University Times

In August of 1995, shortly after assuming the responsibilities of interim chancellor, I wrote to the campus community. Referring to my mood at the time, I described feelings of real excitement, occasional anxiety and deep gratitude. One year (and one chancellor's search) later, little has changed in terms of that personal emotional mix.

My feelings continue to be dominated by a sense of excitement that is triggered by ever expanding insights into Pitt's current strengths and its still-untapped potential. This is an institution with both a proud tradition and promising prospects. Over the years, our educational programs have given tens of thousands of individuals the chance to build foundations for fuller, richer, more productive lives. In the next few days, we will greet a student body that may be among our strongest ever. They will work with a group of committed teachers that also includes pioneering scholars. Certainly, the national and international attention generated by members of our faculty during the summer months — in areas as diverse as astronomy, materials engineering and gene therapy — would be the envy of virtually any university. The possibility of contributing, as chancellor, to our further progress in these noble pursuits of developing human potential and adding to the current base of human knowledge is very exciting for me.

Those upbeat feelings are tempered by the realization that achieving our full potential, as essential as that is, will be a struggle. Anyone even superficially familiar with existing budgetary constraints knows that, at least in purely economic terms, we are not passing through the "golden age" of American higher education. Like most other institutions, we are being asked to do more with less. We also are functioning in an environment that is markedly less hospitable in certain other ways. However, I always have believed that both individual and institutional strength are best measured by assessing the determination and effectiveness with which challenges are met. That being so, and given the fact that the challenges we face are not unique, the future should bring special chances for us to distinguish ourselves.

I am grateful that we will have the chance to face those challenges, and to capitalize on related opportunities, together. Our university community includes thousands of talented and committed individuals. Moving forward together, there is much that we can accomplish. And in meeting the challenges that lie ahead, we may well be advantaged by the fact that life at Pitt never has been especially easy. Instead, as is more broadly characteristic of our home region, working hard and resourcefully for everything we have achieved already is an important part both of our heritage and of our standard operating procedure.

I am told by those with a more extended first-hand sense of history that, on more than one occasion, past efforts have produced levels of achievement that put this University within striking distance of institutional greatness. I hope that our march toward the new century is driven by the shared sense that our collective quest is for true and broad-based quality and that "getting close" is not enough. I have no doubt that the years ahead will present many opportunities for us to seize important victories together. I look forward to working toward and enjoying those triumphs with you.

Mark A. Nordenberg