The Pitt News T h e in de p e n d e n t st ude nt ne w spap e r of t he University of Pittsburgh
PITT OPENS SEARCH FOR SCHOOL OF EDUCATION DEAN
Triple option
Pitt ready to face GT’s high-power offense pg. 8
October 16, 2015 | Issue 44 | Volume 106
Dale Shoemaker News Editor
The Pitt community — students, faculty, staff, alumni and others — will have a say in who takes over as dean of Pitt’s School of Education. Two and a half months after Alan Lesgold announced he was retiring as dean of Pitt’s School of Education, the Office of the Provost announced Wednesday it would begin its search for the new SOE dean by circulating an online survey to gather community input. The Office of the Provost formed a 12-person search committee to evaluate candidates and the results of the surveys. Alberta Sbragia, the committee’s representative from the provost’s office, said the committee would leave the survey live until March 2016, around the time the committee hopes to find a replacement dean. In the six-question survey, the committee asks community members what traits and types of experience they would like to see in the new dean and includes the option for members to nominate someone for the position. According to Sbragia, the committee met for the first time earlier this month but doesn’t have See Dean on page 5
Pitt Program Council hosted Skulls and Spells Night, inviting students to design their own candy skulls. Nikki Moriello | Visual Editor
OPEN DATA CONNECTS COMMUNITY Together, Pitt, the city and the county have launched the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center, which will publish 50 city and county datasets online. by Elizabeth Lepro and Dale Shoemaker |News Staff Call it a Pittsburgh-sized win for transparency. Pitt Senior Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Chief of Staff Kathy Humphrey, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and City of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced Thursday that the three heavyweights had opened the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center. The center will publish 50 city and
county data sets online, including public information from Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh, some of which were previously only available through a Rightto-Know Law request. From the city, the center will publish data sets from the departments for Innovation and Performance, Public Works, Finance, Planning and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. Included in the city data sets is in-
formation on 311 customer service calls, a daily police blotter, publicly available properties, geographic information and data on city-owned assets and energy usage. Pitt’s University Center for Social and Urban Research will manage the Center. Included in the county data sets is information on inmate census, overdoses in Allegheny County, housing inspection reports See Hack on page 4