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The University of Pittsburgh is a state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ranked among the top public universities in the country, it is frequently referred to simply as Pitt. Many of Pitt's academic programs are ranked among the best in the nation. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, along with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is a leading academic medical center and particularly well known as an organ transplant center. It performs more organ transplants than any other institution in the United States. UPMC has 40,000 employees with more than $5 billion in revenue, which makes it the biggest employer in western Pennsylvania. * Pitt is a major center of medical research; in FY 2004, it ranked 7th in NIH funding among American universities and 13th among hospitals nationwide by USNews*. Particularly topical is Pitt's strength in stem cell science. Additionally, Pitt has a key role in the development of a bioterrorism defense system. Pitt ranked sixth in the number of start-ups spawned by technologies developed by Pitt researchers according to Association of University Technology Managers*. Pitt is home to the Cathedral of Learning, at 42 stories and 535 feet the tallest educational building in the Western hemisphere and second-tallest in the world, after the main tower at Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia. Pitt is tied with Ohio State University at
History of the University Originally founded by Hugh Henry Brackenridge as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh is among a select group of universities and colleges founded in the 18th Century in the United States. It was renamed The Western University of Pennsylvania in 1819 and took its current name in 1908. In 1966 it was designated by Pennsylvania as a "state-related" university. As such, Pitt receives public funds (currently more than $200 million per annum) and offers reduced tuition to Pennsylvania residents, but is under independent control. It is generally considered a public university.ยน Pitt's endowment is $1.53 billion (2005). Jonas Salk, along with other Pitt researchers, invented the first polio vaccine at the university's Virus Research Lab. In 1991, long time chancellor Wesley Posvar retired after 24 years in office. While his term in office ended with controversy, overall his term was considered very positive for the university. In 1999, Pitt Stadium, the long time home of the Pitt Panthers was torn down. Mark Nordenberg has served as chancellor of the university since 1996. Location The University of Pittsburgh campus is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, just west of Schenley Park. The main campus is bordered by Bouquet Street to the west and Bellefield Avenue to the east; Forbes and Fifth Avenues traverse the campus from west to east. The university also has regional campuses in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, and Titusville. Carnegie Mellon University is almost adjacent to the campus, the two schools being located on opposite sides of Panther Hollow. Many Pitt professors also hold adjunct professorships at Carnegie Mellon and vice versa. Education Bachelor's, master's, doctoral and professional programs are offered through the following academic units: The University Center for International Studies (UCIS) coordinates international education curricula, centers for area studies and centers on topical specializations in international studies. It does not give degrees but awards certificates of attainment to degree candidates in the university's schools. Regional Campuses The regional campuses offer undergraduate education. They permit students to take preliminary courses and relocate to other regional campuses or the Oakland campus to complete their degrees. They also locally offer degrees and certificates as follows: Athletics Pittsburgh's sports teams are called the Panthers. The Panthers participate in NCAA Division I (Division I-A for football) and in the Big East Conference. The Pitt football team lays claim to nine NCAA National Championships, in 1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937 and 1976. * It deserves to be noted that some of them were awarded years after the fact and other schools claim national titles in these years as well. The Panthers have twice won the AP national championship by topping the media polls in 1937 and 1976.* Pitt also claims several other national championships by such polls as the New York Times and computer polls in 1980 and 1981. Pitt Football has a long and glorious history. Pop Warner, Jock Sutherland, Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka, Joe Schmidt, Marshall Goldberg, Dan Marino, Hugh Green, Mark May, Russ Grimm, Jimbo Covert, Bill Fralic, Rickey Jackson, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, Chris Doleman, Tony Siragusa, Mark May, Johnny Majors, Jackie Sherill, Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt are just some of the alumni, coaches, and staff that have achieved prominence. Current NFL stars with Pitt Panther ties include Jets Kevan Barlow, 49ersShawntae Spencer, Antonio Bryant, and Andy Lee, Jets Curtis Martin, Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Lee and Gerald Hayes, Carolina Panther Nick Goings, Raven Darnell Dinkins, Bronco Brandon Miree, Texan Ramon Walker, Chief Kris Wilson, Patriot Hank Poteat, Buccaneer Torrie Cox, Ram Matt Morgan, Cowboys Rob Petitti and Lousaka Polite, Bear Ruben Brown, Charger coach Marty Schottenheimer, and Bucs coach Jon Gruden. The football team moved into the NFL-grade Heinz Field in 2001 from their longtime home at Pitt Stadium, built in the 1920s. The upper section of the Cathedral of Learning is still illuminated with blue and gold lights on campus after each football team victory. Former NFL head coach and Pitt alum Dave Wannstedt was hired in late 2004 as head football coach. Although Pitt had a lot of success the previous five years under former head coach Walt Harris, many fans hoped Wannstedt's pedigree and resume as a coach in both the pro and college game would be a catalyst to rekindle the glory days of the football program during the 1970s and early 1980s. Although Wannstedt's team did go 5-6 in his first year and narrowly missed a sixth straight bowl bid, the coaching staff also was able to put together one of the best incoming high school recruiting classes in the country. Pitt's men's basketball team has also won national championships, both in 1928 and 1930. More recently, over the last six years The Panthers (under first Ben Howland and then Jamie Dixon) have been one of the most successful programs in major college basketball, winning three straight Big East regular season titles, and the Big East Tournament in 2003. They have also had success in the NCAA Tournament as well, advancing to three straight Sweet 16 appearances from 2002-2004. Pitt basketball also compiled one of the nation's three best winning percentages (.846 with an 88-16 record) from 2001-2004. In 2006, the Panthers had been one of three undefeated teams left in college basketball to start the season. That was prior to a loss to St. John's University on a day the other two undefeated teams lost as well. The year also saw the Panthers playing in their fifth Big East Tournament finals in six years, losing to the Syracuse Orange in the championship game. Pitt finished 2006 in the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year, losing in the second round to Bradley in a major upset. Rivalries Pitt traditionally has had a rivalry with Penn State University. Formerly independent powers of college football in the East, Pitt and Penn State played each other on an annual basis for state bragging rights as well as recruiting advantage. Penn State leads the series 50-42-4. The rivalry started in 1905 and continued even when Pitt joined the Big East Conference in 1991. However, Penn State joining the Big Ten Conference in 1993, as well as disagreements between the two schools, caused the rivalry to end officially in 2000. Pitt won the final game 12-0, while not allowing Penn State to cross the 50 yard line. Pitt and Duquesne University have had a long-standing rivalry in men's basketball. Their annual game, alternating locations between the two campuses but once held every year at Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena, attracts lots of local interest and has thus been dubbed the City Game. Both schools' women's teams also play their annual version of the City Game. Pitt also has a large football rivalry with West Virginia University that dates back to 1895. The annual contest is called the Backyard Brawl, due to the proximity of the two schools' main campuses (they are 80 miles apart) and the shared boundary between western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The game is traditionally played on Thanksgiving weekend. Also, Pitt is one of the handful of schools that has a longstanding rivalry with the University of Notre Dame. Pitt has played Notre Dame on a semi-regular basis since 1899, with never more than three years passing between contests since 1943. The two universities recently signed a contract to play eight games between 2006 and 2015. In 2005, Pitt began a football rivalry with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, dubbed the "River City Rivalry". This annual Big East Conference game stems from both cities being situated along the Ohio River and features a trophy of a riverboat telegraph (a device for signaling the boat's engine room) *. Pitt leads the series 2-0 after a 33-15 victory over the Bearcats on September 8, 2006. Notable alumni Student Media WPTS-FM is a non-commercial radio station owned by the University of Pittsburgh, and offers a mix of student-run programming. The station operates at 92.1 MHz with an ERP of 16 watts, and is licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their web site allows visitors to listen online. The Pitt News is an independent, student-written, and student-managed newspaper for the Oakland (main) campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is published Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer. www.pittnews.com Telefact is an informational telephone service run by University of Pittsburgh students. Friday Nite Improvs, Pittsburgh's longest-running theatre show, was started in 1989 by graduate theatre students. It takes place weekly inside the Stephen Foster Memorial's Henry Heymann Theatre. UPTV is a student-managed, student-produced, closed-circuit television station. As of June 2006, only students living in on-campus dormitories can receive the broadcast. Three Rivers Review and Collision are two undergraduate, bi-annual literary journals publishing both poetry and prose. 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