University Times

Merle Collins, novelist and poet, will open the third season of the Pittsburgh contemporary writers series, part of Pitt's writing program. The series will feature poets, novelists, journalists and an African-American theatre panel, starting with Collins on Sept. 20, 8:15 p.m., in 125 Frick Fine Arts auditorium. Collins is the author of two poetry collections, […]

Thomas W. Braun, the new dean of Pitt's School of Dental Medicine, says he plans to work with dental faculty in taking what he calls "a very analytical look at where the school is now, and re-engineering the school as a nationally recognized, dominant force in dental education. "I plan to examine our curriculum, our […]

UPMC Health System has teamed up with Mid-Atlantic Imaging Network (MAIN Medical) to open a new, multi-specialty diagnostic imaging center in the Greensburg area. The center, which will be known as UPMC Greensburg, is expected to open this fall and will be located at 1275 South Main Street, Greensburg. UPMC Greensburg will become part of […]

Certain Pitt employees who subscribed to Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield health plans last year would be able to continue using designated Highmark physicians under a proposed, one-time exception. Those employees also would have an opportunity to re-select enrollment among the three UPMC Health Plan options. Potentially, about 1,000 people (Pitt employees and their covered dependents) […]

Pitt's Blue and Gold Society recently received the Outstanding Organization Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education (CASE) at the CASE 2000 Association of Student Advancement Programs international assembly in Phoenix. Mary Jean Lovett, Blue and Gold Society adviser, and Jennifer Smith, president, accepted the award. The Blue and Gold […]

Can someone who holds administrative jobs with both the University and UPMC Health System serve as an honest broker in a dispute involving the health insurance needs of Pitt employees enrolled in the UPMC Health Plan? University Senate President Nathan Hershey posed that question at recent meetings of Senate groups and in his "University Senate […]

Each year, as many as one in 10 athletes competing in contact sports nationwide suffer concussions, according to sports medicine studies. And post-concussion evaluations have involved some guesswork, experts say. Last week, the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine announced a new program that will focus on the diagnosis and management of sports-related concussions in athletes […]

AUniversity Senate committee has given Pitt's administration unsatisfactory marks for the way it allocated this year's salary raises. The administration increased the pool of money available for faculty and staff salaries by 4.5 percent, effective July 1. Of that total, 2 percent was earmarked for cost-of-living raises ("maintenance of real salary" raises is the term […]

Policy: The University of Pittsburgh is committed to the maintenance of a community free from all forms of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment violates University policy as well as state, federal and local laws. It is neither permitted nor condoned. The coverage of this policy extends to all faculty, researchers, staff, students, vendors, contractors and visitors […]

George Sparling, an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) mathematics department, received a positive performance evaluation for last year. But his resulting 2.5 percent raise — 0.5 percent above the recommended percentage for satisfactory performance — was slightly below last year's 2.7 percent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate. "I think […]