University Times

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg has been selected to receive the Chief Executive Leadership Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II. He will receive the award at the CASE annual awards gala Feb. 6 at the Hilton Pittsburgh.

The CASE award recognizes “outstanding efforts in promoting the understanding and support of education,” according to the organization’s application guidelines. “Nominees must demonstrate the ability to create vision and inspire others; establish a positive image of his/her institution’s stature in the community, and encourage innovation and risk-taking among employees. The nominee must also be known as an active and supportive participant in significant advancement efforts,” the guidelines state.

Nordenberg was nominated for the award by Albert J. Novak Jr., vice chancellor for institutional advancement, and Robert Hill, vice chancellor for public affairs, Pitt’s senior CASE members.

Among the accomplishments Nordenberg was recognized for were:

• Actively supporting significant advancement efforts. Pitt has exceeded the $800 million mark toward its goal of $1 billion in the most ambitious capital campaign in the history of Pitt and southwestern Pennsylvania.

• Aggressively pursuing excellence in undergraduate education. The Middle States Commission recently lauded Pitt for “extraordinary accomplishments in recent years through its focus on undergraduate education; academic programs impressive in variety, strength and soundness; innovative, dedicated, imaginative faculty, and a collaborative academic style.”

• Being a partner in community and economic development. Through projects such as the Community Outreach Partnership Center and arrangements with Pitt’s volunteer office, Pitt faculty, staff and students donated tens of thousands of volunteer hours to community efforts. Applying standard conventions, at $600 million in research and development expenditures per year, the University is supporting, directly and indirectly, nearly 18,000 jobs through its research initiative.

Nordenberg said, “I view my selection mainly as a tribute to all of the people at Pitt who have worked so hard to elevate our own alumni, communications and fundraising programs to the levels of quality that would lead to this kind of recognition.”