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March 16, 2006

PEOPLE OF THE TIMES

Pitt head women’s basketball coach Agnus Berenato has been named the Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year for 2005, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced last week. She will be honored at the 70th annual Dapper Dan dinner and sports auction on April 30 at the Hilton Pittsburgh.

Under third-year head coach Berenato, the women’s basketball team has earned its highest victory total in more than 10 years, allowing the Lady Panthers to clinch just their fourth postseason tournament appearance in the program’s 32-year history, capped by an invitation to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

“As I said when I found out I was up for the award, I feel very honored to even be considered,” Berenato said. “Winning the award is extra special but this is a team award. The administration at the University of Pittsburgh, my staff, my assistant coaches and my student-athletes share in this award. It’s an honor for the team.”

Founded as a businessman’s sports club in 1936 by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams, the Dapper Dan Charities organization has become one of the most recognizable charity foundations in western Pennsylvania. The Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year recognize the local sports figures “who shine the brightest light on the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.”

Joining Berenato on the podium on April 30 will be Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year Jerome Bettis, a running back for the Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Idorenyin Jamar, a fellow at the Institute for Learning, part of Pitt’s Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), received the Gateway to Equity Award from the Pittsburgh branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) at a reception held in her honor and in recognition of National Women’s Day March 8.

Organizations around the world held events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations founding of the Commission on the Status of Women, according to Winifred Carr, president of AAUW’s Pittsburgh branch, who said the Gateway award was given as an introduction to the national celebration.

Carr also noted that Jamar embodies the qualities that AAUW embraces, including fostering diversity, international understanding and outreach, academic programs in Africa and other developing countries, women’s educational opportunities worldwide, generations acting together and all religious creeds living in peace and harmony.

Jamar recently completed a two-year assignment at Westinghouse High School as the coordinator of the Science and Mathematics Academy, teaching mathematics to ninth and 12th graders. She is a member of LRDC’s disciplinary literacy mathematics team and also serves as site manager for the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center, a joint project involving Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University.

Previously, Jamar was an assistant professor of mathematics education at Pitt and an associate professor of mathematics education at Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria. Also, as a postdoctoral fellow at LRDC, Jamar was responsible for evaluating the Math Cube project, an elementary mathematics curriculum.

Jamar’s research and social interests focus on improving the educational outcomes for students in urban schools, specifically in mathematics. Early in her career she taught in a community-based setting whose goal was to help prepare adult learners returning to a formal educational setting.

Jamar has served on the board of the Pittsburgh Council on Public Education and was an officer of the Benjamin Banneker Association, a National Council of Teachers of Mathematics affiliate.

Law professor Vivian Curran was elected to the executive committee of the American Society of Comparative Law (ASCL) for 2005-07. ASCL is an organization of institutional and individual members devoted to study, research and writing on foreign and comparative law as well as private international law.

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Ann M. Dugan, founder and assistant dean of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE) at the Katz Graduate School of Business, has been appointed to the board of directors of Innovation Works, the Ben Franklin Technology Partner in southwestern Pennsylvania that is working to seed and grow technology companies in the region.

Dugan brings more than 20 years of experience in economic development and strategic planning in the business sector to Innovation Works, which provides risk capital, business expertise and other resources to high-potential companies with likelihood of regional economic impact.

Dugan has devoted much of her career to the growth and development of multi-generational family businesses and to entrepreneurial firms.

In 1996, she founded IEE, which provides educational and consulting services to the regional business community through all stages of the business life cycle.


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