President's Welcome

This year UPG will celebrate its fortieth anniversary with many special events and programs. The dreams of our founders have been more than realized. From its modest origins UPG has grown to a 219 acre campus with 25 buildings, 20 four-year degree programs, and nearly 1,800 full-time students. The Pitt Greensburg Alumni Association counts over 4,000 graduates.

UPG has a particularly beautiful campus, but its real strength is to be found in an award-winning faculty, a dedicated staff, a unique system of Academic Villages, first-rate technology, and an increasingly well-prepared student body. The educational philosophy of UPG is summed up in what we call the Four Cardinal Points of a UPG education: academic excellence, public service, leadership, and global awareness. We seek to graduate people who are not only well educated but also prepared to be engaged citizens.

We cannot ask our students to participate in public service projects if the institution itself does not play an important role in the community. Many faculty and staff give freely of their time and resources to help community causes. We allow a member of charitable groups to use the campus for fundraising events. In addition, UPG is home to two important county-wide partnerships; the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County and Westmoreland Heritage. There are many other examples of this institutional commitment to service too numerous to mention here.

Because UPG is a young institution, its 4,000 alumni are just beginning to emerge as leaders of their professions. Most alumni continue to live and work in the region around UPG. Many are lawyers, doctors, business people, journalists, and teachers whose special expertise contributes to the overall welfare of the area.

The future is very bright for UPG. New buildings and additional academic programs are in the advanced planning stages. Our Academic Village System is being studied by other universities and will be adopted by at least one in the near future.

As you explore the information on this website, you will learn much more about this dynamic institution. I always welcome comments and suggestions. My e-mail address is: fcassell@pitt.edu.