Dear Pitt students, faculty and staff:
Today marks my 100th day serving as your chancellor — a tradition set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a benchmark moment. Since I’m a new member of this community, it has been important to listen and learn from you, and I am grateful for every conversation and interaction we have had. You have reinforced for me how much our university and our city are grounded in tradition and how we continue to explore and deliver on what is possible — from Pittsburgh’s first-of-its-kind general hospital and radio station, to our university’s work to cure polio and unlock the secrets of space. It’s this foundation of service-minded risk-takers and doers, creators and discoverers, that informs our shared future as the shining university on the hill. It’s what gives us strength to face headwinds. And it’s what inspires us to know that anything is possible at Pitt.
In that spirit of possibility, I’m writing today to share a few updates.
Finish Line Grants
We’ve made strong inroads with access and affordability through the Pitt Success Pell grant initiative, which was announced in 2019 and has doubled the amount of aid a student receives through the Federal Pell Grant Program. But even with that good work, our community has spoken loudly for the need to elevate our efforts. To meet this moment, we are announcing the launch of the Pitt Finish Line Grant, commencing in fall 2024. This one-time, nonrenewable, need-based grant is designed to provide just-in-time financial support for undergraduate students within one to two semesters of finishing their degrees. With a specific focus on lower-income students across all of our campuses, the Pitt Finish Line Grant will play a role in ensuring our students successfully cross the graduation finish line utilizing resources already intended for student support.
Provost Search
I’m pleased to report that we have identified the members of the provost search committee. My sincere appreciation to Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and the John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine, for agreeing to chair the committee and to all of the members of the committee for their service. While I am enthusiastic about the committee members’ ability to recruit an outstanding provost, I also recognize that they cannot do this work alone — they need input from all of you.
To that end, we invite you to provide feedback about the role of the provost via the community survey or at two virtual open forum sessions: one on Friday, Oct. 27, at noon and one on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. Visit www.provostsearch.pitt.edu for more details. We also encourage you to nominate potential candidates either through the community survey or by emailing PittProvost@kornferry.com. We look forward to keeping you posted as the search process continues.
Plan for Pitt
The most important tasks of our university are done by everyone, and over recent weeks I have welcomed the opportunity to engage and share a timeline and action plan regarding the next chapter in the Plan for Pitt across the Pitt community. I look forward to continued in-person engagement in the coming weeks, and I’m resharing the survey from my Oct. 6 community message as we seek your feedback to frame next steps.
In closing, I want to extend my thanks again to all of you who have reached out to convey your valued and diverse perspectives with me over the last 100 days, and I want to thank you in advance for your partnership going forward. You have vision and expectations. You have described hope and, especially in recent days, pain and heartbreak. In these most challenging of times, and without minimizing in any way the suffering so many are feeling, we as a University are reminded of our mission to deepen understanding, including through campus events. We also continue to support any member of this community who needs help, including through Pitt Global, the University Counseling Center for students, and LifeSolutions for faculty and staff. We encourage all students, faculty and staff to use these resources and to contact the University of Pittsburgh Police Department if they are concerned about their physical safety or that of others.
I’m proud to be part of a community that not only insists on a commitment to compassion, shared humanity, and mutual care and respect, but also humbly recognizes when we fall short and commits to doing more and doing better. It is an honor to walk with you, to support you, and to help ensure for everyone that anything is possible at Pitt.
With warm regards,
Joan Gabel
Chancellor