University Times

Pitt-Titusville President William A. Shields has been  appointed to the Northwest Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board.

NWPA WIB comprises members representing business, labor, education, social services and governmental agencies throughout northwest Pennsylvania. Shields brings wide experience to WIB, having held numerous economic development positions throughout the country.

He served as chair of the Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation. In Rockford, Ill., he was a member and chair of the Council of One Hundred, a major economic development organization in the region.  He currently serves as a member of the board of the Titusville Redevelopment Authority.

The WIB board focuses its development activities on key industry segments that include electronics, manufacturing, food processing, construction, health care, metal fabrication, plastics technology, lumber and hardwoods, oil and gas, transportation and mining.

NWPA WIB is committed to a quality system that coordinates and customizes services that optimize community workforce resources; simplifies access to education, training and employment opportunities; supports a communications network for the public and private sectors, and leads to workforce job attainment, retention and career advancement.

John Keeler, dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) and vice president of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), will become president of that association in December.

APSIA comprises 34 member schools in North America, Asia and Europe dedicated to the promotion of excellence in professional, international affairs education worldwide by sharing information and ideas among member schools and with other higher education institutions, the international affairs community and the general public.

GSPIA  faculty  member  Nuno Themudo received the 2010 Best Article on Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Research Award for his article “Gender and the Nonprofit Sector.”

Themudo’s research showed that there is a strong relationship between women’s empowerment, volunteerism and the nonprofit sector worldwide.

The award is given by the Association of Researchers on Nonprofit Organization and Voluntary Action, the largest association of scholars interested in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.

Themudo’s paper examined whether women’s inclination toward altruistic behavior and participation in the nonprofit sector translates into stronger nonprofit sectors in countries with higher women’s empowerment — defined as women’s relative control over resources and their participation in political and economic forums.

The paper, which originally appeared in the August 2009 Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, used two cross-national datasets: the World Values Survey, a transnational survey of social and political values and behavior, and the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, a cross-country mapping of national statistics on the nonprofit sector.

Themudo’s paper suggested that the nonprofit sector has largely failed to acknowledge the influence of women and that there is a need for a gender theory that offers new insights into the nonprofit sector. Despite being the majority of workers in the U.S. nonprofit sector, women still are much less likely than men to occupy leadership positions.

Cindy Skrzycki, a faculty member in the Department of English and business correspondent for GlobalPost.com, was among 15 women in media honored this month during the Women and Girls Foundation gala awards ceremony, sponsored by UPMC.

The Pittsburgh-area women were recognized for “leading the way in print, radio, PR, TV, film and on the Internet, and those utilizing multiple media to promote and amplify the voices of women and girls.”

Skrzycki joined the English department in 2004. Under her guidance, students have landed internships at such outlets as Bloomberg News, Dow Jones News Service, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Washington Post, CBS, CNN, NPR, Congressional Quarterly, The New Republic, The New Yorker and U.S. News & World Report.

The Pittsburgh affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has named Agnus Berenato, head coach of the women’s basketball team, as honorary chair of the 2011 Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure. The race will take place on Mother’s Day, May 8, in Schenley Park.

Berenato’s connection to breast cancer is a personal one. Her mother died from the disease in the mid-1980s, and the mother of former Pitt player Sophronia Sallard lost her battle with breast cancer in 2007.

To help raise awareness about the disease, Berenato initiated Pink the Petersen, an annual fundraising event that takes place at one home game each season.

This season’s Pink the Petersen event will be on Feb. 19 when the Panthers host Big East rival West Virginia.

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The People of the Times column features recent news on faculty and staff, including awards and other honors, accomplishments and administrative appointments.

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