprojectsfor4,000students,

so the extra 500 are on a waiting list.

Above: Chancellor Nordenberg with books presented to him by student leaders

Below: Pitt Make A Difference Day students

PittdefeatsfellowACCschoolDuke,58–55,September21,2013 11

The Stream of Life Passing Through It—the Thinkers

he quality of our “stream of life”—as it relates to students and to other missions,

particularlyresearch—isdependentonthestrengthofourfacultyandstaff.Givenongoing

financialchallenges,therehavebeennoincreasestoouremploymentbaseinrecentyears.

Infact,asyouknow,wheneconomicpressurespersisted,weimplementedavoluntaryearly

retirementplanandlost352experiencedemployees.Butwedocontinuetorecruittalented

people who choose to advance their ambitious agendas here.

Within the faculty, as you might expect, most of our appointments are made at the junior

level. However, each year, we also are able to recruit some outstanding senior colleagues

with existing records of achievement. I already have mentioned Terrance Hayes, the

NationalBookAward-winningpoet,whohasmovedfromtheCarnegieMellonfacultytoour

DepartmentofEnglish.Letmeaddjustafewotherexamples,showingtherangeofthose

senior appointments:

• GeriAllen(A&S’83G),arenownedpianistandcomposer,wasrecruited

from the faculty of the University of Michigan to join our Department of

MusicandtoserveasdirectorofourJazzStudiesProgram.

• AlexanderDeiterswasrecruitedasafullprofessortoourDepartment

ofChemistryfromthefacultyatNorthCarolinaStateUniversity.While

there,hebuiltarecordasahighlycreativeandprolificresearcherin

the areas of synthetic chemistry and chemical biology, with much of

hisworktiedtothediscoveryofnewtherapeuticstargetingcancer

and other diseases.

• H.RichardMilnerIVwasrecruitedtoourSchoolofEducationto

holdtheHelenS.FaisonChairinUrbanEducation(namedafterour

distinguishedemeritustrustee)andtoserveasdirectorofourCenter

forUrbanEducation.HehadheldtheLoisBettsProfessorship

inEducationandHumanDevelopmentandwasthe

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Cathedral of Learning Commons Room

foundingdirectoroftheLearning,Diversity,andUrbanStudiesMaster’s

PrograminthePeabodySchoolofEducationandHumanDevelopment

atVanderbiltUniversity.

• AndMarkShlomchikwasrecruitedtoserveaschairoftheDepartment

ofImmunologyinourSchoolofMedicine.Hehadbeenamemberof

the faculty at Yale University for 20 years, where he developed an

outstanding reputation for his contributions to our understanding

of autoimmune diseases, particularly lupus.

Thesenewcolleagueswilljoinahigh-achievingfacultythatcontinuestoattractenviable

levelsofsupport,produceworkofrealimpact,andearnthehighestformsofnationaland

internationalrecognition.Letmegivejusttwoexamplesfromrecentweeks:

• AMcGowanInstituteforRegenerativeMedicineteam,ledbyProfessorRockyTuan,

directorofourCenterforMilitaryMedicineResearch,willcodirectthe$75million

secondphaseofanArmedForcesInstituteofRegenerativeMedicinenational

initiative to aid wounded warriors.

• AndaPitt-Harvard-IllinoisteamledbyAnnaBalazs,theDistinguishedProfessor

ofChemicalEngineeringandRobertv.d.LuftProfessorinourSwansonSchoolof

Engineering,hasreceivedagrantfromtheU.S.ArmyResearchOfficetodevelop

4Dmaterialsthatcanreprogramtheirshape,properties,orfunctionalityinresponse

to external stimuli.

IspentsometimeinlabsattheSwansonSchoollastsummer,tryingtoacquireabetter

senseof3Dprinting.IamnotsurehowIwillmakethemoveupto4D.

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3D model of the Cathedral of Learning produced on the Swanson School’s 3D Systems Viper si2 printer

Geri Allen

Alexander Deiters

H. Richard Milner

Anna Balazs Mark Shlomchik

Pho

to b

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cott

So

der

ber

g

Rocky Tuan Rocky Tuan

There are few things more enduring than a university. Religionsmaysplitintosectorheresy; dynastiesmayperishorbesupplanted, but for century after century the universitywillcontinue, andthestreamoflifewillpassthroughit, and the thinker and the seeker will be bound together in the undying cause of bringing thought into the world. To be a member of these great societies must ever be a glad distinction.

14 Cathedral of Learning

Enduring for Century after Century

itt’s226-yearhistoryisconsistentwiththeMasefieldstatementsthat “[t]here are few things more enduring than a university” and

that “for century after century the university will continue.” Dramatic

reductions in public support for higher education, while not threat-

ening our existence, have sometimes led us to consider the form in

which we might continue to exist. And that loss of public support

has made private philanthropy more important than ever, under-

scoringthehistoricsignificanceoflastyear’ssuccessfulcompletion

ofour$2billionfundraisingcampaign.

Mostinvestmentsofanykindaremadeinthehopethattheywillproducegrowth

overtime.Buttheopportunitiesforgrowthtriggeredbyinvestmentsinthepeopleor

programsorfacilitiesofauniversitylikeoursareextraordinary.Letmetalkbrieflyabout

two gifts made more than a decade before our recent campaign to convey some sense

of their enormous impact over a somewhat more extended period of time.

In1984,theRichardKingMellonFoundationmadeathree-year,$3millionseedgrant

toestablishtheUniversityofPittsburghCancerInstitute(UPCI).Fiveyearslater,the

UPCI was designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the

National Cancer Institute—the fastest that coveted designation

had ever been earned by any new cancer center.

Sincethen,asweallknow,theCancerInstitutehasbenefited

enormously from the generosity of many other donors. Most

obvious, of course, is the extraordinary support that has been

providedbyHenryandElsieHillmanandtheHillmanFoundation

to create the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the Hillman

FellowsProgramforInnovativeCancerResearch,amongother

things. Those gifts, combined with large investments by UPMC,

tookoureffortstocombatcancertoanentirelynewlevel.

And other community leaders—individuals, foundations, and

corporations—followed suit, as did Pitt’s students, with

UPMCHillmanCancerCenter,homeoftheUniversity of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

Henry and Elsie Hillman received the Chancellor’s Medal from Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg.

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fraternitiesandsororitiesraisingmorethan$500,000tosupport

UPCI-basedlungcancerresearch.

What have these investments produced? The UPCI today is home

tomorethan350researchandclinicalfacultymemberswhohave

attractedmorethan$950millioninfederalresearchsupportsince

UPCI’s founding. What also has been built is one of the world’s leading

centers for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer and for

allformsofcancer-relatedresearch;aninternationalexporterofcancer

diagnosisandtreatmentknow-how;atransformingforceintermsofthereputationofthe

region; and a powerful engine for economic growth.

AfewyearsaftertheRichardKingMellonFoundationmadeitsgranttocreatetheUPCI,

TrusteeDickSimmonsmadea$1milliongifttoendowtheR.P.SimmonsScholarship

Fund.ItspurposeistoawardscholarshipstochildrenofemployeesofAlleghenyLudlumor

highschoolgraduatesfromtheHighlands,Leechburg,Freeport,ValleyHighSchoolinNew

Kensington,KiskiArea,Burrell,Apollo,FordCity,Kittanning,Springdale,andDeerLakes

SchoolDistricts,aswellastheSt.JosephHighSchoolinNatrona.

Inthequartercenturysincethatfundwascreated,467studentshavereceivedscholar-

ships from it. Past recipients have become accountants, audiologists, auditors, dentists,

engineers,executives,financialprofessionals,lawyers,nurses,pharmacists,physical

therapists, physicians, professors, speech pathologists, teachers, technologists, and

toxicologists.TheiremployersincludesuchfamiliarnamesasAlcoa,AlleghenyEnergy,

AmericanEagle,BankofAmerica,Bayer,Bechtel,BNYMellon,Bristol-MyersSquibb,

CarnegieMellon,Curtiss-Wright,CVS,Deloitte,Dick’sSportingGoods,EQT,Federated

Investors,FedExGround,FirstEnergy,Highmark,Kimberly-Clark,theMayoClinic,

MEDRAD,theNationalInstitutesofHealth,NorthropGrumman,PennDOT,PittOhio

Express,PNC,PPG,Prudential,ReedSmith,RobertMorris,Sherwin-Williams,UPMC,

U.S.Steel,andtheUniversityofPittsburgh.

ThepositiveimpactthattheseSimmonsscholarsmusthavehad,travelingthelifepathsthat

theyhavechosen,throughtheirworkandintheirhomecommunities,isincalculable.And

based on just this information, each of us almost certainly would conclude that, through its

positive impact in helping to shape nearly 500 productive lives, with still more to come, an

extraordinaryreturnisbeinggeneratedonDick’swonderfulandwell-targetedinvestment.

UPCI’sSheapedestrianbridge, which crosses Centre Avenue

Dick Simmons

Tom Usher

Ofcourse,fewpeoplehavethemeanstoinvesteither$1

millionor$3millioninanycause,nomatterhowworthyitmay

be—though293donorsdidmakegiftsof$1millionormore

toourrecentlyconcludedcampaign.Buttheproportionate

returns on smaller gifts can be every bit as rewarding—which

iswhymorethan188,000donorscontributedtothat$2billion

campaign.Andthecollectivegoodtobeproducedbythat$2

billion over time, though not precisely predictable, is boundless.

As is described more fully in the distributed campaign report,

the funds raised helped to pay for both new construction

andrenovations;helpedtolaunchexcitingnewinitiatives;ledtothenamingoftwokey

schools,theKennethP.DietrichSchoolofArtsandSciencesandtheSwansonSchoolof

Engineering;endowedthreedeanships—theBettyeJ.andRalphE.BaileyDeanofArts

andSciences,theU.S.SteelDeanofEngineering,andtheLernerDeanoftheUniversity

HonorsCollege—aswellastheHillmanUniversityLibrarian;endowed154chairsand

professorships;and,advancingourhighestpriorityandfollowingtheleadofDickSimmons,

endowedmorethan600newscholarshipandfellowshipfunds.Whatahugedifferencethis

isgoingtomake!

Most obviously, the success of this campaign is the direct product of the generosity of

our donors. Its success also was fueled by a committed army of volunteers and driven by

skilledanddeterminedleadership.

Forthefirsthalfofthecampaign,leadershipwasprovidedbytriplePittgraduateandthen

U.S.SteelCEOTomUsher(ENGR’64,’66G,’71G).WeremaindeeplygratefultoTomfor

allthathehasdoneforPitt,andweformallythankedhimforhiseffortsascampaignchair

afterthe$1billiongoalhadbeenreached.

Atthatsametime,aswedoubledourgoalto$2billion,wealsodecidedtodoubleup

oncampaignleadership,recruitingwhatalmostcertainlyisthefirstsister-brotherteamto

lead auniversitycampaignofthissize.Thatsiblingsuper-team,consistingofTrusteeBurt

Tansky(A&S’61),formerpresidentandCEOoftheNeimanMarcusGroup,andBoardVice

ChairEvaTanskyBlum(A&S’70,LAW’73),PNCBank,N.A.,executivevicepresidentand

director,CommunityAffairs,andchairandpresidentofthePNCFoundation,leduspastthe

$2billionmark,whichwashistoricnotonlyforPittbutforthisregion—thelargestamount

ever raised by any organization for any purpose at any time in Western Pennsylvania.

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Chancellor Nordenberg and John A. Swanson attheDecember5,2007,dedicationoftheSwanson School of Engineering

Below: Burt Tansky and Eva Tansky Blum

N.JohnCooper,BettyeJ.andRalphE.Bailey DeanofArtsandSciencesatPitt;WilliamS.DietrichII;andChancellorMarkA. NordenbergonSeptember23,2011

When we announced that we had met that very big goal, the news was

instantly reported, as we all would expect, on the Web site of the Pittsburgh

Post-Gazette. The Post-Gazette’s quality control professionals almost immedi-

ately noticed that there was something wrong with theirfirstelectronicheadline

andquicklycorrectedit.Butthecrackteaminmyofficecaughtthatheadline,

copiedthatheadline,andkeptthatheadlineinitsoriginalform.Hereitis:

Pitt Reaches $2 Billion Funraising Goal.

Of course, the writer meant to say “fundraising” and not “funraising,” and the

headlinewasquicklychanged.However,withEvaandBurtatthelead,either

termreallyisanaccuratedescriptionofwhatwedid.Frombeginningtoend,

they set an upbeat tone of team togetherness, which meant that we had a lot

of fun and made a lot of friends while raising a lot of funds.

It also is true that we could not have been successful without strong

professional leadership. Many people—other fundraisers, members of my

senior team, and members of the Council of Deans, for example—made

verysignificantcontributions.Rightatthetopofthatprofessionalteam,

though, were two very capable, deeply committed, and highly collaborative

individuals:ClydeJones,thePresidentofourMedicalandHealthSciences

FoundationandViceChancellorforHealthSciencesDevelopment,and

AlNovak,ViceChancellorforInstitutionalAdvancement.

In an area in which collaborating can be a real challenge because everyone

isseekingtoclaimthehighestpotentialprospectsforhimself,AlandClyde

becamegreatpartners,andtheirabilitytonotonlyworktogetherbutto

support each other became a model for others within the University.

As I said when we publicly launched our campaign at Carnegie Music Hall on

DiscoveryWeekend,theamountofmoneythatwehaveraised,asimpressive

asthatfigureobviouslyis,islessimportantthanwhatwedowiththatmoney.

Andasyouallknow,therehasbeenaverynicemeshbetweenthepurposes

for which funds were given and our institutional needs and priorities. In fact,

wealreadycanseetheimpactofthecampaignthroughoutourfivecampuses.

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But,particularlyforastubborngrouplikethisone,thereisanotherreason

that this campaign success was so important: because others said we

couldnotdoit,thatwecouldnotraise$500million,muchless$2billion.

So,werosetomeetthatchallenge,withtheBoardofTrusteesasthe

driver!Likesomeofyou,IhaveclearmemoriesoftheBoardretreatat

whichwewerebeingadvisedtoslowdown,andtheBoard,ledbythen

ChairJ.W.Connolly,saidthatwecouldnotaffordtowaitandshouldjust

get going.

Backthen,Pittwasmorebroadlyviewedasaplacethatcouldnotgetbig

things done. In a sense, then, “getting going,” as a more general matter,

was about the most important thing we could do. And what have we

done since then?

•Wehaveincreasedundergraduateapplicationsbythreeand

one-halftimes;raisedaverageSATscoresbynearly200points;

increasedFTEenrollmentbymorethan20percentandregularly

producedhappy,high-performingstudentsatalllevels.

•WeclimbedintothetopfiveAmericanuniversitiesinfederal

researchsupport,andhavingimportedmorethan$9billionof

researchsupportintothelocaleconomysince1995,weadded

3,700employees,anincreaseofmorethan38percent.

•Weinvestedmorethan$1billiontoadd3.6millionadditionalgross

square feet of facilities space, the construction of which also added

significantlytotheregion’seconomicactivity.

•Wenearlyquadrupledournetassets,fromunder$1billionto$3.8billion,and

increasedourendowmentsixandone-halftimes,from$463milliontojustover

$3billion.

Andweraisedmorethan$2billioninprivatesupport,withoverhalfofthatlargesum

coming from outside this region. In the process, we demonstrated that in fundraising, too,

Pitt is a force, an institution that does, in fact, get a lot of good things done—a message

that is important both internally and externally.

“The amount of money that we have raised,asimpressiveasthatfigureobviouslyis,islessimportantthanwhat we do with that money.”

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg

Al Novak and Clyde Jones

J.W. Connolly

EveryyearatFreshmanConvocation,aswellasonotheroccasions,Itellour

students that we want their years here to be great years but that we do not

want their Pitt years to be the best years of their lives. Instead, we want their

Pitt years to be a time when they use the power of higher education to build

the foundation for lives in which each year is better, in some meaningful way,

than the ones that preceded it.

Muchthesamecanbesaidaboutourownefforts.Wehavebeenworking

hard to ensure that our chapter in Pitt’s long and proud history is one of its

best.Butourlonger-termgoal,consistentwithMasefield’sreminderaboutthe

enduring nature of a university, has been to position Pitt so that even better

years are within its grasp. In that sense, both our strong foundation and our

still-acceleratingmomentumarekeystoapromisingfuture.

Thanksforallthatyouhavedonetobuildboth.And,asourcurrentstudents

have come to express it, “H2P” or “Hail to Pitt.”

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Clockwisefromtopleft,fourofPitt’sRhodesScholars: JustinChalker,2006;DanielArmanios,2007;EleanorOtt,2010;andCoryRodgers,2012

Commencement 2013

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To be a member of these great societies must ever be a glad distinction.

To be a member of these great societies must ever be a glad distinction.Spring time outside the Stephen Foster MemorialSpring time outside the Stephen Foster Memorial

The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. Published in cooperation with the Department of Communications Services. DCS93819-0214

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