Point Park University is a liberal arts university

Liberal arts college

A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...

 located in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. Formerly known as Point Park College, the school name was revised in 2004 to reflect the number of graduate programs being offered.

Point Park University is a comprehensive master’s level university with a strong liberal arts tradition, and is located in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh. Point Park enrolls approximately 3,900 full-and part-time students in 67 undergraduate programs and 11 graduate programs offered through its School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Communication and the Conservatory of Performing Arts.

Point Park University Overview

• Point Park was founded in 1960 and recorded 3,846 students in the 2008-09 academic year, including several hundred graduate students. The two largest master's degree programs are the M.B.A. program in the School of Business, and the M.A. in journalism and mass communication in the School of Communication.
• The university is on the semester system and has four schools: Arts & Sciences, Point Park University School of Business, Communication, and The Conservatory Of Performing Arts.
• The university is known primarily for its Conservatory of Performing Arts, which attracts students from around the world. Its undergraduate dance and musical theatre program has been rated the best and among the best in the United States. Student and professional performances are held at the Pittsburgh Playhouse
  Pittsburgh Playhouse
  Pittsburgh Playhouse is Point Park University's performing arts center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses three performance spaces and is home to The Rep, Point Park's resident professional theatre company, as well as three student companies—Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory...
  
  , the Performing Arts Center of Point Park University, which has three separate performance spaces and is located in the Oakland neighborhood.
• The School of Communication is home to the International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies, a semi-annual, refereed, scholarly journal published by the Information Resources Management Association in cooperation with IGI-Global. Its editor is Dr. Tatyana Dumova, associate professor of digital media. For nearly 5 years, the School of Communication also hosted Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, a refereed, scholarly, quarterly published by the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (AEJMC). Its Editor, former Professor & Chair of Faculty Dane S. Claussen, resigned from the University on Jan. 1, 2011, but he continues to edit the journal.
• The School of Communication, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
  
   daily newspaper, runs the Point Park News Service. Undergraduate and graduate journalism students write articles that are offered to, and sometimes published in, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or its afternoon paper, the TribPM. The School is one of only about a dozen journalism programs in the United States, along with University of Maryland
  University of Maryland, College Park
  The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
  
  , University of Missouri
  University of Missouri
  The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
  
  , Columbia University
  Columbia University
  Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
  
  , Northwestern University
  Northwestern University
  Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
  
  , and several others with a journalism student-staffed news service.
• The University is one of only six in the United States with a joint M.A. (journalism/mass communication)/M.B.A. program. The others are Boston University, Columbia University, Southern Illinois University—Carbondale, University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana, and University of Texas at Austin.
• The university's independent weekly student newspaper is The Globe
  The Globe student newspaper
  The Globe is Point Park University's independent student-produced newspaper....
  
  .
• The university's student-produced television newsmagazine is "Wood Street Connection."
• The university's student radio station is WPPJ.
• The university's student literary magazine is The Cavalcade.
• The university's journalism course-produced news magazine is The Pioneer.
• On February 1, 2007, The university launched "U-View", Point Park's closed circuit news and entertainment TV station.

Point Park campus

Point Park is located in Downtown Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, and is situated about half a mile from Point State Park

Point State Park

Point State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River....

 in the city's Golden Triangle.

The school is in the midst of the business district in the shadow of PPG Place

PPG Place

PPG Place is a complex in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, consisting of six buildings within three city blocks and five and a half acres. Named for its anchor tenant, PPG Industries, who initiated the project for its headquarters, the buildings are all of matching glass design consisting of...

, one of the skyline's most recognizable buildings. The physical campus is mostly vertical, with buildings scattered intermittently among non-school structures. Point Park also owns the Pittsburgh Playhouse

Pittsburgh Playhouse

Pittsburgh Playhouse is Point Park University's performing arts center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses three performance spaces and is home to The Rep, Point Park's resident professional theatre company, as well as three student companies—Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory...

 in the Oakland

Oakland (Pittsburgh)

Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...

 neighborhood. The school has used the phrase "Pittsburgh is our campus" in its literature.

Because of its Downtown locale, the school is within walking distance of the Cultural District

Cultural District, Pittsburgh

The Cultural District is a fourteen-square block area in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south....

 and the city's sports facilities, PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...

, Mellon Arena

Mellon Arena

Civic Arena is an indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is currently undergoing demolition. It was the first retractable roof major sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 sq. feet and constructed with just shy of 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel...

, and Heinz Field

Heinz Field

Heinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...

. It is also close to Pittsburgh's major nightlife areas on the Southside, in Station Square

Station Square

Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....

, and in the Strip District

Strip District (Pittsburgh)

The Strip District is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is a one-half square mile area of land northeast of the central business district bordered to the north by the Allegheny River and to the south by portions of the Hill District...

. Approximately 30 percent of full-time undergraduate students live on campus. The majority of Point Park students commute from nearby neighborhoods.

With ten existing buildings and additional properties that run from the Monongahela River to Forbes Avenue, the University has one of the largest footprints in Downtown Pittsburgh.

History

Point Park University has emerged from past financial challenges as a leader in career-focused education with a growing student population. And with the introduction of its Academic Village iniative in 2008, Point Park has evolved into one of the largest investors in Downtown Pittsburgh development.

Beginnings

The university began in 1933 as a one-room business school called Business Training College with an initial enrollment of 50 students, under the direction of Dorothy Finkelhor

Dorothy Finkelhor

Dorothy Cimberg Finkelhor was an American academic, teacher, and speaker. She was the founder and first president of Point Park College in Pittsburgh....

, a New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 native, and her husband, L. Herbert Finkelhor. At the time, it was notable for a woman to found such an institution. Finkelhor provided her students with business and secretarial

Secretary

A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...

 skills. At the same time, she served in multiple roles as teacher, the dean of women, social chairman, janitor, telephone operator, admissions and finance director, and registrar.

Becoming a college

By 1960, the business school had grown to nearly 880 students and moved to the university’s current academic center, Academic Hall, on Wood Street in central Downtown Pittsburgh. The Finkelhors’ small secretarial school became Point Park Junior College, named for the city’s historic Point State Park

Point State Park

Point State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River....

. The junior college added two-year programs in engineering technology, education

Education

Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

, and journalism

Journalism

Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

. It also acquired performing arts space at The Pittsburgh Playhouse in the Oakland

Oakland (Pittsburgh)

Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...

 neighborhood. Five years later, the college was granted four-year status, officially becoming Point Park College. Dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

 and theatre

Theatre

Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...

 programs were introduced. These programs laid the groundwork for Point Park’s current Conservatory of Performing Arts.

Thirty-four years after forming the college, Dorothy Finkelhor retired in 1967. The school’s reins remained within the family as son-in-law Arthur M. Blum assumed the presidency. Blum purchased the Sherwyn Hotel, a 20-story building across from Academic Hall, which became David L. Lawrence

David L. Lawrence

David Leo Lawrence was an American politician who served as the 37th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1963. He is to date the only mayor of Pittsburgh to be elected Governor of Pennsylvania. Previously, he had been the mayor of Pittsburgh from 1946 through 1959...

 Hall. The hall currently contains most of the school’s social and entertaining facilities as well as classrooms, offices, and dormitories.

Blum’s Lawrence Hall investment continues to benefit the school. Blum also established a campus in Lugano, Switzerland. A gift from Lester Hamburg brought the school a conference center in Portersville, Pennsylvania.

John V. Hopkins succeeded Blum.

Stability

With the budget climbing out of the red, the school began a slow healing process into the 1980s. Enrollment grew beyond 1,000 students. At the same time, the school introduced its first postgraduate degree, a master’s degree in journalism

Journalism

Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

 and mass communication

Mass communication

Mass communication is the term used to describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time...

.

J. Matthew Simon served as the college’s next president from 1985 to 1994, providing nearly a decade of relative calm in the institution’s turbulent history. Simon oversaw the acquisition of a new library, program growth, and the school’s largest endowment. Simon retired in 2007, having taught at Point Park as a professor in the department of Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology after his tenure as president.

1994 Crisis

Another crisis came with the election of James Hunter as president. Hunter, Point Park’s most controversial leader, served for a little over a year but managed to garner outcry for an admissions scandal and a breakdown of communication within the school.

At the same time, growth remained slow in the city, and Pittsburgh’s economy still had not recovered from the collapse of the steel industry. The college’s finances suffered, and Point Park again neared bankruptcy. Negotiations began with Duquesne University

Duquesne University

Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...

 to sell what remained of Point Park College to the larger school.

Hunter resigned amidst the melee, and Katherine Henderson won the approval of the board of trustees soon after.

Growth and change

Henderson implemented a strategic plan to revive the college. Plans to sell the school were abandoned as Henderson began another procedural overhaul.

Henderson’s tenure became the most successful for Point Park. During the late ‘90s

1990s

File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...

, budget woes disintegrated as enrollment rose to over 3,000 students and the endowment grew by over 200 percent. Point Park finished major renovations of its existing buildings soon after the turn of the century.

By 2004, the school hit a new high water mark and successfully applied for university status. It was officially renamed Point Park University that year and the administration began an aggressive $1 million branding campaign to attract more enrollment.

Henderson retired in 2006 while on a self-imposed sabbatical.

Current efforts

The board of trustees officially named Paul Hennigan as Henderson's permanent successor at the beginning of the 2006 fall term. Hennigan has continued the process of creating a new strategic plan. As part of the plan, the university has purchased several Downtown properties for development. The school is also poised to become a key player in the city's efforts for Downtown revitalization, owning properties along the coveted Fifth and Forbes streets corridor.

Most recently, the school partnered with a private contractor to renovate two historic buildings into suite-style residence halls. One of these residence halls became home to a Starbucks

Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...

 in August 2007. The coffee shop is the first full-service retail entity incorporated into Point Park's campus.

A $16 million 44000 square feet (4,087.7 m²) state-of-the-art dance complex opened in 2007. The complex includes five rehearsal and performance studios, and recently received Gold LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Located in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh, the complex is home to the George Rowland White Performance Studio, a 188-seat convertible performance space.

The university is currently creating a "New Academic Village" that will make the school, and downtown, a vibrant area for students. For more info, log on to the Point Park University Web site

Accreditation

Point Park University is accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Higher Education and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pennsylvania Department of Education

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...

.

Admissions

Freshmen Admission:

• 2,790 applied
• 2,177 admitted
• 1,491 enrolled
• Average high school GPA 3.22

Test scores:

SAT verbal scores over 500	63%
SAT verbal scores over 600	19%
SAT verbal scores over 700	2%
SAT math scores over 500	54%
SAT math scores over 600	13%
SAT math scores over 700	1%
ACT scores over 18	89%
ACT scores over 24	31%
ACT scores over 30	1%

Degrees

Point Park University offers eight degrees:

• Associate of Science (A.S.)
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)
• Master of Arts (M.A.)
• Master of Science (M.S.)
• Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
• Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

Graduate programs

• Master of Business Administration (concentrations in Management; International Business; Management Information Systems; and Sports, Arts & Entertainment Management)
• Master of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication (thesis and non-thesis options; coursework in public relations, print journalism, broadcast journalism, advertising, and other areas of mass communication)
• Dual Master of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication and Master of Business Administration (M.A./M.B.A.), three different curricula for: Public Relations & Advertising Management; Print & Digital Media Management; and Broadcast & Digital Media Management
• Master of Arts in Curriculum & Instruction
• Master of Arts in Educational Administration
• Master of Education in Teaching and Leadership
• Master of Education program leading to Secondary Certification
• Master of Science in Engineering Management
• Master of Science in Environmental Studies
• Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
• Master of Fine Arts in Theater Arts
• Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership

Undergraduate degree programs

Program	Offered Degrees
Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA)	Acting - M.F.A., B.F.A., B.A. Applied Arts (Capstone) - B.A. Screenwriting - B.A. Cinema Production (with a concentration in Directing, Producing, Editing, or Cinematography) - B.A. Digital Arts (with a concentration in Animation or Visual Effects) - B.A. Dance Pedagogy - B.A. Dance (with a concentration in Ballet, Modern or Jazz) - B.F.A., B.A. Musical Theatre - B.F.A., B.A. Stage Management - B.F.A. Technical Theatre and Design - B.F.A.
Dept. of Education	Education & Community Services - Early Childhood Education - B.A. Elementary Education - B.A. Secondary Education – Citizenship - B.A. Secondary Education – English - B.A. Secondary Education – Mass Communication - B.A. Secondary Education – Biology - B.S. Secondary Education – Mathematics - B.S.
Dept. of Humanities and Human Sciences	Applied History - B.A. Behavioral Sciences - B.A. English - B.A. English with a Concentration in Creative Writing - B.A.* Global Cultural Studies - B.A. Interdisciplinary Designed Major - B.A. / B. S. Legal Studies - B.A. Legal Studies (Capstone) - B.A. Liberal Studies - B.A. / B.S. Liberal Studies (Capstone) - B.A. / B.S. Political Science - B.A. Psychology - B.A. Secondary Education - Citizenship - B.A. Secondary Education - English - B.A.	School of Communication	Advertising - B.A. Public Relations - B.A. Broadcast Reporting - B.A. Radio/TV - B.A. Journalism - B.A. Multimedia - B.A. Mass Communication - B.A. Photography - B.F.A. Photojournalism - B.A. Integrated Marketing Communication (accelerated) - B.S.
Dept. of Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology	Allied Health - A.S. Civil Engineering Technology - A.S. Electrical Engineering Technology - A.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology - A.S. Biological Sciences - B.S. Biotechnology - B.S. Biotechnology (Capstone) - B.S. Civil Engineering Technology - B.S. Electrical Engineering Technology - B.S Environmental Health Science and Protection - B.S. Health Services (Capstone) - B.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology - B.S.
School of Business	Accounting - A.S. Business Management - A.S. Information Technology - A.S. Public Administration – AS. Accounting - B.S. Business Management - B.S. Business (Saturday Fast) Accelerated - B.S. Information Technology - B.S. Information Technology & Management Accelerated Program - B.S. Management Services (Capstone) - B.S. Public Administration - B.S. Sport, Arts and Entertainment Management - B.S.
Dept. of Criminal Justice & Intelligence Studies	Criminal Justice - B.S. Criminal Justice (Accelerated) - B.S. Criminal Justice (Capstone) - B.S. Intelligence and National Security - B.S. Law Enforcement - B.S. Professional Studies (Accelerated) - B.S.
General Studies	General Studies (Capstone) - B.S. Funeral Service (Capstone) - B.A. Human Resources Management - B.S. Professional Studies (Accelerated) - A.S.

WPPJ

WPPJ (670 AM

AM broadcasting

AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...

) is Point Park University's campus

Campus radio

Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...

 radio station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

. This unlicensed carrier-current station was established in 1967 and is known as "The Voice of Point Park". It is a co-curricular activity for students with an interest in radio, news, sports, contemporary/popular music, media sales and promotions. WPPJ also serves as a training facility for students of any major who desire a career in professional broadcasting. The station is an open-format college radio station, playing primarily indie rock

Indie rock

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...

 and hip-hop, with a fair number of sports and talk radio

Talk radio

Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...

 shows. The music department charts independent artists with CMJ. The 28th Annual WPPJ Rock-a-Thon was held from October 28–31, 2008 at the university, raising over $3,700 for the Early Learning Institute, a charity for families in Allegheny County, due to the efforts of sales director, Anthony Pignetti.

Athletics

Point Park University currently sponsors nine National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

 teams, called the Pioneers. The school is a member of the American Mideast Conference

American Mideast Conference

The American Mideast Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that includes eight member institutions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts. Founded in 1949, it was known as the Mid-Ohio League, and named the Mid-Ohio Conference from 1962...

, the largest conference in the NAIA. Men's sports include Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, and Soccer. Women's sports include Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, and Volleyball

Notable alumni

• John Amplas
  John Amplas
  John Amplas is an American actor known primarily for his work with director George A. Romero. His first work with Romero was the cult classic Martin , in which he played the title role...
  
   - Actor
• Rob Ashford
  Rob Ashford
  Rob Ashford is an American choreographer and director. He is a seven-time Tony Award nominee , five-time Olivier Award nominee, Emmy Award winner, Drama Desk winner, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner.-Biography:...
  
   - Tony Award
  Tony Award
  The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
  
  -winning choreographer & Broadway dancer
• Rich Fisher - Journalist
• Greg Funk - Three time Emmy-winner for Babylon 5, and two time Emmy-winner for X Files
• DeVaughn Halsel - Pittsburgh Xplosion
  Pittsburgh Xplosion
  The Pittsburgh Xplosion was a member of the Continental Basketball Association from 2006–2008. Founded in 2004 as the Pittsburgh Hard Hats as a member of the ABA, the team, following an ownership change, took the court as the Pennsylvania Pit Bulls. The team became the Xplosion in 2005, and joined...
  
   pro basketball player/assistant coach
• Billy Hartung
  Billy Hartung
  Billy Hartung, also known as Bill Hartung and William Hartung, is an American actor and dancer with credits ranging from Broadway to film....
  
   - Broadway/TV actor & Dancer
• Neil Haskell
  Neil Haskell
  Neil David Haskell is an American contemporary dancer. He is best known as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance where he finished third in the final four. On April 22, 2008, he began performing in the Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz as Luke. Neil most recently joined The West Side Story...
  
   - Broadway performer & Contemporary dancer/ So You Think You Can Dance
  So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
  So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
  
   contestant
• Michael Holley
  Michael Holley
  Michael Holley is an American television and radio sports commentator, sports reporter and author. He formerly wrote columns for the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The Plain Dealer, and Akron Beacon Journal.-Career:...
  
   - Sports journalist
• Melina Kanakaredes
  Melina Kanakaredes
  Melina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides is an American actress. She is widely known for two starring roles on U.S. prime-time television drama series; playing Detective Stella Bonasera in CSI: NY and portraying Dr...
  
   - TV actress & Daytime Emmy Award
  Daytime Emmy Award
  The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
  
   nominee
• Don Kelly
  Don Kelly (baseball)
  Donald Thomas Kelly is an American professional baseball player infielder with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball...
  
   - MLB
  Major League Baseball
  Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
  
   Shortstop
• Michael Lombardi
  Michael Lombardi
  Michael Lombardi may refer to:*Mike Lombardi , American actor*Michael Lombardi , Canadian businessman and author*Michael Lombardi , American sportscaster...
  
   - Actor
• Bobby Madritsch
  Bobby Madritsch
  Robert Allen Madritsch is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners, and most recently played for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League in .-Baseball career:Madritsch attended Reavis High School in Burbank,...
  
   - MLB
  Major League Baseball
  Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
  
   Pitcher
• John Magaro
  John Magaro
  John Robert Magaro is an American film, television and stage actor. He will star alongside James Gandolfini in Twylight Zones —the upcoming feature film debut of David Chase, creator of The Sopranos.-Life and career:...
  
   - Actor
• Jim Martin
  Jim Martin (puppeteer)
  Jim Martin is a puppeteer, best known for his roles on Sesame Street. As part of the cast, he has won an Emmy Award. He has been nominated multiple times, and won for "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling" at the Emmys, also for Sesame Street.-Early life:Martin graduated from St...
  
   - Emmy Award-Winning director for Sesame Street
• Dennis Miller
  Dennis Miller
  Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references...
  
   - Comedian
• Jimmy Miller - film producer
  Film producer
  A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
  
  , credits include She's Out Of My League
  She's Out of My League
  She's Out of My League is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Jim Field Smith and written by Sean Anders and John Morris. The film has, in its starring roles, Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve, and was produced by Jimmy Miller for Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks and filmed in Pittsburgh,...
  
   and Step Brothers
  Step Brothers
  Step Brothers may refer to:* A member of a stepfamily*The Four Step Brothers, a South African dance team in the U.S. active from the 1920s through the 1960s*Step Brothers , a 2008 comedy film starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly...
  
  
• Bob Pompeani - Sportscaster, KDKA-TV
• Megan Sikora
  Megan Sikora
  Megan Sikora is an American actress known most for originating the role of Bambi Bernet in Curtains.-Early life:Megan Sikora grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She began dancing at 3, and attended Point Park University, majoring in dance. However, at age 19, she joined the cast of the German...
  
   - Broadway performer & Dancer
• John Stuper
  John Stuper
  John Anton Stuper is a baseball coach and former pitcher. He attended Point Park University. He was 25 years old when he broke into Major League Baseball on June 1, 1982 for the St. Louis Cardinals...
  
   - MLB
  Major League Baseball
  Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
  
   Pitcher
• Tony Yazbeck
  Tony Yazbeck
  Tony Yazbeck is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is most recently remembered for playing principle roles on Broadway in Gypsy w/ Patti LuPone , Gabey in On The Town, Phil Davis in White Christmas, and Alan Deluca in A Chorus Line. He was born in Riverside, CA and later moved to the east...
  
   - Broadway performer

International Summer Dance Alumni

• Josefina Scaglione
  Josefina Scaglione
  Josefina Scaglione is an Argentinian musical theatre actress, best known for her performance as Maria in the 2009 Broadway revival of West Side Story, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical....
  
   - Broadway actress & Dancer
• Stephen Hanna - Former principal dancer for NYC Ballet & Broadway dancer

External links

• Point Park University Web site
• Campus Radio Station, WPPJ
• Point Park News Service