Pitt-Johnstown Magazine 2020-2021

THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT JOHNSTOWN MAGAZINE

WE REMAIN

MountainCat STRONG The Regional Leader Educating for Success in the Real World : FALL 2021

Mt. Cats Care Campaign People throughout Western Pennsylvania embraced Pitt-Johnstown's “Mountain Cats Care” campaign, an video message to encourage mask wearing launched by President Spectar and UPJ’s Student Government Association. More than 7,000 people viewed the “I Mask Up For” video showcasing Pitt-Johnstown students and Dr. Spectar masking up for America. The video was so popular it reached more than 12,000 Spotify users. Clubs, sports teams, and colleges around the region launched their own “I Mask Up For” efforts. Even Johnstown Symphony Orchestra’s Maestro James Blachly joined the cause to mask up.

1

The year 2020 was a time unlike any other in the history of Pitt-Johnstown. As COVID-19 raged across the globe and in our neighborhoods, the health and safety of the Pitt-Johnstown community was at risk. To help slow the spread of the virus and keep students, faculty, and staff safe, the university sent students home, moved classes online, began remote operations for nonacademic university departments, and postponed 2020 Commencement.

Throughout the year our ingenuity, resilience, and humanity were tested.

Through it all, the Pitt-Johnstown family pulled together and persevered, finding new ways to learn, live and succeed.

The crowning glory after the year of travails was the graduation ceremony of the class of 2021, where we celebrated the resilience and progress of our students in a ceremony like no other for a class like no other.

In this magazine, you will read about some of these successes: the determination of our students to persist, the innovative ways by which our faculty upheld standards of teaching excellence in new environments, and the generosity of donors and friends who helped carry us through challenging times.

It is because of our Pitt-Johnstown faculty, staff, students, and community that we celebrate many notable achievements, including retention and graduation rates that compare very favorably to the best schools and a record-setting endowment. For these and many other reasons, U.S. News and World Report again recognized Pitt-Johnstown among the Best Regional Colleges in the North.

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without each of you going far beyond the call of duty and making inconvenient sacrifices. I am particularly touched by the overwhelming support we have received throughout the pandemic.

You are the cornerstone of our rich institutional legacy, the heart and soul or the spirit, the pride, and the ethos that animates our campus today. I remain deeply grateful and Mt. Cat Proud.

Jem Spectar, PhD, JD, MBA President

2

s y a w l a it ’ s t e e w s r b i t te e y b d o o g y a s ar to t c e p S J em Dr

Under a clear blue sky and following a long year of COVID-related challenges and restrictions, the graduating class of 2021 donned their caps and gowns and gathered in-person to celebrate their academic achievements. President Jem Spectar enthusiastically praised the Mt. Cat Strong Class of 2021 for the hard work and resilience they demonstrated while earning a degree in the midst of a global pandemic. We share his poignant remarks to the graduating class, families, and friends: Dear Graduates of the Class of 2021 Today you join more than 22,000 Pitt-Johnstown alumni who, for nearly a century, have been making a difference in our communities and around the world. Your achievement is even more remarkable against the backdrop of a year filled with so many challenges. Congratulations!

You should feel a sense of great accomplishment, indeed. Over the past years, you have expanded your ability to think critically and creatively, engage in inquiry and discourse, reason soundly, communicate effectively, solve complex problems, and link theory-to-practice with an eye toward real-world implications. In addition to the knowledge and skills you acquired in the classroom, you were actively engaged on and off-Campus, including internships, clinicals, practical training, athletics, clubs, and organizations, as well as leadership and service opportunities in our surrounding communities.

Today, you stand at the finish line. This is a milestone moment, a culmination of excellence, determination, sacrifice, and resilience.

These qualities, especially resilience, were very much required over the past year as you became only the second graduating class in the past century to finish your degree during a global pandemic.

You persisted and powered through enormous challenges from dealing with social distancing and zooming and Canvas, to in some cases, quarantine, and isolation! Your resilience paid off, bringing you to this milestone moment for you and your loved ones, a remarkable accomplishment - under unusually trying conditions. Class of 2021, you have demonstrated enormous

resilience, adaptability, and readiness for the real world! You have risen to the occasion to meet the challenges of the day, to survive, and yes, to triumph. Congratulations.

Much gratitude is owed to all who supported and encouraged you as you navigated this challenging journey. Our talented and dedicated faculty and staff, as well as your families, friends, and loved ones, were a vital resource, supporting, encouraging, and occasionally commiserating with you. Let me take a moment to acknowledge the entire ecosystem of support, all those who gave so much in innumerable ways to make this day possible. They are owed an enormous debt of gratitude. Thank you.

In the decades ahead, I also hope the relationships, friendships, and personal connections developed on our beautiful Campus continue to sustain you as you navigate the road ahead with all the challenges and opportunities that life will surely bring. We hope you stay connected to your alma mater and that you do your part to burnish its history and impact, that you shine like a proud member of the global network of Pitt alumni.

The end that we celebrate today marks another beginning, ushering in a life of consequential engagement, impact, and lifelong learning. Today, you step forward into the future -- a Pitt-Johnstown graduate, ready for the real world. We trust that you would use your considerable talents in the service of our communities and humankind, that you will get involved and make a positive difference in our world. We hope that you will stay fully and passionately engaged in the challenges facing our communities and the pressing issues of our time. We fervently hope that you will continue to engage in lifelong learning. We also hope you will continue to maintain a healthy balance between mind, body, and spirit as you embrace and enjoy your world.

It is always bittersweet to say goodbye. But, we are happy to join you in celebration as you set sail to a world of possibilities. We are grateful that you chose Pitt-Johnstown for this phase of your life’s journey. We wish you well as you step forward to create the future.

Godspeed.

4

Students Stay Mt. Cat

Strong

Though difficult at times, the students at Pitt-Johnstown persevered in and out of the classroom. The outstanding academic achievements of more than 100 students were recognized at the annual Honors Convocation. Countless students assisted with community services.

Nursing students provided front-line healthcare support. Student-athletes earned national honors and recognition. Student leaders galvanized calls for social justice reform. And, perhaps against all odds, students discovered the deeper resilience and strength that will forever make them Mt. Cat Strong.

Taking classes during the pandemic was not an easy task for Drew Hurd, senior biology and biochemistry major but he was able to overcome the challenges by being pre-emptive with assignments. “The biggest challenge was keeping up to date with classes when everything had to be submitted online and it was easy to miss deadlines or assignments that were being posted. I was able to overcome these challenges by being more proactive in reaching out to professors when I was having a hard time and thankfully, they were all more than willing to help. I surprised myself by discovering and working towards better time management practices that were crucial to keeping a healthy balance in my school and social life,” said Drew.

Crystal Washington, a senior psychology major recognized how tough the pandemic was on all of her peers. She noticed how students found something in themselves to overcome challenges. Crystal said, “I live in a different time zone, so I did have some struggles trying to complete assignments. Another thing that was a bit difficult for me was the isolation. But I think we were all able to find something new about ourselves to help cope with the stress of pandemic.”

Jayme Ertter, Vice President of Student Government Association and a senior biology major overcame the stagnation of online learning by interacting through Zoom. “Something I overcame was being able to continue going to class and putting forth the effort needed,” Jayme said. “I fell into a slump this past year of just turning on my computer screen and zoning in and out of lectures on Zoom, as I’m certain many other students did. I was able to overcome this slump and interact in lectures to try and receive the same experience of in-person lectures.”

Senior Rhoda Ogba maintained a physical regimen that helped her stress. “During the pandemic, I overcame my lack of motivation of having a consistent workout routine,” said Rhoda. “Being on campus during the fall semester of the 2020 school year, all my classes were online, so I was always in my dorm room. Working out helped me feel some sense of structure. I was able to adjust to my new reality with my studies by getting into the habit of using a planner. It forced me to get work done in a timely manner".

BOARD OF ADVISORS Thomas M. Kurtz '77, Chair Jodie Saylor Novak '84, Vice Chair Richard A. Bross ‘73 Richard A. Burkert

PRESIDENT Jem Spectar, PhD, JD, MBA, MA, MAP

Jonna Contacos-Sawyer, PhD '83 G. Henry Cook Lana V. Custer '65

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Tammy Barbin, Editor EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Eric Sloss, Editor; Writer CREATIVE LEAD/ GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alexandra Costlow

M. Mitchell Fetterolf '78 Michael P. Hruska ’00 Sean C. Isgan '82 Kim W. Kunkle

FEATURED ARTICLES

Michael K. Lauf '93 Ernest J. Mantini, DMD '79 Gary A. Minchau, DMD '68

Nurses Prepared for Licenses and Life

11

Murtha Fellows Making a Difference

19

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tribune Democrat; Ali Single; johnstownhistory.blogspot.com

Mark E. Pasquerilla Howard M. Picking III John J. Polacek, Jr. Carl R. Sax '58 Edward J. Sheehan, Jr

connect with us on social media. @pittjohnstown @pitt_johnstown pittjohnstown upj.pitt.edu/linkedin

Coach Pecora’s Unforgettable Record-Breaking Year

22

Alumni Making a Difference

33

Remembering 9/11

37 41

University of Pittsburgh Johnstown Marketing & Communications 450 Schoolhouse Road Johnstown PA, 15904 tbarbin@pitt.edu ericsloss@pitt.edu mundy@pitt.edu

distinctive

Douglas R. Weimer ‘75 Stephen G. Zamias

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Email:

Dorothy L. Stroz ‘84

exceptional

PEOPLE + PROGRAMS + PLACE = PERFORMANCE

Emeritus Members E. Jeanne Gleason George D. Zamias '53

Ex Officio Members The Honorable Wayne Langerholc, Jr. The Honorable Frank Burns '99 Thomas Chernisky, President, Cambria County Commissioners Gerald Walker, Chair, Somerset County Commissioners The Honorable John N. Wozniak '78 The Honorable Jim Rigby The Honorable John Joyce The Honorable Glenn “GT” Thompson

Pitt-Johnstown Campus News 2020 - 2021 ACADEMIC YEAR

Best in the Northeast

Military Friendly

Earning Potential

Best Colleges

Named in Princeton Review, for the16th consecutive year, as a “Best in the Northeast College.“

Designated a “Military Friendly School” by GI Jobs for the 12th year in a row.

Recognized by Brookings Institution as a college that increases a students life-time earnings.

Ranked #31 in Regional Colleges North in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges.

PA Business Central Top 100 Recognized by Pennsylvania's Business Central as a Top 100 Organization from among 65,000 in a 23-county area. President Jem Spectar was recently named to the Top 100 people in business and economic development by Pennsylvania Business Central.

Mental Health Support Services for Schools President Jem Spectar introduced special guest, Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Attorney General, to an education law, policy and ethics class forum encouraging Pennsylvanians to think more broadly about health and wellness in our schools. The class hosted a forum called “School Safety, Safe2Say Something” to discuss the pervasiveness of mental health issues in the classroom and the need for more mental health resources in schools. Shapiro was joined by Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium Director of Programs and Delivery, Karmen Rouland, interim Johnstown police Chief, Chad Miller, and Indiana Area School District Superintendent Michael Vuckovich. Raymond Wrabley, Chair of the Division of Social Sciences and Division of Business and Enterprise, moderated the event.

Exclusive Accreditation The University earned the exclusive ABET accreditation for its five BSE degree programs including Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, Computer and Chemical. It supports the program’s entry to a technical profession through licensure, registration and certification—all of which often require graduation from an ABET accredited program as a minimum qualification. The accreditation also establishes eligibility for many federal student loans, grants, and scholarships.

President's Staff Award Karen Clites received the President’s Staff Award for Excellence in Service to Pitt-Johnstown.

President's Staff Award Jackie Ivock received the President’s Staff Award for Excellence in Service to the Community.

Pitt-Johnstown Covid Response

Freshman Orientation Includes Service Work in Local Community Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Noe Ortega and Deputy Secretary Tanya Garcia visited campus on August 24 to praise President Jem Spectar on the campus response to the pandemic. Ortega shared that he and the Deputy Secretary visited Pitt-Johnstown to "celebrate and really thank" the school's leadership for COVID-19 mitigation efforts."

For us, the takeaway is that the personnel, faculty and staff responded in commendable ways," Secretary Ortega said

Staff Aplauded for Dedicated Service As part of Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher recognized seven dedicated Pitt-Johnstown staff members who have collectively given more than 210 years of service at the Staff Recognition Ceremony on June 3, 2021 : Jeanine Marie Lawn (20-years), Brian Smith (20-years), Sharon Sutt (20-years), Randalph Ramsdorfer (30-years), James Coffman (40-years), Joni Hoffman (40-years), and Andrea Leibfreid (40-years) are Pitt-Johnstown’s honorees.

More than 300 UPJ students performed community service work on August 25, cleaning up local playgrounds in Moxham and Hornerstown. President Spectar volunteered alongside the students. “These projects help connect the students with the Greater Johnstown community – they work side-by-side with city representatives and

volunteers from the community,” said Sherri Rae, Director of Career Services. “ Rae has been organizing community service projects with students since 2012. Neighbors enjoyed watching the playgrounds transform. Several members of the community shared how much they appreciated UPJ in their neighborhood.

Partnering with the Veterans Committee of the Cambria County War Memorial Authority, Pitt-Johnstown commissioned artist Stacy Krupa to paint a patriotic mural celebrating the men and women who have and continue to serve in all branches of the military.

PPAC Recognized by Community & JSO Maestro Wins Grammy The Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, the culture and performance center at Pitt-Johnstown, was selected as one of the winners for the 2021 Best of Johnstown Awards, by Johnstown Magazine, for excellence in artistic and performance in the category of Performing Arts Theater.

Making a Difference in the Community Through Artistic Expression

JSO Maestro, James Blachly, won the Grammy in the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category for his orchestra’s recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison.”

JSO presented the U.S. premiere of Smyth’s piece in April 2018.

Dr. Spectar Lectures at National Constitution Center President Spectar was invited to give a lecture at the National Constitution Center (NCC) about the principles behind the U.S. Constitution and their relevance today. The feedback received from his talk was resoundingly positive, and as Dr. Kerry Sautner, Chief Learning Officer, stated “our students who joined cannot stop talking about your powerful and energizing lesson.”

Story -telling, History,&Filmmaking

Combining

to Warn About the Harms of the Pandemic Kathleen (O'Creidy) Wissenschaft was having trouble managing her children's schedule when Johnstown's Cambria City school closed. Soldiers were coming home from the war while her friends and neighbors were dying from the pandemic.

The date was 1918 and the Spanish Flu pandemic was wreaking havoc in the region.

Kathleen is the character and the basis of a film entitled "We Are All In This Together: Pandemic-Johnstown 1918" by history professor Paul Newman conceived to draw parallels to the pandemic today.

Dr. Newman led a team of ten students, four historians and six biologists in researching the impact of and Johnstown's reaction to the Influenza epidemic of 1918-1919.

They investigated ten months of newspapers, The Johnstown Tribune and The Johnstown Democrat supplied on microfilm by the Cambria County Library, Penn Highlands Community College Library, and hosted by Owen Library. Dr. Newman used real events and real people to construct a narrative about one family in Cambria City through the perspective of a single woman--

wife, mother, daughter-in-law, neighbor, Red Cross volunteer.

The film's theme is what public health officials urged in 1918-19 and 2020-21: Belief in science; wash hands, wear a mask, socially distance, and take a vaccine when available. The Johnstown Area Heritage Association allowed the use of the 1860 Wagner-Ritter House for the set. Dr. Newman directed the film as part of a film team called "bob cat films," with Director of Photography Jason Bolinger and starring actor Kate Davis. The film will air weekly in four episodes beginning April 20 on In This Together Cambria's website and various social media outlets. The production team had a screening on July 10 at the outdoor amphitheater in Westmont.

"Congratulations to Drs. Newman and Henning and the cast for an extraordinarily creative and impressive interdisciplinary collaboration that will entertain and educate audience members; this a great public service during these trying times," said President Jem Spectar.

Dr. Paul Newman with his production company

9

cOVId QUEStIONS P I T T P ROF ES S OR S LEN D EXPERTIS E TO H EL P CO MMUNI TY Is the vaccine safe? How can kids and families better

Questions.” The syndicated article took questions

cope with pandemic-related issues? How do I deal

about Covid throughout the year from people

with mental health issues related to the pandemic?

around the United States. CNHI, an American

These questions were only a few asked by people

publisher of newspapers, recognized the feature for

from around the country who queried Dr. Jill

a runner-up award in the "Community Service" category. As a result of this work, Dr.

Henning, Associate Professor of Biology, in

an

ongoing

discussions

series

and

a

of

Henning

online

was

appointed

to

the

Cambria County Task Force. Also, as

syndicated

a way to understand Covid's

article addressing various topics

impact on the African American

related to the pandemic.

community, she was a panelist The

video

series

is

partnership Pitt-Johnstown, Together

In

Cambria,

in

of a talk led by Rev. Sylvia King

with

of Christ Centered Community Church in Johnstown, PA.

This and

The

Tribune-Democrat, called "COVID Questions."

The

series

covers

about

Covid.

Chip

hundreds

of

people

participated in the various talks

“COVID Questions” forum

various topics that aim to discredit misinformation

Though

Dr. Jill Henning in an online

and

submitted

questions

to

the

newspaper, Dr. Henning believes there is

Tribune-Democrat,

still more work to do. "There is still a pervasive issue

moderates the public virtual town halls. Faculty

of distrust with the scientific community. Most of

members Dr. Susan Wieczorek, communication

that distrust comes from disinformation that was

professor, Matthew Tracey, chemistry professor,

delivered very quickly from non-credible news

and Paul Newman, history professor, along with

sources. We need to do more work in scientific

local experts share their knowledge about the

literacy. We need to find a way for people to

pandemic in these online town hall events.

understand how science works. The misinformation

Minemyer,

Editor

of

the

campaign got ahead of scientific literacy," Dr. The feature article was published around the nation in various newspapers entitled “COVID 19: Your

Henning said.

NURSES PREPARED FOR LICENSES AND LIFE TESTS Megan Gilles knew when she decided to study Nursing at Pitt-Johnstown that the program would be rigorous and demanding. She also knew that UPJ’s combination of a nationally recognized program, taught by dedicated and accomplished faculty, in state-of-the-art facilities, practiced with real-world health care partners would prepare her for a good paying job that she long dreamed about doing.

What Megan didn’t foresee, however, was that her training would so quickly be called upon to help a community during a global pandemic or that she would be a member of a graduating class that achieved a remarkable 100% pass-rate on the National Council Licensure Examination, (NCLEX) which gives students the permission to practice nursing.

Nursing student, Madison Kist, administering a vaccination

“We are so proud of the accomplishments of our exceptional Nursing graduates, who are embarking on promising careers in the health care arena,” said Dr. Janet Grady, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Division

100% PASS RATE

FOR 2020-2021 NURSING GRADUATES ON THE NATIONAL COUNCIL LICENSURE EXAM (NCLEX)

11

Chair of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Our students have shown themselves to be highly competent and caring professionals, excelling in classroom, clinical, and community settings. We have no doubt they will have a huge positive impact on the health and well-being of individuals and communities they serve throughout their professional nursing careers.”

“We are equally proud of the Pitt-Johnstown nursing faculty, whose tireless dedication to the success of our students was even more evident during the pandemic. The instruction, support, and encouragement provided by our highly qualified and experienced faculty contributed greatly to the ability to persist and succeed even in the face of challenges presented by the pandemic,” Grady said.

The pandemic took students to the front lines to provide vaccines to folks throughout the region. Partnering with Richland Family Health Center (RFHC) and the Johnstown

Housing Authority (JHA), faculty and students played a critical role in a massive effort to help Mainline Pharmacy distribute more than 20,000 doses of the MODERNA vaccine at the Murtha Center on campus. The nursing students also assisted a community outreach effort, vaccinating residents of Vine Street, Connor, and Town House Towers in downtown Johnstown.

"Students and faculty are pleased to have the opportunity to serve the Johnstown community. The partnership between the COVID Task Force, JHA, RFHC, and Pitt-Johnstown Nursing is an amazing and unique interdisciplinary public health initiative. Students are participating in a real-world public health initiative, and what they are seeing happen today will guide their future professional practice," said Elizabeth Katrancha, Program Coordinator, Pitt-Johnstown Nursing.

In addition to supporting the COVID vaccination efforts, Pitt-Johnstown also maintains cooperative relationships with healthcare facilities in the greater Johnstown area and in the surrounding counties of west and south-central Pennsylvania. Locally, these relationships include Memorial Medical Center, Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center, Chan Soon-Shiong Research

Institute, and UPMC. The partnership provided Megan Gilles the opportunity to work at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh where she was offered a full-time position.

Dr. Katrancha said “I cannot say enough about the flexibility, determination and dedication this class has shown. In addition, this particular class of students was one of the most compassionate, team-oriented groups I have encountered. I am excited to see where their careers lead. 100% of students seeking employment are employed, and some notable locations include UPMC Magee, Children's Presby, East, Shadyside, and Mercy; UPMC Altoona and Somerset; Conemaugh, Select Specialty Hospital, and Women's Hospital of Georgia.”

“I am really appreciative of our small and beautiful campus where you don’t have to worry about getting lost in the number of people. Pitt-Johnstown’s faculty and staff set me up perfectly to take my nursing boards. I felt collected and confident when I took the exam, and experiences from my time in the Pitt-Johnstown nursing program have since translated into the quality care I am providing to my patients now,” said Gilles.

12

PO E M BY, M at t i e U p d y ke M at t i e i s a j u n i o r a n d i s t he w in n e r o f t wo H u m a n i t i e s A wa rd s t h i s 2 0 2 0 - 2 0 2 1 a ca de m ic y e a r : t he C o l l e e n M . Bro w n Me m o r ia l P r i z e in Po e t r y ; a n d t he L o u i s e Le t i z ia M i e l e A wa rd

E ( e ) r i e St i l l n e s s T he wo r l d fe e l s l i ke i t 's s t a n d in g s t i l l .

If I rec o rded t h i s m o m e n t , It wo u l d l o o k l i ke a p h o t o g ra p h beca u s e A t t h i s m in u t e , i t i s a s i f I ’ m s i t t in g I n t he e y e o f t he s t o r m .

T he re ’ s n o m o v e m e n t , n o g ro w t h , j u s t Ev e r yo n e a n d e v e r y t h in g wa i t in g — e v e n t he w in d Se e m s t o be h o l d in g h i s b re at h .

T he a ir c o o l s my c he e k s, f l u s hed f ro m t he he at O f my m o m ’ s a p a rt m e n t , b u t t he re i s n o g a l e .

T he t re e s h av e n o t y e t be g u n t o b u d A s i f t he y t o o s e n s e t he c h a o s .

T he s u n s h in e s b r i g ht l y b u t t he re a re n o s q u ir re l s, Not even bugs out to enjoy it. I spot a Bl a c k d o g s e n t o u t t o re l i e v e i t s e l f ; Ev e n i t s e x ci t e m e n t i s s u b d u ed .

T h i s p e a c ef u l n e s s s h o u l d be a c o m f o rt c o m p a red To t he n e w s, b u t i t o n l y s i g n i f i e s fe a r.

O f t he v ir u s, o f o u r n e i g h b o r s, o f o u r in c o m p e t e n t l e a de r s, O f t he u n k n o w n t h at l i e s a he a d .

O n my m o m ’ s b a l c o ny I wat c h t he a p a rt m e n t s, A n d t a ke a de e p b re at h , wo n de r in g h o w m u c h l o n ge r Bef o re t he s t o r m b re a k s t he s t i l l n e s s .

I e x h a l e t he s u f f o cat in g s i l e n c e a n d s t a n d , g o in g b a c k in s i de .

A t l e a s t in t he re , t he q u i e t i s my c h o ic e .

I L LUS T R AT I O N BY, A l l i e C o s t l o w

Rising to the Challenge Eunice Yang was teaching mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown campus when a colleague from the nursing department approached her with a problem that immediately captivated her: how to help prevent older people from falling.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that elderly falling accidents have a direct economic cost of $50 billion per year, and result in nearly 36,000 deaths.

Yang joined Pitt in 2009 after working for many years as an aerospace engineer. The opportunity to apply her skills and ingenuity to a problem that could benefit people like her own parents quickly became an obsession.

“I was hooked. It’s a problem that has been going on for a long time, and many of the existing solutions focused on what to do to help people after they had already fallen down,” she said. “I started looking at it as not just a physiological problem, but as an engineering one … what kind of sensors can we employ to help prevent falls?”

That was in 2017. Today, Yang is in the second year of a leave of absence she has taken from the classroom in order to bring the fall prevention device she has developed to market. The company that she created and spun out of the University in 2018, OK2StandUP, recently completed a usability study with its prototype at a Pittsburgh senior living community.

She is now gearing up a beta study of the device in a real-world environment, a milestone achievement. The progress she has made would not be possible without the support of so many people at Pitt. “I need to give a shout out to my department chair at Pitt Johnstown, Dr. Jerry Samples, and Dr. Janet Grady (Vice President of Academic Affairs) for giving me the opportunity to do this,” she said.

Yang came to the Oakland campus in 2017 to enter the Pitt Innovation Challenge Competition (PInCh), where she came away with a $25,000 award. She then entered the Innovation Institute’s First Gear program for early-stage innovation commercialization, where she conducted interviews with potential customers to identify the value the innovation has for those customers. That’s where she was first introduced to former Innovation Institute entrepreneur in residence Phil Brooks, who would eventually become the chief operating officer of OK2standUP. With Brooks’ help, Yang’s pitch at the end of the First Gear program earned her $20,000 in funding from the Chancellor’s Gap Fund to accelerate her on the path to market. “CTSI and the Innovation Institute helped me learn a lot. They are true gems. Too many names to mention, but they know who they are. They never said ‘No’ to me. That’s the Pitt spirit!”

17

Yang had some previous entrepreneurship experience with a small family manufacturing software business, so she knew there would be strategic pivots from her initial go-to-market strategy required at some point. She said that Brooks helped her understand that she was looking at her potential customers from the wrong end of the spectrum. Gabriela Isturiz, her Chief Strategy Officer, provided the strategy to reach them. She considers them both godsends. “I initially looked at the problem from top-down – hospitals and nursing facilities. The top-down is usually the hardest to get into. They want something that is tried and tested and proven. I realized I had to go from the bottom-up,” she said.

She also learned early on to avoid trying to pack too many features into her initial product. Yang points to the example of the Fitbit device, which she said was initially focused only on tracking movement, a basic attribute that helped it capture a sizable customer base. Since then it has added other features, such as heart rate monitoring.

She said she is taking the same approach with OK2StandUP. “We’re doing what we’re really good at and not adding too many “distractors.” Brooks said Yang ranks among the most determined entrepreneurs he has advised through the years. “I have never seen Dr. Yang back down from a challenge. OK2StandUP was sparked by a simple question – can you create a device that will help prevent falls among older adults? Others, among them major international corporations, have fallen short for decades,” he said. “None of them have benefited from Eunice’s amazing persistence, engineering talent and empathy for older adults and their caregivers. Anything short of delivering a solution to that simple question is simply not an option for her!”

Speaking like an engineer, Yang said in general that she has become better as an entrepreneur at filtering out the “noise” and focusing on the “signal”. She said when she first began her journey she got a lot of advice on things to do, and she ended up trying to follow it all at once. “I was having whiplash early on. Now I look at my end goals, be they short-term or long-term, and I filter out those things that I determine aren’t aligned to my goals. If you don’t do that you will burn out,” she said. Referencing Women’s Entrepreneurship Week (October 18-22), Yang said the other women entrepreneurs she has encountered share a conviction and belief in themselves. “I have met a lot of women entrepreneurs along the way, a lot of them smarter than I am. What each of us has is moxie … a desire to go and get it,” she said. “I’m doing this because I feel I have to. I have been blessed with the knowledge and the family support that made the decision to pursue this idea stressful, but not scary.” She added, “It’s been an amazing journey and I believe it’s just getting started.”

Finally, she said that Pitt’s regional campuses in Johnstown, Greensburg, Bradford and Titusville are a huge source of talent and ideas.

She said that faculty and students at the regional campuses, where possible, should take advantage of the entrepreneurship resources the university makes available.

“We’re all one Pitt family,” she said.

FAC ULTY I NNOVAT E TO KEEP STUDENTS ENGAGED WHILE DISTANCED

When the university announced last spring that the campus was suspending in-person classes to help limit the spread of coronavirus, faculty, students, and staff had to quickly rethink how they would teach, learn, and work in a whole new way. The question foremost in everyone’s mind was “how do we maintain our standard of academic excellence and a commitment to up-close-and-personal teaching while physically separated from our students?”

The transition from classroom to computer was not without challenges. The change required new ways of thinking to advance new ways of learning that was met with ingenuity and innovation. Building virtual fossil kits, running 360° conference room cameras, or recording and archiving lectures were some of the inventive ways faculty adapted during the pandemic.

Hands on laboratory work was the hardest to simulate remotely but faculty adjusted. "The biggest challenge – especially in the sciences – is that we do a lot of lab work, and by not interacting with students, it didn't feel natural to them or to me. There was no immediacy like being face-to-face. You can't read each other's body language. Some people were more reluctant to have themselves unmuted in Zoom," Dr. Christopher Coughenour, Assistant Professor of Energy & Earth Resources, said. "But we found new ways how to offer teaching in the labs. We are looking at the lab education experience in completely different ways and how materials are presented. In paleontology, I presented virtual fossil kits, information in journal articles, and photos supplemented lectures and labs."

"What impressed me was the way the faculty responded,” Janet Grady, Vice President of Academic Affairs, said.” They had to transition quickly. The situation was constantly evolving, always changing, with updated guidelines. Faculty delivered our up-close-and-personal education and had to find a way to maintain a level of engagement in a foreign environment. I was impressed when I read the student evaluations and comments. The students were very complimentary and appreciative of how adaptable the faculty were. Students appreciated the flexibility and maintained engagement."

"One advantage I have as a Division Chair is I see a wide diversity of teaching styles. Before the pandemic, technology was supplemental and supported how we teach and learn. The pandemic came on so quickly, and it put pressure on how we needed to rely on technology to continue teaching. We had to adapt on the fly," said Dr. Ray Wrabley, Chair of the Business & Enterprise and Social Sciences Divisions. "I was impressed by how faculty members were able to adapt. Recognizing the diverse teaching styles, faculty embraced technology and user management systems quickly, yet some had to scramble to get up to speed. We hosted regular zoom meetings and happy hours to stay connected.

We would discuss handling mask-wearing, shared concerns and developed camaraderie among faculty during the pandemic.

Faculty taught both in-person and online while relying on Zoom, email, and other technological platforms to connect with the classroom. "What was challenging this past year were those students who didn't have their camera on during lectures. The engagement wasn't always there. Otherwise, the students did what they had to do. They used that Pitt pride to keep going," said Dr. Jill Henning. "Lessons learned moving forward for me is that I will always record my lectures. Students found it helpful so they can access them whenever they need to reference past classes."

"Faculty adopted and incorporated technology in the classroom—those faculty members who might have been reluctant now adopted these technology resources. The evaluations revealed how hard faculty tried to maintain our high-quality education," Grady said.

Dr. Ramesh Singh, Assistant Professor of Engineering, worked with students to design an efficient photobioreactor to produce algae-based biofuel when the pandemic hit. Students have resumed research in the Chemical Engineering laboratory work since returning to on-campus instruction this past fall. "We are prepared with more resources to produce the bio-fuel now that we are back on campus and teaching our classes in person. I am able to engage students in new types of research which I was not able to do last year," Dr. Singh said.

16

Scholars A FAC U LT Y O F

While working to keep students engaged inside the classroom, faculty were busy outside the classroom publishing, researching, and providing expertise.

Funded Scholarship Mitzy Schaney, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, received an $18,000 Momentum Grant to support her and her students' research into microplastics in the water in our region.

Noon Klinbubpa-Neff, Assistant Professor of English Literature and Ryan Kerrigan, Associate Professor of Energy & Earth Resources have secured a two-year Innovation in Education Award for their proposal, “Crossing Terrains, Interdisciplinary Teaching

and Contextual Learning Approaches in General Education Curriculum: A Collaboration between Geology and Literature Faculty.”

Jeremy Justus, Associate Professor of English Literature, led a grant-funded digitization projec accessible online via Historic Pittsburgh (HP): https://historicpittsburgh.org/collectio n/louis-semple-clarke-collection.

Barbara Petrosky, Associate Professor of French, recently was awarded two grants to pursue

scholarship in Europe this summer.

European Studies Center awarded her a Faculty Grant for Research on Europe in the amount of $1,500 to support her research project: “The Holy Emperor Charlemagne and Pilgrimages in Compostela Spain.” Barbara Petrosky was featured in the winter version of Pitt’s European Studies Center newsletter.

Publications Dr. Dawn Drahnak, along with Gorman, K, Dumire, R., Noon, J.,

Nahouraii, R., Morissey, S., Kieta, C., Guttendorf, J. (2020). Improving Compliance with Protocol-Driven Care in Adult Traumatic Brain Injury Patients by Implementing an Electronic Clinical Compliance Monitoring Tool.

Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 39(1), 58-68.

Shaney, M.L., Kite, S.J., Schaney, C.R., Heckman, K., Coughenour, C. 2020.

Radiocarbon dating peatland development: Key steps in reconstructing past climate in the central Appalachian Mountains.

Quaternary Science Reviews, 241, 106387.

Dr. Elizabeth Katrancha, and Dr. Lisa Bonachea(2020). Comparison of balance program outcomes among independently living and assisted living residents. Western Journal of Nursing Research https://doi.org/10.1177/0193 945919899438

Newman, P. “Agrarian Founders: Three Rebellions as Legitimate Opposition, 1786-1799,” in Robert M.S. McDonald and Peter S. Onuf, eds., Revolutionary Prophecies: The Founders and America’s

Future(Charlottesville, VA: University of Saeed Dubas, Nihal Siriwardana, Virginia Press, 2021): 107-34.

Saroj Pardhan “Steady Viscous Flow in a Cavity for Large Rayleigh Numbers Newman, P. “The ‘Four Nations of and Small Prandtl Numbers” (Paper ID: Indians Upon the Susquehanna’: CSC 4334); Springer Nature Research Mid-Atlantic Murder, Diplomacy, and Book Series: Transactions on Political Identity, 1717-1723,” Computational Science & Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Computational Intelligence, 2021.

Mid-Atlantic Studies 88 no. 3 (Summer 2021): 287-318.

Saroj Pardhan, Nihal Siriwardana, Saeed Dubas, “Role of Cardiac Output Christopher Coughenour, Ph.D. during Sleep and Exercise of Human published in the Journal of Chemical Respiratory Control: System Model Education regarding a with Multiple Transport Delays” (Paper geology-chemistry lab project ID: CSC 4580); Springer Nature experience that he created centered Research Book Series: Transactions on around Soap Lake, WA. A link is here: Computational Science & https://pubs.acs.org/journal/jceda8 Computational Intelligence, 2021 Ola Johansson, PhD published the book "Songs from Sweden" last year, which is about Swedish songwriters and producers. Based on that, he was featured in a BBC podcast. It's called Top of the Pops and is about the Swedish writer-producer Max Martin and what his methods can tell us about creative collaboration. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m 000tccj

Bekker, M. “Cyclic vectors in Bergman spaces” (with J. Cima) “Complex Variables and Elliptic Equations”.

Constantin, E. Second-order optimality conditions in locally Lipschitz inequality-constrained multiobjective optimization, Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, 186, 1, 2020, 50- 67.

Shivkumar Bale, and Ramesh Singh, “Utilizing Simtronics SPM 700 Distillation in Engineering Unit Operation Laboratory”, Interactive Learning Environments – In Press (2021).

Bopegedera, A. and Coughenour, C.L., 2021. The Geology and Chemistry of an Alkaline Meromictic Lake (Soap Lake, WA): A Centerpiece for an Undergraduate Laboratory and Field Experience. Journal of Chemical Education, v. 98, p. 1352-1360.

M.S., Alhumade, Liu, H., Alhumade, H., Elkamel, A., A Modified DAEM: To Study the Bioenergy Potential of Invasive Staghorn Sumac through Pyrolysis, ANN, TGA, Kinetic Modeling, FTIR and GCMS analysis. Energy Conversion and Management (Impact Factor: 8.208). 2020.

Schaney, M.L., Kite, J.S., Heckman, K., Schaney, C.R. and Coughenour, C.L., 2020. Radiocarbon dating peatland development: key steps in reconstructing past climate in the central Appalachian Mountains.

Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 241, p.1-12.

Saeed Dubas, Paul Bouthellier, Nihal Siriwardana, Laura Wieserman, "Numerical Modelling of a Viscous, Incompressible Fluid Flow in a Channel with a Step", Springer Nature Research Book Series: Transactions on Computational Science & Computational Intelligence (Advances in Parallel and Distributed Processing and Applications), Series Editors: Hamid Arbania, et. al.

Curran, S. C4-face-magic toroidal labelings on Cm x Cn, The Art of Discrete and Applied Mathematics, 4 (2021), no. 1, #P1.04, 33 pp.

(Co-authored with Richard Low and Stephen Locke).

Dahlin, C.R. 2020. Moths and machine guns; Monitoring yellow-naped amazons in Central America. Psitticine.

Winter. 8-9.

Dahlin, C.R. Loved to extinction. 2020.

Psittacine. Autumn. 23-25

Dr. Schaney

Dr. Kerrigan

Dr. Webb

Dr. Constantin

Dr. Justus

Dr. Coughenour

Dr. Petrosky

Dr. Curran

Dr.Klinbubpa-Neff

Dr.Dahlin

Presentations Cacciotti, Jennifer - Poster Presentation-“Phase 3:Neonatal abstinence syndrome-Utilizing student nurses in infant NAS assessment.

National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR), Virtual Conference, 4/12/21-4/14/21 Alshurafa Sami, Alhayek Hanan, Tumkor Serdar, (2020). Finite Element Modelling of GFRP Reinforced Timber Beams, ICCS23 - 23rd International Conference on Composite Structures & MECHCOMP6 - 6th International Conference on Mechanics of Composites, University of Porto, Portugal 1-4 September 2020.

Holman, J., Tumkor, S. (2021). MAKER: Injection Molding with 3D Printed Molds for a Manufacturing Class. 2021 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Paper # 33171.

Parks, Shannon. “Working toward tenure in a teaching focused branch campus,” ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition; June 21-24, 2020.

Jeff Webb, Associate Professor of Music, is conducting a joint student-alumni choir performance, using a digital platform to blend the voices of 75 alumni with current Pitt-Johnstown students to rehearse a high-tech performance. Webb will release the concert by the end of May. (https://www.johnstown.pitt.edu/news/ virtually-harmony-alumni-and-students -sing-together.

Dupin, M.K., Dahlin, C.R. and Wright, T.W. 2020. Range-wide population assessment of the endangered yellow-naped amazon (Amazona auropalliata). Diversity. 12 (10) 377.

Johnstown Organizations Benefit from First John P. Murtha Fellowship Class Originally Appeard in Pitt WIre

For young people in small towns, it can sometimes feel like you insight of young people, their energy, their perspective about need to leave home to make a difference in the world. Four what's important to promote in our community." students from Pitt-Johnstown are doing the opposite.

The fellows spent weeks meeting with community members and Callie Burgan, MacKenzie Caron, Emma Swihura and Mattie local organization leaders to better understand their needs and Updyke want their hometown transformed into a place where determine how funding could assist key organizations in community members have the resources necessary to excel. sustaining and meeting goals. Following these discussions, the Over the summer, they got their chance to initiate change and four released grant applications and, within two weeks, received 25 submissions. write a new narrative.

The four served as the first cohort of the John P. Murtha Public Service Fellowship. A tribute to the late Congressman John P. Murtha's legacy, the paid seven-week fellowship offers participating students a platform to identify and support solutions to community challenges. The program brings together the John P. Murtha Foundation, Vision Together 2025, the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and Pitt to award $10,000 in grants to support community-based organizations.

They ultimately split the $10,000 among the Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy ($7,600), Flood City Youth Fitness Academy ($1,200) and Cambria County Library ($1,200) to help implement civic projects that encourage community involvement among Johnstown residents and visitors.

"We're very grateful for the funding and the opportunity to continue to benefit our community in a new and different way," said Ashley Flynn, library director of the Cambria County Library.

"We've tried to remain engaged with what's going on in our community and pivot to meet needs as they change. We know there's a strong push to keep this area attractive and appealing both for people to want to stay here and to move here, and this funding will give us the push we need to target that demographic in a way we haven't had the opportunity to do before."

"It was special for the four of us because we're from the Johnstown area and were able to be tourists in our own town," said Swihura, a junior studying early childhood and special education. "Growing up, we're taught you need to go to college so you can move away from here. I don't think that's true at all.

Johnstown has a lot to offer, and the fellowship confirmed that."

Congressman John P. Murtha is a household name in Johnstown and beyond. A Vietnam War veteran and 1961 Pitt alum, he For Burgan, the award to Flood City Youth Fitness Academy, a passed away in 2010, at age 78. He was the longest-serving nonprofit that supports youths ages 18 and under, held special congressman in Pennsylvania history and lauded for his significance. commitment to public service.

"At a young age, you need good mentors in your life," said Burgan, Ray Wrabley, a professor of political science at Pitt-Johnstown, a senior journalism major. "These children go to this place, are liaises between the university and the Murtha Foundation, and welcomed with a smile, and get three meals a day. It might seem praised the fellows' contributions, work, and efforts to honor small, but it makes a world of difference to so many families in the Murtha’s namesake. area."

"In social sciences and the humanities, we look at the community as our lab, as a place to learn," said Wrabley, who is also Chair for the Division of Social Sciences and Division of Business and Enterprise. "The fellows got to learn a lot, meet a lot of people, but they gave back also. The community benefited from the

19

Flood City Executive Director, Oscar Z. Cashaw, Sr., thanked the fellows for not only selecting his organization, but also volunteering as tutors for a week when they were short staffed.

The money, which will cover costs for tutoring and recreational supplies, was a “surprise and a gift,” he said.

‘Born to Make a Difference’ As they developed the program, the fellows decided to call the grant “Born to Make a Difference" based on history relayed to them by the Murtha Foundation board vice president, Ed Sheehan Jr. "He told us Congressman Murtha's grandmother always said to him 'You were put on this earth to make a difference,' and that resonated with all of us," said Updyke.

Each student said they felt especially passionate about engaging community youths and bridging generational gaps — a mission close to Murtha's heart and civic engagement strategy.

"Young people are such an underutilized demographic in Johnstown," said Caron. "Many people have written off this generation as being entitled and not caring about the future, but the millennials and Gen Z we worked with, were the doers. These generations care the most. They understand that if we want to prosper, a future we can sustain, be proud of, and bring children into, we need to work."

The self-governance the fellowship allowed was also, to an extent, intimidating for each participant.

"We were able to shape how we wanted the fellowship to look," said Swihura. "It was a bit overwhelming at times, but we handled it well."

The pressure was on to create a blueprint future cohorts want to emulate.

But the “one-of-a kind opportunity,” and chance to make a difference for the town they grew up in far outweighed any doubts, said Burgan.

"Yeah, we're the first," Caron said. "We feel very proud of that. But we're bringing light to the voices in the community needing to be heard. It was a privilege the four of us were given this platform to encourage, inspire and empower other students to feel like their voices can be heard and that they're not playing a losing game."

John P. Murtha Fellowship Class shown with the bronze sculpture of Congressman Murtha outside of the Cambria County War Memorial.

Left to right: MacKenzie Caron, Mattie Updyke, Callie Burgan, Emma Swihura, and Mike Tedesco (Vision Together 2025)

— Kara Henderson

20

Virtually Camden Nagg, senior computer engineering student, wondered why most cyclist deaths occurred between 6 – 9 p.m., regardless of the season. He also wondered why bikes couldn’t have the same signals as cars to help riders avoid accidents. His curiosity, along with his academic research, sparked his idea of a “Smart Bike” with lights that mimic an automobile; a concept he worked on with Dr. Maddumage Karunaratne, Professor of Electrical Engineering, and presented at the Symposium for the Promotion of Academic and Creative Enquiry (SPACE).

"We had a good turnout despite the pandemic. We recorded and archived the talks for a month. We learned that the archived videos were a perfect way for parents to see the students work if they could not make it to the event, students could use the archived videos for internships or employment," Dr. Jill Henning said.

SPACE is Pitt-Johnstown's annual undergraduate research conference. The event provides a forum for Pitt-Johnstown students from all disciplines to present their research, creative projects, or scholarly work to the campus and community. Led

by Dr. Jill Henning, Associate Professor of Biology, more than 50 projects were presented, and 113 students participated at this year’s symposium held on a virtual, live platform.

“SPACE was a virtual success, pardon the pun,” said Dr. Henning. “We had 54 student presentations and each group was able to upload a video

21

IN SPACE describing their project. I would like to incorporate a short video component to the future SPACE events. This will allow friends, family and future students who cannot attend the in-person event see what we are capable of at Pitt-Johnstown. It will show our Mountain Cat Pride.”

Corey Stouffer, a senior mechanical engineering student, presented a Navy Nuclear Propulsion Fixture. Kylie Cameron, a nursing student, presented on Unit Based Health Study- Surgical Site Infections. Mattie Updyke worked with Eric Schwerer, Associate Professor of Writing, on a project entitled E(e)rie Stillness.

E(e)rie Stillness was written originally for her Introduction to Creative Writing course at the beginning of the pandemic lockdown. The poem is based on her visits to her mom's Erie apartment and her observations happening around her. She combines the confusion of the pandemic with the excitement of spring soon to come. (See page 15 &16 for Mattie’s poem.)

The diversity of projects presented at SPACE is one of the things that makes this showcase of research so special. For Camden, like many other projects presented, he is solving real world problems.

The lights on the “Smart Bike” are voice controlled making it safer for bikers to make signals. Though some of the research presented were posters or concepts, some may come to fruition changing people’s lives or even saving someone on a bike.

COACH PECORA’S

UNFORGETTABLE

RECORD-BREAKING YEAR

The frigid March evening could not temper the heat of anticipation ringing President Jem Spectar joined Pecora on the mat and raised the coach's around the wrestling mat installed center-stage. A measured Coach Pat hand. ESPN captured the moment of triumphant glory. "It was a surreal Pecora shuffled back and forth in front of folding moment," Coach Pecora said. "It was such a long time chairs and his assistant coaches while the lean coming. It was something I wanted to do for the 184-pounds, Connor Craig, a 2019 NCAA national university. I wanted to do it for Dr. Spectar. I wanted it champion, grappled with his opponent. Pecora's style to happen for all the wrestlers that wrestled for us and “I wanted it to is thoughtful, sometimes dropping an encouraging for all the people that were involved. It was a grand happen for all statement or yelling a move that the wrestler should moment because the record was satisfying. After all, it deploy. "Come on, Conner," Coach declared. wasn't just me; it was many people involved in that the wrestlers record. It took thousands of young men sacrificing that wrestled for You can hear the cheers and subtle mumbling. The their blood, sweat, and tears in the dressing room. So packed stadium is about to explode. Pecora's family it was nice for everybody." us and for all the was nearby. His wife and children are holding hands people that were watching with intense anticipation. If Conner wins, Isaac Greeley was there to witness the epic event and Pecora becomes the most winningest coach ever in wouldn't miss it. He wrestled under Coach Pecora's involved.” collegiate wrestling. The Associated Press is in the tutelage from 95' – 99'. "It was so emotional for a lot of stands to document this electrifying moment. You can us because we've seen several different wrestlers go - Coach Pecora hear the air pushing out of the wrestler's lungs. Craig through national championships and national has the advantage. He builds an 8 – 0 cushion to be champion team – Coach never wavered with all of his sure his beloved coach gets to 617. The referee screeches the whistle. The success," said Greeley. "His outlook and philosophy on life, he is as real as whistle echoes throughout the gymnasium. He wins. All eyes turn to they come. To see him achieve that milestone that night meant a lot to Coach Pecora. He humbly smiles at his family - knowing he made this those who wrestled for him." monumental milestone - the winningest coach in college history.

23

"I also wanted to do it for my wife and my children and everybody who sacrificed so much," Coach Pecora said. "It took 24 years.

So it wasn't something that happens overnight. It is something that I'm very proud of the school and the program. The one thing that I've always championed was consistency, and that's what this record stands for. We couldn't be good for just one year, two years, three, or four years. We had to be great for 40 years. I always tell my wrestlers that the truest measure of success is consistency."

"It was very gratifying because it encompassed all the things that I wanted the program to stand for, that consistency was the measure of success. It took a family to do it. It took a team to do it. It wasn't one person's record. It took many young men, many, many years, year after year," Coach Pecora said.

Greeley and his former teammates hugged one another. "I remember getting chills at that match. We are still very close to Coach.

He's like a father figure. He's helped us in many ways. He's helped us become better men, better fathers, better humans, and to see him achieve this success makes us feel blessed, we’re just lucky to have him in our lives," Greeley said. One of his former teammates said to him, "We are all branches on the tree; Coach Pecora is the tree, he's the oak tree, and we are all branches on it."

“I was there with my son and my grandson,” said Sean Isgan '82 who made his mark at Pitt-Johnstown as an All-American wrestler.

“It was a historic night. To be part of a team with a coach that has won more wrestling matches than any other coach is pretty spectacular. I felt very good for Pat. He just such an outstanding man. And to see him break that record was incredible. All of his former teammates who were there had a sense of pride knowing we had a tiny piece of that. But he was the maestro that put the whole thing together.”

"The atmosphere was absolutely incredible at the Sports Center,” said Mike Mastovich, a reporter from the Tribune-Democrat who has written about Coach Pecora for decades.

“Wrestling matches traditionally draw enthusiastic crowds at UPJ. But this was different. Some 2,200 fans packed into the facility. Local, regional, and even some national media covered the match. Dr. Jem Spectar sat near Pat in the row of chairs next to the mat, and the president was just as jubilant after the win as anyone else in the large and loud crowd. There were so many former UPJ wrestlers there to support their coach. Area wrestling coaches attended. Kids and young wrestlers were there. It truly was a wrestling event. A well-deserved and historic honor."

"We are all branches on the tree; Coach Pecora is the tree, he's the oak tree, and we are all branches on it."

- Isaac Greeley

24

C e le b r a t in g O U R A TH Le t i c E x c e l l e n c e UPJ Pitcher Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles

Men’s Golf Championship

Pitt-Johnstown All-American pitcher Dylan Heid was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th Round of Tuesday's Major League Baseball Draft. He was recognized as the National Pitcher of the Week and was the back-to-back recipient of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Week Award after fanning 13 in Saturday's complete-game against Fairmont State University.

Mitch Jeffe Leads Mountain Cats to 4th-Place Finish at PSAC Men's Golf Championships

Mens Basketball Coach Bob Rukavina Celebrates 500 Wins Rukavina, Pitt-Johnstown’s winningest men’s basketball coach, secured his historic 500th victory on Jan. 18, 2020.

Wrestlers Place Nationally Pitt-Johnstown's Brock Biddle placed sixth at 174 lbs. and Jacob Ealy placed eighth at 149 lbs. at the Division II National Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, MO to give the Mountain Cat wrestling program two more All-Americans.

Cheer Team Takes 2nd at Nationals Pitt-Johnstown Cheerleaders' precision, athleticism, and choreography earned the team 2nd place in the Collegiate National title in the Intermediate All-Girl D2 Division, the highest placement for any UPJ cheer team.

"This year was a little more challenging became the team needed to follow pandemic mitigation efforts and compete virtually," a former senior member of the team, Tessa Fry said. "Although it was not the season we expected, it was one I wouldn't trade for the world. Being a LadyCat these past four years has been an honor, giving me memories and friendships to last a lifetime. Beyond proud to be a part of this historical Pitt-Johnstown LadyCat achievement, I cannot wait to see the team reach new heights in the years to come."

Cross Country Championships Luke Cimakasky and Paige Greathouse led the men’s and women’s Cross Country teams to the program’s first ever team place at the 2021 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships.

National Media Award Recipient The National Wrestling Media Association (NWMA) named Pitt-Johnstown's Chris Caputo the 2019-20 Small College Sports Information Director of the Year. The NWMA is the national professional organization for journalists who cover the sport of amateur wrestling.

Athletic Champs The 2020-21 Academic Year Student Athlete GPA average was 3.21.

The student athlete GPA was its highest ever, and higher than the mean GPA for the overall student body in both semesters the past year.

89 Pitt-Johnstown student athletes were selected 2020-21 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Scholar-Athletes.

38 student athletes receive the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Awards for cumulative GPAs over 3.5.

More than 17 student athletes held a 4.0 GPA during the Spring Semester.

Meet MORGAN MAMMOSSER Former Illinois State defensive specialist, Morgan Massomer, has taken the reins as Pitt-Johnstown’s new volleyball coach.

She brings her Division I skill, competitive spirit, and recruiting success to a rising Lady Cats program.

"The best word to describe my athletes is 'hungry' – they were hungry to get on the floor, compete, and perform well. With last season coming to an end from COVID, they have been working hard and staying safe.” Mammosser said.

It’s Morgan’s Division I experience and recruiting acumen that is making the team competitive. She played at Illinois State from 2015-17 and spent two seasons at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, IL. where she was a member of the program's first conference championship team since 1992, and the program's first-ever National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Tournament in 2014. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Relations in 2017, Mammosser was a volunteer assistant volleyball coach at Eastern Illinois University in 2018. She then served as an assistant coach at Carroll (WI) University in 2018-19, before going to Cedar Rapids, Iowa as a head coach at Washington High School.

Mammosser got her first taste of coaching as the head coach of the No Limits Volleyball Club in Sterling, IL., from 2012-15. She was a two-time All-Illinois State selection, a three-time First Team All-Big Northern Conference selection, and a three-time All-Area choice. Along with her Public Relations Degree, Mammosser also received her Master's Degree in Sports Management from Liberty University in 2018.

"I am extremely excited to be a part of an incredibly competitive conference like the PSAC. I've grown up watching east coast volleyball, and I am truly thankful to be coaching in one of the top areas for volleyball," Mammosser said.

Freshman volleyball player recruited by Morgan, Lualis Alvarado lived in Philadelphia, PA, attending a boarding school her junior and senior years before coming to Pitt-Johnstown. She is from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she learned to play competitive volleyball as a young child. "I chose UPJ because I was able to play volleyball competitively while receiving a good education.

It's a good balance between school and sports," Alvarado said.

She wants to become a chiropractor.

Student-athlete, Adiamar Béaz, is from a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico. She came to Pitt-Johnstown for the competitive athletic program and the rigor of the academics.

"Coach Morgan and the volleyball team were so welcoming. I saw the opportunity of coming here as a challenge; being so far away from my family, speaking another language, experiencing another culture. I knew it was going to be tough, but I like a challenge," Béaz said. She believes this transition will help her grow in all aspects of her life, making her a better person and athlete.

TYLER BILINSKY MAKES COVER OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL TIMES Earlier this fall, College Basketball Times writer Timothy LaDuca reached out to college basketball in search of an inspirational story. After speaking with the PittJohnstown coaching staff, College Basketball Times decided to do a story on Pitt-Johnstown's Tyler Bilinsky.

A truly feel-good story for Bilinsky came out of a near tragedy that took place in December 2020.

Bilinsky, a native of Irwin, Pa. and a graduate of Norwin High School, suffered a stroke two days after Christmas in 2020 and was airlifted to a Pittsburgh area hospital. After a bit of time, Bilinsky battled his way back not only to health, but back on the hardwood where Mountain Cats Coaches Bob Rukavina and Patrick Grubbs offered Bilinsky a chance to walk-on the Pitt-Johnstown team.

Bilinsky, who is expected to red-shirt in 2021-22, is now a walk-on member of the Mountain Cat basketball team, working on improving his skills and adjusting to the college game.

26

Outlier & Pitt-Johnstown Partnership Named TIME Magazine

Top 100 Inventions Pitt-Johnstown’s partnership with the Brooklyn-based startup Outlier.org, the online education platform, was deemed one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Inventions of 2020. This innovative collaboration is another way UPJ is offering accessible education opportunities to those in need. Students pay $400 for access to online courses but this past fall, the partnership launched a Frontline Workers Scholarship for 1,000 workers on the frontlines of the Covid pandemic. The program awarded a free, for-credit online college course to each recipient, a donation equivalent to $3.8 million in University of Pittsburgh credits.

“Pitt-Johnstown is deeply committed to expanding access to a high-quality education for all and reducing student debt - a goal we share with Outlier.org," said Dr. Jem Spectar, President of Pitt-Johnstown. "We are excited to partner with Outlier.org on this initiative to give frontline workers, who are sacrificing so much, the opportunity to advance their college careers."

The partnership addresses the $1.6 trillion student debt crisis in the United States to make education accessible worldwide. This initiative

27

brings that cost down to $0 for selected frontline workers regardless of their previous educational attainment.

“Our experience working with Outlier.org has already helped to further our mission of increasing access to higher education,” Provost Ann Cudd said. “It has also provided valuable insights into the needs and goals of students who are reaching out to receive education through online channels.”

Outlier.org currently offers four courses, including Calculus I, Introduction to Psychology, Astronomy, and Statistics. Lectures are taught by professors from schools such as Yale, MIT, and Columbia. The company will continue to release additional introductory-level courses, expanding its mission to make top-quality college education more accessible and affordable. " At Outlier.org, we firmly believe in breaking down financial, temporal, and geographic barriers to earning a world-class education," said Aaron Rasmussen, CEO, and founder of Outlier.org. "The workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic deserve access to an affordable education, and we are proud to give them this opportunity."

Spectar:

Movement + Music = Medicine The Alzheimer's Association estimates that 6.2 million people of all ages have Alzheimer's disease in the United States. The disease is a type of dementia that affects thinking and memory interfering with the most mundane tasks for older adults. There's currently no cure for the disease yet President Jem Spectar released a monumental book packed with research gathered around the world about some simple yet profound solutions for this debilitating disease – movement and music. His book “Movement + Music = Medicine: Fight Alzheimer’s, Dementia & Parkinson’s” is considered one of the best books to read on dementia in 2021 by BookAuthority, It addresses the increasingly grave risk of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's, dementia, and Parkinson's - diseases that inflict a staggering toll on the afflicted and loved ones.

Arthur S. Levine, M.D. Executive Director, University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics, and Neurobiology said, “this well-researched book with intriguing and insightful anecdotes makes a substantial contribution towards understanding how movement, particularly dance, may help slow the course of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The book is especially relevant and timely, given the alarming increase in the two diseases - medical conditions often associated with aging but highly variable between patients.

'Movement + Music = Medicine' is highly recommended for a general audience seeking to learn more about neurological disorders and

how lifestyle changes, particularly movement, exercise, and dance, may make a difference.”

The book informs and empowers readers to develop a plan of action to help loved ones fight against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurological disorders. Informed by relevant research, the book shows that movement or exercise, particularly when combined with music, can have a powerful impact on brain health.

Mylynda B. Massart, M.D., Ph.D., Physician and co-director, Pitt Clinical and Translational Science Institute, said “Dr. Spectar has created a masterpiece combining the history of dance across culture and time and the evidence to support brain health and combatting the neurodegenerative disease. I am convinced. I will now be a prescribing dance to my patients, for lasting limberness of the brain and the body.”

Dr. Spectar has interviewed on WPXI Channel 11 Pittsburgh about his research. In the half-hour live event, he talked about research that shows movement, exercise, and dance have a transformative impact on brain health. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also published President Spectar's article titled “The Alzheimer’s Emergency” where he called for a moonshot initiative to cure Alzheimer’s, enhance long-term care, and support caregivers. Newly elected as a Board Member of the Greater Pittsburgh Alzheimer Association, his appointment further confirms the impact the book is having with those trying to solve this complex disease.

28

New Dining Options Delight Hungry Students Like most things on campus, the Pitt-Johnstown dining experience has evolved to meet the growing demand for variety and quality over bulk and convenience.

As a long-standing priority of President Jem Spectar, “the investment in healthier, locally sourced, and culturally diverse dining options is a critical component of the overall health, well-being, and positive experience of our students and campus community.”

An emphasis on dietary needs, green living, sustainability, and of course flavor, have transformed traditional cafeteria lines into special-offering stations. As more students request vegan and vegetarian meals, Head Chef Allen Friend, and his team at Chartwells, have designed a plant-based menu at Rooted.

The station offers plant-based proteins including rice and beans, quinoa, tofu, seitan, and tempeh. Both a vegan and vegetarian entrée are offered at each meal period with accompanying sides, local and seasonal vegetables.

Chef Friend also pays close attention to the students’ dietary needs. Milk served in resident dining halls is rBGH & rBGH free. All shelled eggs used are humane certified cage-free.

“Something that I like to do is work backward to confirm menu items. I'll take a step back and put myself in the students' shoes. Then I'll think about menu items and evaluate if we can

27

successfully produce them. In this case, I have a year on campus as the executive chef and adapted the menu a great deal for this coming semester, including adding four diverse food stations," Chef Friend said.

As the Pitt-Johnstown population of international students continues to grow, so do the menu offerings to meet a more global palate. Chinese, Indian, and Mexican food options show up regularly through PJ’s Dining Room. "When I design a menu, there are several questions that need to be answered before putting pen to paper," Chef Friend said.

"I ask who is the audience? What are the demographics of those dining with us? What are the dietary restrictions? What is the current market with product availability? What is the culinary support talent like?" Chef Friend said.

UPJ Dining serves sustainable and locally grown foods, too. In partnership with suppliers and local farms, sustainable purchases are increasing. Ethically sourced coffee is used in all resident dining and retail locations on campus.

G8 is an allergen-friendly station that offers menu items made without allergens such as peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs. Arsh Baig, a 2021 graduate, appreciated the food options. "The barbeque chicken that was served at G8 was phenomenal. The chicken was flavorful and

moist. Not dry at all!" The new culinary offerings are on trend, not only allowing students like Arsh to eat an allergy free meal, yet delivering contemporary dining options for all faculty, staff, and student’s appetites.

Stumpf, Vice President of Student Affairs.

“Beyond the good food and great staff, the dining experience allows students to come together in a variety of spaces to enjoy a meal and the company of friends.

It feels like home.”

“So far, the reviews on the new dining experience have been very positive,” said Chris

Celebrating 85 Years of Life Arguably the most popular person on campus, Helen Ferrante, has been an instrumental part of the dining program at the University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown for over 20 years. She has served in a number of roles; in each role, her goal has remained the same: to bring joy to each student she interacts with daily. Helen has become synonymous with the identity of the dining program, and we can't be more thankful for her impact. Her hard work and dedication have never wavered, and her kindness is felt in the brief moments she spends checking our students and guests into the dining hall. Junior Tristan had this to say, "There are many great stories to tell about Helen, one that is etched in my memory is one day when she completely cleared the dish line in a matter of seconds just so that I could get through...she never fails to go above and beyond for us" Senior Olivia says "Helen's pleasant and light conversation is always a highlight of coming to the dining hall". We are thankful for the impact Helen continues to make, her legacy on this campus is one we willfully celebrate.

30

DOC STRAUSSER

Legacy

LEAVES A

They say home is where the heart is. No truer words could be said about Dr. (Doc) Clark Strausser, whose home, heart, and family is the campus of Pitt-Johnstown.

Clark S t ra u s s

33

er

An educator, a friend, a sports fan, a philanthropist, Doc Strausser cherished his Pitt-Johnstown family and the campus that he called home until his passing in 2020. He left an indelible mark on the countless students he taught, the athletes he supported, and the many he helped through his generous philanthropy.

A former professor of economics, Doc Strausser cared deeply about his students’ success and financial well-being. “When we talked about those young people who didn't have much and didn't have much by way of advantages or opportunity, he would choke up," Ray Wrabley, Division Chair of Social Sciences and Division of Business and Enterprise, said. "I don't know how many

checks he wrote that we don't know about.

Someone would say, ‘I don't have $500 to register for class’, and Clark would slip a check to somebody. He was just a generous person, very caring. I hope that people can feel the connection and make a statement of support by supporting the fund that he set up to help those students who have that need, who are disadvantaged and find themselves in the moment coming up short.”

Doc’s exuberant presence in the classroom was at times intimidating, but students found him to be fair, and accessible, preparing them for the real world. “Doc’s leadership and guidance made me a better scholar. He made his students work hard, but he was approachable. If I had a problem I could come to his office to discuss it,” said Craig Albert (‘82). “He was a good professor and made me into a good leader, preparing me to have success as a banker.”

For years after his retirement, there was a predictability about Doc Strausser that brought a warm smile to the faces of his campus family. He visited campus each day and moved through his routine much like he had the day before: Lunch spent with his long-time friend, Coach Pat Pecora; a visit to the President’s Office to discuss the issues of the day; a swing by wrestling practice to see how the team was progressing; a visit to the Division of Social Science to discuss politics; a stop in the Office of Institutional Advancement to talk about helping with student debt; a front-row seat cheering on the evening’s athletic event.

Doc was UPJ Athletics’ most faithful fan and was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 for Meritorious Service because of his dedication to student-athletes. Doc and Coach Pecora were friends since Coach arrived more than 44-years ago. An unlikely pair, coming from two drastically different backgrounds, they enjoyed each other's company. "He was a UPJ man all the way," said Coach Pecora. "His family was Pitt-Johnstown." Doc never missed a wrestling match and would sit in the front row to cheer the team. "He would come down to the Sports Center every day,"

Pecora said. "He would watch the team's practice, He would walk around and talk to the student-athletes, come into my office and spend a lot of time with me, and that is after we spent time together at lunch.

Whatever was going on that night, whether it was a basketball game or a wrestling match, he was right there."

President Jem Spectar and several members of faculty would chat with Doc on Thursday mornings. "Although he retired over a decade ago, Dr. Strausser was a distinguished member of the university family for 47 years until the very last day of his life," said President Spectar. "As a professor, students benefitted from his brilliance as he challenged them to bring out their best. Over the years, alums have shared with me that his excellent and rigorous teaching, as well as his high expectations, pushed them to work extremely hard and they credit him for their success later in life."

Clark Strausser & Pa t Pecora

2019

There is a noticeable emptiness in a front row seat of the Sports Center, but his enduring spirit and a legacy will live forever - on campus and in the lives of those he continues to help. Doc is sadly missed.

Doc has been the unsung hero of UPJ wrestling since the beginning," Rob Yahner, UPJ Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2015, said. "Although he and Coach Pecora came to Pitt-Johnstown from very different backgrounds, their friendship and loyalty to each other has stood the test of time. Doc is fierce, dedicated, generous and LOYAL. I am very grateful for his support and friendship all these years."

32

Alumni M A K I N G A DIFFERENCE Since 2008, Pitt-Johnstown has annually recognized alumni who have demonstrated loyal and active service to their alma mater and achieved distinction in their chosen fields.

Thoughtfully created to embody Pitt-Johnstown's commitment to academic excellence and community service, these awards celebrate the best of Pitt-Johnstown by honoring our alumni who make a difference in the world every day. Together, this year's slate of honorees are

making a difference in the world.

These exceptional members of the Pitt-Johnstown family, including Dr. Lane and Louise Miller, John Wozniak and Howard (Skip) and Adelle Picking, will be honored at the 2022 Alumni Gala.

Distinguished Alumni Award Honors alumni with significant accomplishment in their careers and a commitment to Pitt-Johnstown Recipient: Dr. Lane (’79) and Mrs. Louise Miller It was a fateful fraternity party at Pitt-Johnstown where Lane, an engineering student, and Louise, a nursing student, first met. Neither were in a fraternity or sorority but they attended the party anyway. They chatted and Lane was smitten. A few weeks later, a Halloween Party brought them back together, and they have never parted since.

Dr. Lane Miller’s world opened after graduating from Rockwood Area High School. “As I look back, UPJ was the bridge, instrumental in making the

transition to a broader viewpoint which prepared me to go on to work globally and expand my education to a master’s degree and Ph.D.,” Lane Miller said. “It also gave me a solid foundation, which made me well prepared to practice engineering immediately after graduation. The people of the community in Johnstown and at UPJ paved the way, and laid the foundation for my success, attitude for hard work, and compassion for others. They are the reason I’m so successful.”

LOUISE AND DR. LANE MILLER

In 2008, the Miller’s decided to share their good fortune and success by helping others. To do so, they decided to look no further than the place where their love story and career paths began – at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. They created the first of three endowed scholarships, one being The John G. Klavuhn Scholarship, to honor an

engineering professor who left an immediate and indelible impression on Lane.

“I first met Professor Klavuhn at a summer orientation prior to freshman year at UPJ. Professor Klavuhn was an educator, advisor, mentor, trusted role model and even better human being, explained Dr. Miller. He had a great sense of humor and gave us his wisdom and knowledge.”

In 2020 and 2021, Lane and Louise made several more significant investments to support Pitt-Johnstown student scholarship. Their generous donations funded two additional full-tuition scholarships; The Rose Marie Karmanocky Nursing Scholarship, named for Louise’s mother, and the James Bandstra Engineering Scholarship, named to honor a retired Pitt-Johnstown associate professor of engineering.

“The memories and friendships established over the four years at Pitt-Johnstown will last forever. I greatly value these relationships and keep up with most on social media, and those I do not, I still think about them,” Dr. Miller said.

"These scholarships will support students from Cambria and Somerset counties. We want to support and give back to the origin of these special places where we were so blessed to grow up.”

Alumni Legacy Award Given to alumni who demonstrate a lifelong commitment to Pitt-Johnstown Recipient: John Wozniak (’78) "If there are any young people out there graduating high school and they're thinking UPJ is too close to home, please come and take a look on campus," John Wozniak, co-chair of the Pitt-Johnstown Alumni Association, said excitedly while explaining his deep connection and commitment to UPJ.

JOHN WOZNIAK, CO-PRESIDENT

from Johnstown High School in 1974 and studied at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1978. Since then, his unwavering commitment to the UPJ has been steadfast.

Serving as a Pennsylvania House of Representative and a Pennsylvania Senator, he helped local school districts receive millions of state subsidies while funding capital projects at UPJ. He was responsible for building projects on campus, supporting the design and construction of Pitt-Johnstown's beautiful environment.

"I always championed to keep the same building ambiance with the stone exterior structures. So, when you walk on campus, it's a beautiful and safe setting. Also, you're close to the urban center, downtown Johnstown," Wozniak said.

He is still evangelical about Pitt-Johnstown. "Before high school students make a final college decision, they need to visit UPJ. They will be very impressed with the caliber of faculty and the educational experience. I can't say enough about it. I've been engaged in UPJ ever since I graduated from there. I'm still involved. There is some mystique on that campus. I made a lot of good friends there that I remain close to."

"I was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity. The magic of Facebook has kept us all in touch with one another. I was a commuter, so Greek Life allowed me to be very social, and it gave me lifelong friends that I would have never met any other way. And the nice thing about UPJ, because of its size, there are so many other organizations you can belong to create those lifelong friends," Wozniak said.

Wozniak comes from a long line of UPJ alumni who went into politics like John Milliron, who served in the House of Representatives. He praised Dr. Clark Strausser, as one of the most memorable teachers who scared him in school. "I was involved and helped with almost every building on campus that was built after 1980 on this hill," he said.

Even though he was born in Ft. Knox, Kentucky, his home base is in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He graduated

THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

34

"UPJ is just a great school. The quality of education is great. The relationships a student can create are more intimate, and the relationships with a professor are different than being taught in a big auditorium. I don't have the best transcripts in the world, but I would put my education against any other school out there," Wozniak said.

Community Champion Award

didn’t steal her away from me,” he quipped. They’ve been dancing together ever since. Even at 84, the Pickings travel to Ligonier every Sunday to listen to community bands and cut-the-rug. After hip surgery, Skip believes he still has some good moves locked in his body. Their unwavering commitment to Pitt-Johnstown continues to provide resilient students an opportunity for a good education, just as their dedication to dancing together every Sunday.

Awarded to members of the Mt. Cat family who dedicate significant time and energy toward Pitt-Johnstown’s success Recipient: Skip and Adelle Picking When you see Howard “Skip” Picking III, you will see his dear wife Adelle. They are inseparable, giving back to Pitt-Johnstown for generations. Skip is a Johnstown native who ran Miller Picking, a successful air-conditioning manufacturing company. He would often hire students from Pitt-Johnstown, repeatedly paying for their tuition to get a degree. He needed engineers. He liked the way the students were taught to solve problems yet not buried in theory.

“I hired engineering graduates. Our guys from UPJ were all-stars. Our guys weren’t doing theory and research as much. Our employees were problem solvers. I hired kids who were engineering technology students who many have gone on to be successful executives,” Mr. Picking said.

Mr. Picking chaired a UPJ Capital Campaign building the endowment. He was part of Pitt-Johnstown’s Advisory Board, chairing the Finance and Institutional Advancement committees. He was a Trustee of the University of Pittsburgh.

“I am amazed all the time when I go to campus. My dad's generation – Walter Krebs and many more did a hell of a job – they built a school where blue-collar kids from the mills were able to get a good education.

If you draw a circle around UPJ you can see the impact it has had on the community. UPJ imports money. I believe college is important. Education there is the right thing to do if you have the energy and the money,” he said.

Adelle and Skip met at Cornell University where they both studied. An older friend suggested that Skip meet her. “Luckily he had a girlfriend at the time and HOWARD (SKIP) ADELLE PICKING

35

McCombie

family tree

GIANNA MCCOMBIE

Chemical Engineering

(2025) NICK MCCOMBIE

Civil Engineering

(2016)

MORGAN MCCOMBIE Healthcare

Civil Engineering

(2014)

TAWNYA EASH

ERNEST CASCINO (2009)

MATT HOWARD

Elementary Ed.

(2006)

Business Mgmt.

DAVID LAYMAN

(2005)

Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering

JASON LAYMAN

Civil Engineering

(2008)

(2005)

(2004)

TOM MCCOMBIE

ROB MCCOMBIE

JOHN MCCOMBIE

Civil Engineering

(2000)

Environemtnal studies /Geography

(1995) NICHOLE MCCOMBIE

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Civil Engineering

(1993) CINDY MCCOMBIE

For nearly 50 years the McCombie family has been planting roots at Pitt-Johnstown.

ERNEST CASCINO

Elementary Ed.

(1990)

According to chemical engineering student Gianna McCombie, (’25) at least fifteen relatives that she identified have earned their degrees at UPJ. Many studied engineering. Most hail from Cambria County!

Geography

(1984) CHRIS CASCINO DAVID LAYMAN Biology

(1977)

Marketing

(1981)

Whether on campus in the 1970s or more recently, there is a good chance that a McCombie relative was in your class.

Editor’s note: our apologies if our research has somehow overlooked another family member. If so, kindly contact us so that we can update our tree.

36

Remembering

9/11

39

Deafening silence echoed throughout The Heroes Memorial on the 20th anniversary of September 11th as more than 1100 visitors paid tribute to the fallen heroes of 9/11 and the servicemen and women who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.

undergoing its fourth, and hopefully final, update with 106 additional names being engraved onto the granite panels.

Students from the neighboring Richland School District were among those who somberly paid their respects atThe Heroes Memorial. “The visit to The Hero’s Memorial is important because the kids were not alive when 9/11 happened. It’s an important piece of history and we don’t want the students to ever forget this terrible tragedy,” said Mark Mosorjak, Assistant Principal.

A new digital version of The Heroes Memorial, also believed to be the only repository of its kind, was recently installed in the Veteran’s Lounge of The John P. Murtha Center for Public Service and National Competitiveness, and includes the names, ages, and hometowns of those lost in service to their country and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The long-term goal for the digital memorial is to expand the content to provide an even more in-depth profile for each of the heroes.

The Heroes Memorial was the vision of Pitt-Johnstown President Jem Spectar following notification that the school had been chosen by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as one of the locations across the country to receive an artifact from the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers. The 3,500-pound steel I-beam recovered from Ground Zero is the focal point of The Heroes Memorial.

Dedicated at 11:11 a.m. on November 11, 2011 (11:11, 11-11-11), The Heroes Memorial has received national media attention for being the first memorial of its kind on a college campus that recognizes the casualties of both from September 11, 2001, and the battles that ensued in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Heroes Memorial has been updated three times since its dedication, to ensure all the military casualties are recognized. It is currently

Digital Memorial Launched at Murtha Center

“These memorials serve as a teachable monument, a solemn signpost of ultimate service to the country, including by many college-age citizens. It is a remembrance of the heavy burden borne by the fallen, the wounded, and their families and is a sober awakening to the obligations of citizenship, a clarion call to us all to be worthy of their sacrifice,” said President Spectar. “More than two-thirds of those killed in the line of duty were of college age,” he added.

A single bright beam of light into the night’s sky could be seen south of campus this 9/11 day of remembrance. It was another reminder of sacrifice of the Flight 93 heroes who died in Shanksville, PA, just 27-miles away.

38

Students and Faculty Participate in Social Justice Efforts Across Campus and in the Community

The deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Taylor, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd galvanized protests around the globe against police brutality, systemic racism, and inequality.

While the nation struggled with these and many other tragic killings, members of the Pitt-Johnstown family found ways to lend voice to conversations about the role of law enforcement, constitutional rights, and the promise of liberty while searching for ways to help forge meaningful and lasting change.

Members of the Student Government Association (SGA) wrote an impassioned letter to the student body condemning the killings, calling for unity among all students, faculty, and staff, and

imploring the campus to be #Mountaincatstrong in their advocacy for equality. “Black lives have been constantly targeted and at some point, we have to realize when enough is enough.” the letter read. “We must use our voices to express that we not only represent all Mountain Cats, but, any and everyone who may need us. If there is a time to stand up and use your voice, it is now.”

The SGA also offered virtual mental health wellness check-ins for those who needed to talk about these tragedies and to feel connected with their peers. The check-ins also provided support for anyone who felt marginalized or in danger, especially for LGBTQ+ students.

Students also joined local community organizations to host virtual discussions, forums,

Faculty member Dr. Christine Dahlin, along with her own children, students from Greater Johnstown High School, members of Allies for Justice, the Johnstown NAACP, clergy, and local business owners painted “End Racism Now” along Main Street in downtown Johnstown.

and activities such as The Mindful Music and Meditation with Rachel Allen from The Unity Coalition of Southern Alleghenies, African-American Genealogy and Black History Month Speaker Series with the Cambria County Library, Music of the Civil Rights Movement with professor Jeff Webb, The Spirit of Woodstock with Richard Burkert from the Johnstown Area Historical Association, and End of Racism: Comedy Lecture with Preacher Moss.

Library Guide on diversity and inclusion. A selection of books and research are available to faculty, staff, and students who seek important information about inclusivity. The UPJ Spanish Club hosted a virtual world tour showcasing Peru and Ecuador. Shamele Jordon, professional genealogist, lecturer, writer, and podcaster, hosted a presentation "African American Genealogy by Era,” celebrating Black History Month.

Community outreach efforts continued for the Among the most active group on campus working Pitt-Johnstown Diversity Committee to promote diversity and inclusion on campus and “CommuniTEAMS” Project.

They partnered in the community was SPARKS Pitt-Johnstown. students with socioeconomically disadvantaged “SPARKS stands for ‘services,’ ‘promotion,’ young children and families from a ‘assistance,’ ‘respect,’ ‘knowledge,’ and local housing community to host ‘solidarity.’ The project aims to amplify “We wanted to Juneteenth’s family day, organizing a the voices of students, staff, and poetry and rap competition, faculty who are doing great work on find multiple supporting the event through a Pitt diversity and inclusion-related issues,” said Dr. Tuangtip ways to promote Seed Grant. Student Affairs developed Klinbubpa-Neff. The SPARKS team diversity, make gender-inclusive housing this past year, which provides students the includes Dr. Klinbubpa-Neff, Peter minority opportunity to live with the student of Egler, Dr. Ola Johansson, Dr. Marsha Grimminger, and Dr. Ryan Kerrigan. communities feel their choosing, regardless of sex, gender, or expression.

The Students Abbey-Gale Brooks, Julian welcome, and gender-inclusive rooms are available Faulk, and Madison Blough in the Living-Learning Center, Willow volunteered their time with SPARKS promote the Hall, and College Park Apartments. helping promote events among the diversity of Social media and video conferencing student body. technology were key platforms to cultures.” share messages and petitions, “I was on the original community amplifying the voices of those engagement committee that had a Dr. Ola Johansson demanding justice. community-minded focus but what we needed was to engage the campus Pitt-Johnstown maintains its commitment to with diversity and inclusion efforts as well so we create an inclusive environment that reflects the created SPARKS,” said Dr. Johansson. “Once we richness of our pluralistic society. “We develop had both the campus and community focus we programming to foster an environment of respect wanted to find multiple ways to promote diversity, and civility, and to safeguard the dignity of all. By make minority communities feel welcome, and providing broader levels of intercultural promote the diversity of cultures. We do this engagement, we promote deeper respect for our through both traditional activities and common humanity and enrich the living-learning programming while encouraging study aboard environment in which everyone is mutually valued opportunities.” and appreciated,” said President Spectar.

New programming focused on inclusivity evolved throughout the year. The Owen Library launched a

LETTER TO THE STUDENT BODY As the elected University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Student Government Association for the 2020-2021 School Year, we promised and stressed that we can and will represent you, regardless of race and ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation and preference, gender identity and expression, physical appearance, as well as any other classifications.

In light of recent racial inequities, we found it important to address our student community.

It deeply saddens us to have to address a situation as such.

Black lives have been constantly targeted and at some point, we have to realize when enough is enough. The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are undiscerning and appalling. In light of these events we think that it is very important for us to come together as a community and support Black students on our campus.

While this isn’t the roaring 20’s we expected, this is the roaring 20’s we’ve needed. This year has brought changes that no one could have ever expected. The expression #MountainCatStrong is a term we use to unite all students, staff, and faculty as one. Our unity is shown in our academics, sports, student activities, clubs, and more. During the time that we’ve spent apart, we have been able to prove how strong we our campus wide. Furthermore, our community is not limited to just our campus, it is nationwide. We must use our voices to express that we not only represent all Mountain Cats, but, any and everyone who may need us. If there’s a time to stand-up and use your voice, it is now.

It is imperative to note that Black lives matter, always. No matter the location or time, right now is the beginning of change and these changes will not stop until all lives are equal. We encourage all students to stand up for what is right and be a part of this change that will shape the future.

As Senators and your peers, please know that we stand by you, we will stand by you, and we will not stand for anyacts or behaviors that compromise the potential and safety of any of our students.

If you need support or want to discuss how to move our campus forward, please contact us through our President, Tessa Fry at tmf54@pitt.edu or you may direct message us on social media. We will be gathering as a campus community when we are all back together to move this conversation forward.

Hail to Pitt! Mountain Cat Proud!

Penned by the 2020 - 2021 Student Government Association Tessa Fry, President Drew Hurd, Vice President

40

LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD Alumnus Ken Walsh ‘68 Recalls Unique Experience Bunking in the Fort Stanwix Hotel In 2027 Pitt-Johnstown will celebrate 100 years as the oldest and largest regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh system. As we prepare for the milestone anniversary and reflect upon the evolution of the campus and the incredible people who have called Pitt-Johnstown home, we are excited to launch our “Centennial Stories.” This series will feature the stories of the people who have been woven into the fabric of our history.

Ken Walsh, a 1968 alumnus of the Asphalt Campus, helps us kick off the series. He penned memories of his unique college experience that was punctuated by his time living in the Fort Stanwix Hotel in downtown Johnstown.

Read Ken’s epic prologue recalling what life was like attending UPJ in the 60’s and living in the hotel dormitory. The whole story, and some surprises, can be found on the Pitt-Johnstown website following the QR Code. Point your smart phone camera at the code and follow the link to read more.

UPJ was an evolving outlier, ahead of its time as the first regional campus of a major university in 1927 with classes in the new Johnstown High School. Then in 1946 to accommodate the wave of

Ken Walsh

WWII ex-servicemen seeking a college education under the GI Bill, UPJ moved into the old Cypress Avenue elementary school in Moxham, commonly called the Asphalt Campus because the front yard was paved and the school backed up to an alley.

In 1967 UPJ moved to a new campus in Richland Township to accommodate the post WWII baby boomers coming of age. But just before the move, UPJ opened a dormitory in the old Fort Stanwix Hotel, a gift from the George H. Love family. The 8-story, brick structure, built in 1913 by Joseph Love, had been Johnstown’s finest hotel but patronage had fallen off as suburban hotels drew customers.

In 1964 UPJ recruited students from New York, New Jersey, and other states to fill their first dormitory and gain experience with a larger student body. Upon check-in at the Fort Stanwix Hotel dorm for the student orientation week, we were warmly received at an afternoon tea and reception by the school’s top staff for parents and students.

We occupied half the hotel with the other half still operating as a hotel. Our meals were served in the large basement conference room.

It was indeed an interesting experience with desk clerks and bellhops

serving the public staying and dining there. The main dining room and the Steel Bar were, of course, off limits to the students. However, it was neat to sit in the lobby and watch the guests. We occupied normal hotel rooms, two per room, each with its own bathroom. The lobby and public restaurant and bar was on the ground floor, the boys on the first through third floors, the girls on the fourth floor, and the public guests on the upper floors. And we had weekly maid service, changing our bedsheets, and cleaning the room and bathroom.

Johnstown was an interesting experience for many of us east coast suburban kids fresh out of high school. Baseball was our sport. Basketball and football were just becoming popular but nowhere near as popular as baseball. So, it was quite a surprise to witness Friday night, high school football in Johnstown. It seemed like the whole city and countryside turned out to see the game under the lights in the stadium on the west end of town near the river. Young people in cars circled the city east on Main Street and west on Washington Street for all hours afterwards.

Fort Stanwix was located a few feet from the center of the city’s Main and Market Streets, with the 24-hour Tops Diner on one corner on our side of the block and Lee Hospital on the other corner. Stella’s Bar and Greek Restaurant and a pool hall were in between. Two movie theaters and Johnstown’s Central Park were on the next two blocks on Main Street. Two department stores, Penn Traffic and Glosser Brothers, and a supermarket were within a few of blocks of the dorm. And the 24-hour Coney Island Hot Dog diner was a few more blocks away across the street from the Bethlehem Steel gate. Minor league hockey and the Teen Canteen were other venues we patronized.

Imagine a dorm filled with 17- and 18-year-olds, fresh out of high school, living hundreds of miles from home when long distance phone calls were rare and expensive. The resident adults on each floor were new to their jobs. As long as we did not disturb them, we were on our own. The boys could come and go at any time. The girls had an 11 PM Sunday-Thursday curfew and a 1 AM curfew on weekends. Few of us had cars. The major highlight of that first trimester was a meal plan protest.

Perhaps influenced a bit by Mario Savio’s Free Speech Movement and protest at Berkeley that fall, we so disliked the hotel’s food service that we asked not to have to pay for the required meal plan in the winter trimester.

Academically things improved the next two years as draft boards began calling up boys as young as 19 and 20 and as the college gained more experience and provided more dorm activities, such as occasional Saturday night dances. A few more had cars used for trips to Pitt football games and to toboggan at the Sunnehanna Country Club.

While at Pitt I met my wonderful wife, Mary Ellen. We have two sons and two granddaughters. While my Fort Stanwix experience was not very rich compared to today’s college experience, the staff and many students really worked hard in developing the institution and the people we are today. For over 40 years my wife and I have supported UPJ’s tuition aid programs. We are proud of the progress UPJ has made in retaining students and facilitating career opportunities.

We are all better for it.

To read more on the Pitt-Johnstown website scan the QR code

Remebering a TRUE LEGEND Some superheroes wear capes, but Pitt-Johnstown's superhero wore a wrestling singlet and a football jersey. He was Carlton Haselrig, the larger-than-life phenom on a big 6'1” frame.

Defying unthinkable odds, he remains the most accomplished athlete in UPJ's history.

During his collegiate wrestling career, Haselrig went 143-2-1 and won six national heavyweight championships from 1987-89. Remarkably, he accomplished this feat despite never having wrestled in high school. His school did not have a team.

His remarkable record was punctuated by three NCAA Division II national wrestling championship titles and three additional Division I national titles. “UPJ is a Division II program, but at that time Division II and III title-holders were allowed to compete in the NCAA Division I Tournament,” Coach Pat Pecora explained. "Athletically, he was just very gifted genetically and he was big, strong, fast, and agile."

His extraordinary athleticism and raw talent caught the eye of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him in the 12th round of the 1989 NFL Draft, even though Haselrig never played college football.

"He always told me that he wanted to play in the National Football League," said Coach Pecora.

"I would tell him, don't worry about it, you'll play in the NFL someday."

"Imagine if you were to produce a movie," Coach Pecora said, "Let's make a movie about a young man who goes to a high school, who didn't have a high school wrestling team and wins a state title. Wow! That's a pretty good movie. Hey, let's have him go to the local college and have him win not just one national title, but six. Wow! That's a great movie! Now wait, let's have him go play in the local professional football team, never playing football in college, and become an all-pro football player," Pecora proclaims, "who's going to believe that?"

Haselrig's numerous athletic awards and recognitions include induction into Pitt-Johnstown's Athletic Hall of Fame, the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame, NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

"I challenged myself to see what my skill level was playing against the best and being the best," Haselrig said in a Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame video. "One thing I enjoyed was the competition. I knew how to stay away from the bad things, which helped me become a better coach and help kids," Haselrig said.

The UPJ community lost its champion and superhero in the summer of 2020. "One of the greatest athletes in the institution's history, Carlton was widely admired as a fearless competitor and his indomitable spirit propelled him to great heights," President Jem Spectar said.

"Beyond his athletic ability, he was a good friend, family man, and philanthropic with his time and energy to give back to area student-athletes," said Pecora. "In Johnstown, we didn't have to watch TV for a superhero. Carlton was Johnstown's superhero."

ABC Localish, a company owned by The Walt Disney Company, recently began production on a movie about the life story of Carlton Haselrig.

Remembering Those Who Contributed to Our Legacy

Doug Reed, Business Management Professor Former Business Management Professor, Doug Reed, passed away on May 21, 2021 at the age of 72.

"Our world has lost a wonderful man, a great colleague, and a much beloved teacher,” President Jem Spectar said. “Professor Reed's passion for teaching, his positive energy, and his generosity of spirit were infectious, inspiring all who interacted with him. Pitt-Johnstown extends condolences and sympathy to his family, friends and loved ones, including all of his former students."

Dr. Joel E. Borkow, Board Member Dr. Joel Borkow, member of the Pitt-Johnstown Board of Advisors from 2014 until April 2021, passed away June 17, 2021 at the age of 77. Humble and charitable, Dr. Borkow was a generous donor to

many local nonprofit organizations and volunteered at the free Highlands Health clinic.

His remarkable life took him to Princeton University at the young age of 16 and never looked back. After doing Chemical Research and earning several Master Degrees in Engineering, he attended Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He did his residency at Millard Filmore Hospital in New York, and his Plastic Surgery Residency at the Medical College in Ohio.

He was a board-certified Plastic Surgeon licensed in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. He lived in Westmont and worked at Plastic Surgical Associates for over 30 years and another 10 years with the Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center system. He was dedicated and known for providing the best care possible for his thousands of patients.

“The Pitt-Johnstown family mourns the loss of a great friend, a very thoughtful, wise, and esteemed member of the Board of Advisors, and a talented, dedicated surgeon who has done so much for our community,” President Jem Spectar said. “We send our heart-felt condolences to his wife Mary and his family and friends.”

He is survived by his dedicated wife, Mary, who partnered with him to give back to many local organizations in the region, and his children, David, Jason, Michelle, K. Andrew, Philip and his grandchildren.

Remembering Thomas Young, adjunct professor at Pitt-Johnstown Thomas Young, an adjunct professor at Pitt-Johnstown who taught Business Law for more than 20 years, passed away on April 25, 2021.

Condolences for Dayna Daugherty, Junior Nursing Majo r It was with profound sadness that we lost Pitt-Johnstown junior nursing major, Dayna Daugherty, who passed away on March 2, 2021. Faculty and fellow nursing students remember Dayna as a beloved and dedicated student who aspired to use her immense talents and passion to make a difference in the nursing field.

“Dayna was an exceptionally kind and caring student,” said Elizabeth Katrancha, Associate Professor of Nursing and Program Coordinator. ”She was dedicated to becoming a registered nurse and was working diligently to achieve her dreams. The entire department will miss her.”

44

Thank You to Our Generous Donors The generous support of our alumni and friends is making a difference in the lives of our students. With your help, 1393 students received more than $6.7 million in scholarships over the past year.

Your gifts are changing lives.

Thank you!

The 1927 Cornerstone Society

Exists to honor and appreciate the people and institutions who have provided the most substantial financial support to the Unviersity of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

To the students, faculty, staff and friends of Pitt-Johnstown, 1927 is a pivotal and unmistakable year. The founding year of one of the great, regional universities in the nation began a journey that would touch the lives of thousands and mark the region in which it would be forever linked. The members of this society compose the strength of the past, the success of the present, and the hope for the future of Pitt-Johnstown. Those with lifetime giving of $50,000 or more are inducted into this prestigious donor society.

1st Summit Bank Addison H. Gibson Foundation American Chemical Society AmeriServ Financial, Incorporated Ashbridge Oil Company, Inc. Berwind Corporation Bridal Suite Brinker Team Construction Co. Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. Community Foundation for the Alleghenies Concurrent Technologies Corporation Conemaugh Health Foundation Conemaugh Health System Covenant Environmental, LLC Crown American Associates Crown American Enterprises CTC Foundation* Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation Douglas R. Weimer, Esquire* Dr. Robert J. Maddalon Dr. Victoria J. Risko Edith Davis Eve Foundation Ernest J. Mantini, DMD* Estate of Betty Ruth Moyer Estate of Flossie Heidorn Estate of Rhea Louise Smith ExxonMobil Foundation Follett Higher Education Group, Inc. G & B Electric Inc G. William Klemstine Foundation Gleason Insurance Greater Johnstown School District H. F. Lenz Company Joan E. Brogan Ayres Trust John P. Murtha Foundation Johnstown Bank & Trust Co Johnstown Educational Foundation Johnstown Tribune Publishing

45

Keystone Coca-Cola Bottling Corporation Lane R. Miller, PhD* Marino C. Alvarez, EdD Mark Anthony Duca, MD Mary Pfau Lavine, PhD* MetLife Foundation Minnie Patton Stayman Foundation Mr. Andrew W. Steeley Mr. Anthony T. Sossong Mr. Byron K. Custer III* Mr. Carl R. Sax* Mr. Edward G. Boyer Mr. George D. Zamias Mr. Howard M. Picking III* Mr. Jack Piatak* Mr. James J. Oravec Mr. Jeffrey A. Lavine* Mr. John R. Musulin Mr. Lamont H. Hoffman Mr. M. Paul Carey Mr. Mark E. Pasquerilla* Mr. Martin A. Fritz* Mr. Matthew S. Mazonkey* Mr. Michael K. Lauf Mr. Paul E. Lego Mr. Richard A. Bross* Mr. Robert A. Gleason Jr.* Mr. Robert J. Vanyo Mr. Robert K. Gramling Mr. Theodore R. Miller* Mr. Thomas J. Sutton* Mr. Vincent J. Jacob Mr. William H. Mallinson* Mrs. Adelle C. Picking* Mrs. Andrea Krofina* Mrs. Anna Mae Boyer Mrs. Barbara F. Vanyo Mrs. Carol A. Sax Mrs. E. Jeanne Gleason* Mrs. Jill Lauf Mrs. Lana V. Custer Mrs. Laura Maddalon Mrs. Linda L. Mantini* Mrs. Louise K. Miller* Mrs. Margaret Wilkes Mrs. Marie B. Ulsh Mrs. Marjorie B. Jacob Mrs. Mary E. Fritz* Mrs. Megan R. Keisling-Duca Mrs. Nancy L. Sutton* Mrs. Traci M. Hoffman Ms. Carol Musulin-Dennhardt Ms. Carole A. Schilling* Ms. Dorothy L. Stroz* Ms. Loisann Jacovitz* Ms. Nancy S. Coleman* Ms. Sara Shahade Ms. Suzanne L. Bross Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers, Johnstown Richard C. Ulsh, PhD Richard King Mellon Foundation Robert M. Smith Family Trust Robert S. Waters Charitable Trust Slovenian Savings & Loan Association Sodexo Marriott Services Sodexo Operations, LLC Somerset Area School District Somerset Trust Company The Crawford Fund The Heinz Endowments The Osborn Engineering Co United States National Bank UPJ Alumni Association Verizon Foundation Westmont Hilltop School District Whalley Charitable Trust

The Pillars of

Excellence Society

Is to recognize and appreciate the people and institutions who ahve provided substantial philanthropic support of the Univeristy of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. A pillar provides the essential support for something of lasting value, and it is our belief that the members of this society provide this reliable support upon which the future of Pitt-Johnstown will be built.

Those with lifetime giving to Pitt-Johnstown between $10,000 and $49,000.

1889 Foundation Air Products & Chemicals, Incorporated Allan M. Walstad, PhD Alpern Rosenthal Amer Assn of Univ Women-Johns American Institute of Steel Construction Associate Professor Deborah S. Zakrzwski* BT Financial Corporation Campus Association of UPJ CBIZ Insurance Services Inc. Cenwest National Bank David A. Glosser Foundation* Donald E. Wygal Sr., PhD Donato B. Zucco, PhD Dr. Albert K. Mall Dr. Elizabeth Morgan Dr. Kamal Gella Dr. Thomas J. Hlivko* Dr. Vicky L. Triponey DRS Laurel Technologies Edwards Trust Elisabeth T. Bell-Loncella, PhD* Emglo Products Corporation EQT Foundation Estate of Allison Uhl Kelley Estate of Bella G. Coppersmith Estate of Irving L. Longdon Estate of W. Louis Coppersmith Fike, Cascio and Boose PC First Commonwealth First Commonwealth Bank First National Bank of Pennsylvania First United Federal Florence A. Warfel, PhD* G. A. R. Memorial Hall Assoc Galliker Dairy Company Gary A. Minchau, DMD GE Foundation Gerald S. Johnston, MD Highmark Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Johnstown Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield Hite Company HR Consultants, Inc. J. William & Helen D. Stuart Foundation Jem M. Spectar, PhD Joel E. Borkow, MD Johanna M. Labuda Trust Johnstown Jewish Community Scholarship JWF Industries Katherine & Mennel Smith Charitable Foundation Kirco Manix Construction, LLC Laurel Bank Laurel Motors Holding Company Lee Initiatives, Inc. Lockheed Martin AeroParts Inc Malcolm H. Bremer, MD* MetLife Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Morrison Custom Management Morrison Restaurants Inc Moxham Bank Corporation Mr. Balakrishna Narasimha Murthy

Mr. Charles Edward Sherlock* Mr. Charles Wesley Kunkle Mr. Chris C. Bowman Mr. Damon J. Vaccaro Mr. Daniel A. Gotwald Mr. David A. Tepper Mr. Donald F. Koontz* Mr. Edwin T. Pawlowski Mr. Eric V. Wallar Mr. F. James Fullerton Mr. Frank A. Ashbridge Jr. Mr. Frank D. Damico Mr. Frank J. Huchrowski Mr. Frederick P. McLuckie Jr. Mr. Gilbert E. Caroff* Mr. Henry B. Klinar Mr. J. Anthony Capon Mr. J. Thomas Sobieski Mr. James C. Dewar Mr. James F. Shustrick Jr. Mr. James G. Loncella* Mr. Jeffrey K. Laird Mr. John E. Sheehan Mr. John E. Weckoski* Mr. John F. Green Jr. Mr. John H. Griffin Mr. Joseph J. Wilson* Mr. Kenneth D. Barker* Mr. Kris L. Mailey* Mr. M. Mitchell Fetterolf Mr. Mark Sawyer Mr. Matthew J. Maldet* Mr. Michael J. Kovatich Mr. Michael R. Meacham Mr. Philip J. Sebes Mr. Raymond Loel Porsch Mr. Richard B. Edwards Mr. Richard H. Mayer Mr. Richard J. Ragan Mr. Robert W. Knipple Mr. Robert Zakrzwski Mr. Sean C. Isgan Mr. Smith Mr. Stephen Purich Mr. Steven J. Friedman Mr. Thomas Dupnock Mr. Thomas J. Wehner* Mr. Vincent L. Coppola Mr. Walter A. Neiser* Mr. Warren H. Hinks Mr. William C. O'Donnell III Mr. William E. Simmons* Mr. William G. Wilson Mr. William J. Mullaney Mr. William L. Pardini Mrs. Agnes P. Wehner Mrs. Angel H. Vaccaro Mrs. Annette B. Isgan Mrs. Carol A. Ragan Mrs. Carol S. Wygal Mrs. Debra D. Sherlock* Mrs. Donna H. Sebes Mrs. Dorothy J. Johnston Mrs. Helen S. Mall Mrs. Janet E. Klinar Mrs. Janet M. Fetterolf Mrs. Jean C. Hoover Mrs. Jean Lux Fullerton Mrs. Jodie S. Novak Mrs. Jyothi Gella Mrs. Kathleen Capon Mrs. Kathryn M. Rusinak Mrs. Linda J. Sobieski Mrs. Linda M. Gotwald Mrs. Margaret M. Green Mrs. Mary J. Edwards Mrs. Mary P. Borkow* Mrs. Mimi Coppersmith Mrs. Nancy Zucco Mrs. Nicole Tepper Mrs. Patricia A. Dewar

Mrs. Patricia G. Carnevali Mrs. Reta P. Long* Mrs. Roma V. Murthy Mrs. Rosemary Pawlowski Mrs. Sally McLuckie Mrs. Sharon Neiser Mrs. Susan A. Barker Mrs. Susan H. Minchau Mrs. Susan Y. Porsch Mrs. Therese M. Mullaney Ms. Amy M. Buxbaum* Ms. Barbara H. Griffin Ms. Betsy A. Goenner Ms. Carol Hoffmann Ms. Dianna L. Van Blerkom Ms. Dolores Morgan* Ms. Eileen M. Gardenhire Ms. Jacqueline M. Kulback Ms. Jean Sheehan Ms. Joan C. Rush Ms. Jonna M. Contacos-Sawyer Ms. Marjorie A. Penrod Ms. Marjorie Dushaw Smith Ms. Minnie L. Dickey Ms. Sara A. Sargent Ms. Tania Brice Coffin MTS Technologies, Inc. Myers Research, LLC Nancy Frambach Grove, PhD* New England Foundation for the Arts Newspaper Holdings, Incorporated Penn State University Penn Traffic Company Peter P. Korch, DMD Pitt-Johnstown Alumni Association Price Cdc Incorporated Professor Kamal D. Verma* PSPE Pittsburgh Chapter Richard E. Price, MD Ronald P. Carnevali Jr., Esquire Ronald P. Rusinak, Esquire S & C Realty Samuel Hicks Memorial Fund Samuel S. Hicks Foundation Schottenstein Stores SCI Floor Covering, Inc. SCI Somerset Scott Electric Foundation, Inc. Scott- Lynn Properties LP Sears Roebuck Foundation Sharon L. Walstad, PhD Sodexo Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh Spence Custer Saylor Wolfe and Rose LLC SSOE, Inc. Stackpole-Hall Foundation Staff of SCI Somerset Stanley Black & Decker Team Motor Sales Inc The Pasquerilla Charitable Trust The PNC Foundation The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation, Inc. Thomas Automotive Family Tiny Tim Incorporated University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Upj Baseball Team Upj Women's Association UPMC Lee Regional Victor F. Novak II, MD William M. Grove, PhD* Wilmore Coal Company Wilson Construction Company Windber Medical Center WJAC-TV Yvonne M. Keafer, PE, ARM

*Faithful Donor Society

Faithful Donor Society

Faithful and consistent donors who demonstrate their commitment to Pitt-Johnstown by offering a gift of any size for ten or more consecutive years are honored in our Perrenial Donor Society.

Paul Abram Dr. George Ashman Dr. Charles F. Aust Leah Benner Charles S. Berney Judith A. Boyko Dr. and Mrs. Harry Bremer Dr. Vicki L. Brown Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burkert Carpenter Financial Kelley Clark Dr. and Mrs. David A. Csikos Charlotte Emrich Kevin H. Evans Mr. and Mrs. George E. Fattman Joseph Felis Clare Fey Charles Frank Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Gallus Michelle L. Gelles Rita Glosser Nancy Heggi Robert H. Horowitz Andrew S. Hovanec William C. Kenny Dr. and Mrs. William Kory Kathleen K. Kowalczyk Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Laslo Mr. and Mrs. Blaine Lucas Donald T. Marchesiello Nancy L. McHugh Curt D. Miller Dr. Owen K. Morgan Thomas A. Musselman Alex A. Nibert Frank D. Plummer Joseph M. Popchak Michael J. Popchak Julie A. Prazich John C. Rafferty Jr. Steven Rakoczy Douglas A. Ringler Maureen Romano Charles J. Salem Joseph J. Sernell Joseph M. Sernell Ray L. Sheets Mr. and Mrs. John Sidler Dr. Thomas Sigmund David H. Stine Frank D. Stumpo Drs. Clifford F. and Carolyn T. Thompson Shirley A. Verna Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Walsh Michael Waruszewski Jay D. Wiedwald Dixie A. Wilson Marie A. Wilson Henry J. Zadel

Alumni Golf Classic Rob Wiederstein ‘14, President Jem Spectar, Pat Lenihan ’14 and Ryan Tatrai ’14

Calling all ALUMNI We love to hear from our alumni! Please share with us information about career changes, promotions, relocations, volunteer work, engagements, marriages, and babies!

We welcome photos and will publish them as space permits. Please visit our website at upj.pitt.edu/alumni.

Your donation matters, and we want to make it easier for you to support UPJ through new technology. Open your photo app on your phone, hover over the QR code and the donate link will appear. Click the link to donate today. Thank you!

Secure your legacy Your planned gift will leave a lasting legacy by supporting students for years to come. A gift can be as simple as making Pitt-Johnstown a beneficiary of your will, trust, insurance policy, or retirement account.

For more information on making a difference through a planned gift please call 814-269-2080 or email Tammy Barbin at tbarbin@pitt.edu

SAVE THE DATE: Pitt Day of Giving 2 . 22 . 22 The 2021 Pitt Day of Giving was a great success! The remarkable response from alumni, friends, faculty and staff lifted Pitt-Johnstown to the top of the University’s Challenge Leaderboards; setting a record for the number of people contributing with 1364 donations. This is more than any school or campus in the university system has ever received on the Day of Giving.

46

272 Blackington Hall 450 Schoolhouse Road Johnstown, PA 15904