The is a state-related, doctoral/research
University in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . Ranked among the most prestigious public universities in the country, it is frequently referred to simply as '''Pitt'''.
Many of Pitt's academic programs are ranked among the best in the nation. According to the
Philosophical Gourmet Report , University of Pittsburgh's Philosophy department is ranked 4th in the United States.
{Link without Title} .
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, along with the science. Additionally, Pitt has a key role in the development of a
Bioterrorism defense system.
Pitt is home to the
Cathedral Of Learning , which at 42 stories and 535 feet makes it the tallest educational building in the western hemisphere and second-tallest in the world. The main tower at
Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia, claims the title of tallest academic building in the world.
JURIST , an authoritative legal news and reseach website, is based at
Pitt's Law School and is maintained by its faculty and students.
Pitt hosts progressive music radio station
WPTS . The station's
Carrier Current forerunner was founded by a student group led by
Adrian Cronauer , whose career as a military DJ was famously portrayed in the movie ''
Good Morning, Vietnam ''.
Pitt is tied with . The University is one of 60 elected members of the
Association Of American Universities .
The University of Pittsburgh campus is located in the
Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, just west of
Schenley Park . The main campus is bordered by Bouquet Street to the west and Bellefield Avenue to the east; Forbes and Fifth Avenues traverse the campus from west to east. The university also has regional campuses in
Bradford ,
Greensburg ,
Johnstown , and
Titusville .
Carnegie Mellon University is almost adjacent to the campus, the two schools being located on opposite sides of Panther
Hollow . Many Pitt professors also hold adjunct professorships at Carnegie Mellon and vice versa.
Bachelor's, master's, doctoral and professional programs are offered through the following academic units:
The University Center for International Studies (UCIS) coordinates international education curricula, centers for area studies and centers on topical specializations in international studies. It does not give degrees but awards certificates of attainment to degree candidates in the university's schools.
The regional campuses offer undergraduate education. They permit students to take preliminary courses and relocate to other regional campuses or the main campus to complete their degrees. They also locally offer degrees and certificates as follows:
See Also: University of Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh's sports teams are called the Panthers. The Panthers participate in
NCAA Division I (Division I-A for
Football ) and in the
Big East Conference .
The Pitt football team lays claim to nine NCAA National Championships, in 1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937 and 1976.
It deserves to be noted that the first 8 were awarded years after the fact and other schools claim national titles in these years as well. [http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/national_championships/nchamps_year.php
The football team moved into the NFL-grade
Heinz Field in 2001 from their longtime home at
Pitt Stadium , built in the 1920s.
The upper section of the
Cathedral Of Learning is illuminated with blue and gold lights after a football team victory.
Pitt Football has a long and glorious history.
Jock Sutherland ,
Tony Dorsett ,
Mike Ditka ,
Dan Marino ,
Tony Siragusa ,
Mark May , Hugh Green,
Beano Cook ,
Johnny Majors , and
Dave Wannstedt are just some of the alumni, coaches, and staff that have achieved prominence. Current
NFL stars with Pitt Panther ties include 49ers
Kevan Barlow ,
Shawntae Spencer ,
Antonio Bryant , and
Andy Lee , Jet
Curtis Martin , Cardinal
Larry Fitzgerald and Gerald Hayes, Carolina Panther
Nick Goings , Raven
Darnell Dinkins , Bronco Brandon Miree, Texan Ramon Walker, Chief Kris Wilson, Patriot Hank Poteat, Buccaneer Torrie Cox, Ram Matt Morgan, Cowboys Rob Petitti and Lousaka Polite, Bear Ruben Brown, Charger coach
Marty Schottenheimer , and Bucs coach
Jon Gruden .
Former NFL head coach and Pitt alum
Dave Wannstedt was hired in late 2004 as head football coach, to attempt to rekindle the glory days of the 1970s and early 1980s for Pitt football. Wannstedt's team went 5-6 in his first year and missed a bowl bid.
Pitt's men's basketball team won national championships in 1928 and 1930. Over the last five years, Pitt's men's basketball team has been one of the most successful in the nation, winning 3 straight Big East regular season titles, winning the Big East Tournament in 2003, and advancing to 3 straight Sweet 16 appearances, all while compiling one of the nation's three best winning percentages (.846 with an 88-16 record) from 2001-04. The Panthers had been one of 3 undefeated teams left in the 2006 season prior to a 55-50 loss to St. John's University and are currently ranked 16th in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Pitt traditionally has had a rivalry with
Penn State University . Formerly independent powers of college football in the East, Pitt and Penn State played each other on an annual basis for state bragging rights as well as recruiting advantage. Penn State leads the series 50-42-4 and Joe Paterno is 23-7-1 against Pitt. The rivalry started in 1905 and continued even when Pitt joined the
Big East Conference in 1982. However, Penn State joining the
Big Ten Conference in 1992, as well as disagreements between the two schools, caused the rivalry to end in 2000.
The Pitt/Penn State rivalry still exists in other sports as well as between the schools in general. It is a somewhat tense rivalry. "Penn State Sucks" is an unofficial lyric to the Pitt fight song, which is sung by students regardless of which school Pitt is playing. However, the Pitt administration recently eliminated the lull in the fight song where these words are sung. Since the end of the football Pitt/PSU series, the rivalry has significantly lessened in intensity, thereby allowing other rivalries to develop.
Pitt also has a large football rivalry with
West Virginia University that dates back to 1895. The annual contest is called the
Backyard Brawl , due to the proximity of the two schools' main campuses (they are 80 miles apart) and the shared boundary between
Western Pennsylvania and
West Virginia . The game is traditionally played on the Friday or Saturday after
Thanksgiving during what many sportscasters call Rivalry Week, due to the large number of games between college rivals.
Also, Pitt is one of the many schools that has a longstanding rivalry with the
University Of Notre Dame . Pitt has played Notre Dame on a semi-regular basis since 1899, with never more than three years passing between contests since 1943. The two universities recently signed a contract for a game each season through 2015.
Of late, Pitt has developed a rivalry with men's basketball power
University Of Connecticut . From 2002 - 2004, Pitt and UConn played each other for the Big East title every year, with Pitt winning in 2003.
- http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/columnists/2000912cook2.asp
- http://www.pittnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/05/13/4284544d76f83
- http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04315/409592.stm
is a non-commercial
Radio Station owned by the University of Pittsburgh, and offers a mix of student-run programming. The station operates at 92.1
MHz with an
ERP of 16 watts, and is licensed to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . Their
web site allows visitors to listen online.
See Also: WPTS-FM
is an independent, student-written, and student-managed newspaper for the Oakland (main) campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is published Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer.
See Also: The Pitt News
is an underground student run website which is centralized around the Pittsburgh college community. It is not affiliated with the University, but over 7000 students are current members.
See Also: Ptmarion
Originally founded by
Hugh Henry Brackenridge as Pittsburgh Academy in
1787 , the University of Pittsburgh is among a select group of universities and colleges founded in the
18th Century in the
United States . It was renamed The Western University of Pennsylvania in
1819 and took its current name in
1908 . In
1966 it was designated by
Pennsylvania as a
"state-related" university. As such, Pitt receives public funds (currently more than $200 million per annum) and offers reduced tuition to Pennsylvania residents, but is under independent control. It is generally considered a public university.ยน Pitt's endowment is $1.53 billion (2005).
Jonas Salk , along with other Pitt researchers, invented of the first
Polio Vaccine at the university's Virus Research Lab.
In 1991, the faculty gave a vote of no confidence to long time chancellor Wesley Posvar due to a perceived lack of transparency in his management style. The university was faced with a financial crisis, and a lucrative retirement package was approved for Posvar by his board in the midst of the financial crisis. Posvar countered that the money was largely his savings, accepted a decrease to his salary-for-life, and donated his university-funded life insurance proceeds back to the university. Despite the controversy in his last year in office, Posvar's legacy was widely regarded to be very positive for the University. See
Wesley Posvar .
