When Assad completed his Ph.D. at Pitt and became a post-doctoral fellow here, he assumed — incorrectly — that he could continue to ride Port Authority buses for free, a perk enjoyed by most Pittsburgh campus faculty, staff and students. "I was surprised to learn that, once I became a post-doc, I lost this privilege," […]
University post-doctoral fellows struggle against "outsider" status >
February 21st, 2002What is a post-doc? >
February 21st, 2002What is a post-doc? A post-doctoral appointment is temporary and viewed as being preparatory for a full-time academic and/or research career. Beyond that, the Association of American Universities defines a post-doctoral appointment as follows: * The appointee holds a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (such as an M.D. or Sc.D.) in an appropriate field. * The […]
LEARNING LANGUAGES: Need to know Hindi? Serbian? ASL? >
February 21st, 2002Ungependa kujitundisha kuongea Kiswahili? Because if you do — that is, if you want to learn to speak Swahili — the place to do it at Pitt is the Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL) Center. The center, part of the linguistics department, offers courses in Swahili and 15 other foreign languages not available through Pitt's […]
LEARNING LANGUAGES: >
February 21st, 2002Beware of HEARD, a dreadful word That looks like BEARD and sounds like BIRD, And DEAD: It’s said like BED, not BEAD – For goodness’ sake, don’t call it DEED! As that anonymous doggerel warns, English is full of maddening inconsistencies of spelling and pronunciation. But no mystery of English so eludes foreigners as the […]
Masonic Temple renamed Alumni Hall >
February 21st, 2002What used to be called the Masonic Temple is now Alumni Hall. In voting to rename the Fifth Avenue building on Feb. 14, Pitt trustees said the change recognizes "the devotion, support and esteem of the University of Pittsburgh alumni." Pitt acquired the Masonic Temple in 1993 and completed a $16 million renovation in 2000. […]
Staff Association Council gets new officer >
February 21st, 2002By unanimous voice-vote, the Staff Association Council (SAC) Feb. 20 elected Audrey Portis vice president for communications. Portis, of anesthesiology, will serve out the term of Maureen Jenkins, who is retiring from Pitt at the end of March. SAC officers' terms run until June 2003. Also at yesterday's meeting, SAC President Barbara Mowery reported that […]
Proposed curriculum changes to be discussed >
February 21st, 2002Proposed changes in Pitt's undergraduate arts and sciences curriculum are on the agenda of a Faculty of Arts and Sciences meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Feb. 22, 10-11:30 a.m. in 232 Cathedral of Learning. The open meeting of the arts and sciences curriculum review committee (CRC) will feature discussion of changes in College of Arts and […]
Pitt honors convocation set for Feb. 28 >
February 21st, 2002The 26th annual honors convocation will be held Feb. 28, 3 – 5 p.m., at Carnegie Music Hall. The featured speaker is Pitt alumnus Gerald Stern, a National Book Award winner and poet laureate of New Jersey. An academic procession in full regalia will open the ceremony, and a reception in the Connolly Ballroom in […]
Child development office gets parenting program grant >
February 21st, 2002Pitt's Office of Child Development (OCD) has received a grant of $45,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare to implement the Inclusive Parenting and Visitation Access Program. The new initiative will be part of the Fathers Collaborative, a coordinated, personalized case-management system overseen by OCD that provides a variety of supportive services to noncustodial […]