University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg
Encyclopedia
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, commonly referred to as Pitt-Greensburg or UPG, is a four-year, baccalaureate
degree-granting, regional residential campus of the University of Pittsburgh
located in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
. Opened in 1963, UPG was granted four-year degree-granting status in 1988. Pitt-Greensburg has been voted "Best University in the Region" for 8 straight years (1999–2007) by the readership of the Tribune-Review.
As of 2010, Pitt-Greensburg had 1,675 full-time undergraduates (1,820 total) and 76 full-time (84 total) faculty. Approximately 650 students live in the residence halls.
Pitt-Greensburg opened in September 1963, following a request of area school superintendents for a branch campus of the University of Pittsburgh. UPG began as a two-year institution with instruction in nine areas of study, 15 faculty, 56 full-time, and 156 part-time students. The school was originally located in the Vogle Building, a former private elementary school and Greensburg School System administrative building located at 122 North Maple Avenue in downtown Greensburg across from St. Clair Park. Fine arts classes were originally taught at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art
, physical education
was held at the Greensburg YMCA, and laboratory classes were held in what is now Greensburg Salem Middle School. In 1964, the university purchased the 104 acre (0.42087344 km²) Charles McKenna Lynch estate in Hempfield
. At first, faculty offices and classrooms were split between Greensburg and Lynch Hall, a former residence on the Lynch estate campus. In 1976, the entire Pitt-Greensburg campus moved to the Hempfield location on the former Lynch estate. Until 1988, when it received 4-year degree-granting status, UPG served as a two year feeder school to the main campus as the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland
section of Pittsburgh. By 1989, UPG had its first graduating class. In 1999, a distinctive feature of Pitt-Greensburg opened when the first of three Academic Villages (Behavioral Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Humanities), where high-achieving students live in residences based on their majors and participate in after-class events geared to those disciplines. As of 2008, UPG has over 1,600 full-time students, 29 buildings, 249 faculty and staff, and 21 majors and 19 minors.
Five presidents have led the campus since its founding: Al Smith (1963–1980), George Chambers (1980–1996), Norm Scanlon (interim president, 1996–1997), Frank Cassell (1997–2007), and Sharon Smith, who was became UPG's fifth president on July 1, 2007.
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The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (UPG) is located two miles (3 km) south of the center of Greensburg
, Pennsylvania
, a city located in Westmoreland County
, and approximately 33 miles (53.1 km) to the southeast of Pittsburgh. Since 1976, the university has been centralized at its current location on the former estate of Charles McKenna Lynch in suburban Hempfield
. The entire campus consists of 22 buildings on 219 acre (0.88626234 km²).
Many student residences consist of "Houses" in the Academic Village section (Apollo
, Athena
, Benjamin Franklin
, Margaret Mead
, Selene
, and Thurgood Marshall
), with Village Hall as the Villages' social hub. The various academic villages integrate curricular and extracurricular student experiences and each have their own student council. Each village must be applied to in order to live there, and they are organized around four themes including Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, International, and Natural Science and New Technologies. Other residence Halls are also located in College Hall and Robertshaw Hall, Westmoreland Hall and the University Courts.
Other campus facilities include three classroom buildings (Powers, Smith, and McKenna—which also serves as the computer center), Millstein Library, Chambers Hall, the administration building (Lynch Hall), the admissions office (Rosetti Hall) and the Ridilla Athletic Fields. The campus also features a nature trail and a small creek (Slate Run) that runs through the center of campus.
at Pitt-Greensburg in the fall of 2009. The University of Pittsburgh, including UPG and its other regional campuses, is fully accredited through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
’ Commission on Higher Education. UPG is ineligible for U.S. News rankings as its accreditation is not separate from the main accreditation of the University of Pittsburgh.
A school-wide honor society, the Ben Franklin Society, was organized in 2008 for sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher. The society functions to help students identify, prepare and apply for prestigious fellowships and scholarships. Another honor society, the Da Vinci Society, also exists for juniors and seniors selected for their academic excellence, leadership, service, and international experience. Other honor societies also exist on campus for specific programs of study. In addition, Academic Villages, for which grades and participation are evaluated for admittance, act as living and learning communities for students with similar academic interests.
Pitt-Greensburg competes athletically as a member of NCAA Division III and is a charter member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
. Men's athletic programs include basketball, soccer, baseball, tennis, golf, and cross country. Women's programs consist of basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, golf, cross country. UPG also has an intramural program with flag football, racquetball, and billiards. On January 31, 2003, the men's and women's basketball teams of the Pitt-Greensburg and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
held a doubleheader at the Petersen Events Center
on the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in celebration of the both school's 40th anniversaries.
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
degree-granting, regional residential campus of the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
located in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Hempfield Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 43,241 at the 2010 census, making it the largest suburb in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area by population.- Geography :...
. Opened in 1963, UPG was granted four-year degree-granting status in 1988. Pitt-Greensburg has been voted "Best University in the Region" for 8 straight years (1999–2007) by the readership of the Tribune-Review.
As of 2010, Pitt-Greensburg had 1,675 full-time undergraduates (1,820 total) and 76 full-time (84 total) faculty. Approximately 650 students live in the residence halls.
History
Westmoreland Museum of American Art
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is an art museum in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, devoted to American art, with a particular concentration on the art of southwestern Pennsylvania....
, physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
was held at the Greensburg YMCA, and laboratory classes were held in what is now Greensburg Salem Middle School. In 1964, the university purchased the 104 acre (0.42087344 km²) Charles McKenna Lynch estate in Hempfield
Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Hempfield Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 43,241 at the 2010 census, making it the largest suburb in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area by population.- Geography :...
. At first, faculty offices and classrooms were split between Greensburg and Lynch Hall, a former residence on the Lynch estate campus. In 1976, the entire Pitt-Greensburg campus moved to the Hempfield location on the former Lynch estate. Until 1988, when it received 4-year degree-granting status, UPG served as a two year feeder school to the main campus as the University of Pittsburgh 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...
section of Pittsburgh. By 1989, UPG had its first graduating class. In 1999, a distinctive feature of Pitt-Greensburg opened when the first of three Academic Villages (Behavioral Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Humanities), where high-achieving students live in residences based on their majors and participate in after-class events geared to those disciplines. As of 2008, UPG has over 1,600 full-time students, 29 buildings, 249 faculty and staff, and 21 majors and 19 minors.
Five presidents have led the campus since its founding: Al Smith (1963–1980), George Chambers (1980–1996), Norm Scanlon (interim president, 1996–1997), Frank Cassell (1997–2007), and Sharon Smith, who was became UPG's fifth president on July 1, 2007.
Location and campus
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
, 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...
, a city located in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, and approximately 33 miles (53.1 km) to the southeast of Pittsburgh. Since 1976, the university has been centralized at its current location on the former estate of Charles McKenna Lynch in suburban Hempfield
Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Hempfield Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 43,241 at the 2010 census, making it the largest suburb in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area by population.- Geography :...
. The entire campus consists of 22 buildings on 219 acre (0.88626234 km²).
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist, who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the 1960s and 1970s....
, Selene
Selene
In Greek mythology, Selene was an archaic lunar deity and the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. In Roman mythology, the moon goddess is called Luna, Latin for "moon"....
, and Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
), with Village Hall as the Villages' social hub. The various academic villages integrate curricular and extracurricular student experiences and each have their own student council. Each village must be applied to in order to live there, and they are organized around four themes including Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, International, and Natural Science and New Technologies. Other residence Halls are also located in College Hall and Robertshaw Hall, Westmoreland Hall and the University Courts.
Other campus facilities include three classroom buildings (Powers, Smith, and McKenna—which also serves as the computer center), Millstein Library, Chambers Hall, the administration building (Lynch Hall), the admissions office (Rosetti Hall) and the Ridilla Athletic Fields. The campus also features a nature trail and a small creek (Slate Run) that runs through the center of campus.
Academics
Pitt-Greensburg offers 24 bachelor's degree programs, 19 minors, and numerous pre-professional and certificate programs. The Katz Graduate School of Business will begin offering an MBAMaster of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
at Pitt-Greensburg in the fall of 2009. The University of Pittsburgh, including UPG and its other regional campuses, is fully accredited through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
’ Commission on Higher Education. UPG is ineligible for U.S. News rankings as its accreditation is not separate from the main accreditation of the University of Pittsburgh.
A school-wide honor society, the Ben Franklin Society, was organized in 2008 for sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher. The society functions to help students identify, prepare and apply for prestigious fellowships and scholarships. Another honor society, the Da Vinci Society, also exists for juniors and seniors selected for their academic excellence, leadership, service, and international experience. Other honor societies also exist on campus for specific programs of study. In addition, Academic Villages, for which grades and participation are evaluated for admittance, act as living and learning communities for students with similar academic interests.
Athletics
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the States of Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.-Current members:The league currently has...
. Men's athletic programs include basketball, soccer, baseball, tennis, golf, and cross country. Women's programs consist of basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, golf, cross country. UPG also has an intramural program with flag football, racquetball, and billiards. On January 31, 2003, the men's and women's basketball teams of the Pitt-Greensburg and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, also known as Pitt-Bradford or UPB, is a comprehensive undergraduate college of the University of Pittsburgh that exists as a regional campus located in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Pitt-Bradford was listed among the Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the North by U.S...
held a doubleheader at the Petersen Events Center
Petersen Events Center
Not to be confused with Petersen Sports Complex.The John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It hosts the men's and women's Pitt Panthers basketball teams...
on the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in celebration of the both school's 40th anniversaries.